Adirondack Thunder close in on first place
Goalkeeper Anderson sets single game saves record with 52
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Thunder might be headed for bankruptcy if J.P. Anderson was getting paid by the save.
The reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Week stopped a careerhigh 52 shots in Adirondack’s 4-2 victory over the Orlando Solar Bears on Tuesday, which moved the Thunder to within a point of first place in the North Division standings.
Playing for the fourth time in five days, the Thunder won their third straight contest. Anderson saw time in each of them, including a 44-save performance, his previous career high, against Wheeling on Saturday.
“I’ve seen a lot of shots the last few days, but it’s been good,” he said. “To get games bunched together, some high volume, is nice just to kind of get in the flow of things.”
Anderson’s performance is
all the more incredible considering he didn’t see any game action from Feb. 18 to March 17. He spent most of that time at Toronto in the AHL, serving in a backup capacity.
On Friday, he relieved fellow Thunder netminder Drew Fielding early in the second period, then played all of Saturday and Sunday’s contests plus Tuesday’s victory over Orlando.
“You get one under your belt, try to stay sharp and it just kind of snowballs,” Anderson said.
With eight games left in the regular season, the Thunder now have a comfortable eight-point lead for the final North Division playoff spot.
After going 4-2 on their six-game homestand, they return to action with a crucial two-game road trip to Reading this Friday and Saturday.
Four different players found the net in Tuesday’s win and captain Peter MacArthur had three assists, boosting his teamhigh scoring lead to 59 points.
Adirondack’s Tim Harrison opened the game’s scoring at 4:04 of the first period with his first pro goal, after recently completing his college career at Colgate. Orlando answered four minutes later, but the Thunder closed out the first period with a 2-1 lead after Brian Ward scored his team-high 22 marker of the season.
Adirondack’s next two goals came on the power play, one each in the second and third period by James Henry and Dennis Kravchenko, respectively.
The Solar Bears pulled to within a goal, 3-2, at 17:17 of the second period. It came during an extended power play after Kravchencko was called for high sticking. Despite the score, Thunder coach Cail MacLean credited Anderson with holding Orlando at bay despite facing a steady barrage of shots.
“In the second period they had 24 shots,” he said. “Eventually they did find one, but it was pretty big to have him come up big for us at the beginning of that four-minute penalty kill. If you give up an early one there, then all of a sudden you’re looking at two more minutes and they’ve got momentum. He’s pretty calm back there, so it helps a lot.”