Thunder finally back on home ice
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Adirondack Thunder pulled off a “Miracle on Ice” of their own by winning six of nine games during a recent three-week, 4,000-mile road trip.
When the 16-day odyssey was over, the Thunder found themselves in a first-place tie atop the ECHL’s North Division standings.
In addition to on-ice foes, the trip was filled all kinds of challenges such as air conditioning and bus lights that didn’t work, and a mechanical failure that nearly doubled the length of one 10-hour trip.
“I give credit to our players,” Coach Brad Tapper said. “There was a lot of adversity. I thought we grew closer as a group because of that.”
Adirondack plays its only home game of November on Saturday when hosting the Reading Royals, at 7 p.m. It’s the Thunder’s first contest on home ice since Oct. 28.
“We need to establish that it’s our building,” Tapper said. “Nobody’s going to push us around. We’ve got to play hard.”
It will be the fifth game of the still-young season against Reading, but the first one in Glens Falls.
In their first two meetings, the Thunder were completing a threegame weekend, traveling through the night to Pennsylvania to play on Sunday following a Saturday night game in Glens Falls. The outcome was predictable both times, an Adirondack loss, as the Thunder simply ran out of gas.
The same was true this past Tuesday when the Royals downed Adirondack, 5-2.
“I think that long trip really took a lot out of us,” Tapper said.
The teams played again this Friday night, where else? On the road again, at Reading in a game that was not complete by press time.
Saturday night’s clash will be the third one this week between the two teams.
Adirondack (9-6-1-1) came into the weekend tied for second place, two points behind front-running Wheeling. Reading (8-5-1-0) is in fifth place, but only three points behind the Thunder.
Saturday’s contest opens a seven-game Adirondack homestand that continues through Friday, Dec. 15.
The Thunder are led offensively by Ty Loney whose 12 goals are second most in the league, and tops among all Eastern Conference players.
Tapper cited key contributions from several players at a time when the roster has been plagued
by injuries.
“James Henry and Mathieu Brodeur are real leaders,” he said. “Dylan Olsen is doing great, too. He has 120 NHL games to his credit. He could slack off, but he’s been buying in and doing really good with the young guys. I’m proud of all our guys.”