Thunder ring in New Year with 3-0 win
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Adirondack Thunder helped a seasonhigh crowd of 4,869 celebrate the new year with a 3-0 victory over the Reading Royals on Sunday.
Netminder Drew Fielding stopped all 29 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season, and three different Adirondack players scored.
By winning, the Thunder stand alone in second place in the ECHL’s North Division, with a key matchup on tap Wednesday, at home, against first-place Manchester.
“Drew played an excellent game,” coach Brad Tapper said. “He made some secondary saves that were great to see. Goaltending in this league is everything. It was nice to see him get that win, for sure.”
A night earlier, the Thunder dropped a 5-3 decision at Reading, so Tapper was pleased with the way his team responded in
bouncing back with a solid effort on Sunday.
“We’re getting faster and faster on our exits from our D-zone,” he said. “That’s leading to some offense and more sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Also our neutral zone is coming along from neutral zone to defensive exits. Our team structure is really coming together.”
One second into the contest, Thunder captain Mike Bergin dropped his gloves and slugged it out with Reading’s Scott Tanski, which seemed to ignite Adirondack and set the tone for the rest of the night.
At 1:46, Shane Conacher beat Royals goaltender Mark Dekanich for a 1-0 lead, which further fueled the Thunder momentum. Troy Bourke got the first of two assists on the score. As things turned out, it was all the offense Adirondack needed.
Defenseman Mathieu Brodeur’s first goal of the year gave Adirondack a 2-0 lead 6:22 into the second period, and James Henry’s 10th marker of the season, on a power play, sealed the outcome at 6:19 of the final stanza.
“I’m proud of our effort tonight,” Tapper said. “That’s a very dangerous hockey club over there. For us to come back and respond like that was awesome.”