Fielding looks good, plays good
Thunder at first-place Manchester for 2-game weekend series
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » Drew Fielding isn’t just winning, he’s doing it with style.
The Thunder goaltender recently made a fashion statement by donning a set of new lightning bolt-designed leg pads.
It must have helped as he made 26 saves to earn his 13th win of the year his last time out, a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory against the Reading Royals.
Fielding said he got the idea for the new sharp-looking pads from Andrei Vasilevskiy, a netminder for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
“He had that original graphic and I thought it looked very fitting with the Thunder so I went with that,” Fielding said. “I guess it’s the old saying -- look good, feel good, play good.”
A peak performance is needed from everyone on the Thunder this weekend as they’re in New Hampshire for a highly critical two-game series against the first-place Manchester Monarchs (33-18-3-2).
Adirondack (31-20-3-3) is three points behind in the ECHL’s North Division standings, so a pair of wins would move them into the top spot.
The Thunder, riding a five-game points streak, are 3-0-1-1 during that span while Manchester will be trying to snap a two-game losing streak on Friday. The teams also play Saturday.
Adirondack holds a 4-2-1 advantage in the season series to date, but the teams have six more head-tohead battles, including this weekend’s, before the regular season comes to a close on April 8.
Fielding, a backup netminder for much of his career, has stepped to
the forefront as the Thunder’s number one man between the pipes this season. In the process, he’s gained a great deal of respect and admiration from teammates as one of Adirondack’s most popular players.
“What he lacks in size he makes up for in determination,” forward Shane Conacher said. “We love playing in front of him just because he works so hard. He’s been a real warrior.”
Fielding has a new goaltending partner this weekend as Tomas Sholl was traded to the Idaho Steelheads in exchange for future considerations. In his place, Olivier Mantha has been assigned to Adirondack by the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch after recently completing his college career at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
The Thunder should be at full strength, especially on defense, as veteran Mathieu Brodeur has returned following a brief AHL stint and Colton White has joined the team from Binghamton, Adirondack’s AHL affiliate in the New Jersey Devils organization.
The Thunder have remained a tight-knit group despite considerable roster changes.
“This group of guys here is something special,” Conacher said. “Hopefully we can make a nice little playoff run.”