Thunder five-game homestand begins
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Thunder are point out of first place, with 31 games left to play heading down the stretch toward the ECHL playoffs.
The season’s second half gets under way Friday when Adirondack hosts the Brampton Beast in a rematch of last Sunday’s game, in Ontario, which the Thunder lost, 6-5.
The contest opens a five-game homestand. The key to Adirondack’s success the rest of the way is simple, forward Austin Orszulak said.
“We have to stay healthy,” he said. “We’ve been battling so many injuries. If we can stay healthy night in and night out, I think we’ll be just fine. Our record indicates that we’re playing good, but I think we can do even better.”
The Thunder are 6-2-0-1 in their past nine outings and look to keep momentum going their way on Friday. Opening face-off, at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, is set for 7 p.m.
It’s the only game of the weekend for Adirondack, prior to a critical three-game homestand against Florida, which holds a commanding nine-point lead atop the Eastern Conference standings. That series starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday.
The Thunder and Everblades play in the North and South divisions, respectively.
First, the Thunder (22-16-1-2) are focused on beating divisional foe Brampton (15-17-1-2).
They’re well-rested after playing four games in five days last week, including three straight over a weekend that saw them play Friday in Reading, in Glens Falls on Saturday, before traveling through the night to play the Beast in Brampton, on Sunday.
Goaltender Drew Fielding (9-4, 2.84 goals against average) started and played every minute in all four of those contests.
Adirondack is 4-1-0-1 in six previous games against the Beast so far. Special teams has been a strength for the Thunder as they have the league’s third-best power play, con-
verting 20.8 percent of their chances, and their home penalty killing record is ranked fifth (87.1 pct.).
Coach Brad Tapper anticipates a strong start to the season’s second half, with playoff possibilities on the line.
“Our group has slowly gotten better over the course of the year,” he said. “We really try to hammer that down.”