Adirondack Thunder end Calgary affiliation

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Adirondack Thunder ended its affiliation with the Calgary Flames after two seasons, the franchise announced in a news release on Thursday. They did not announce another NHL franchise that they’d partner with.

“On behalf of the Thunder organization, we’d like to thank the Flames for two great seasons of ownership and affiliation,” Adirondack Thunder Head Coach Cail MacLean said in the brief statement. “Calgary management helped us to build a strong foun-

dation to the franchise and we are excited to build upon our success with a new NHL affiliation, which we expect to announce in the coming weeks.” Follow-up questions regarding the reasoning for the split and the franchise’s future were not immediately answered.

“Calgary provided us with a seamless ownership transition to our local coalition and we thank them for making the process quick and easy,” Glens Falls Civic Center General Manager Jeff Mead said in the statement. “Over the past few months, we have been in contact with NHL teams and are close to announcing a new affiliation. We look forward to making year three of Adirondack Thunder hockey the best yet both on and off the ice.”

The statement seemed to portray an optimistic message that the franchise would announce a new partner “in the coming weeks.” Earlier this year, the AHL’s Albany Devils, who played in the Times Union Center, announced a move to Binghamton.