Thunder, first-place Monarchs set for 2-game showdown
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » The Thunder head to Manchester, N.H. this weekend for a two-game showdown between two of the ECHL’s hottest teams.
The Monarchs, riding a sixgame winning streak, hold a narrow two-point lead over Adirondack -- 8-1-0-1 in its last 10 outings -- in the tightly-packed North Division standings.
Meanwhile, third-place Reading is close behind, trailing the Thunder by just five points, so the division title is still up in the air with seven games left in the regular season.
“We’ve got to make sure we’ve got a spot and have our ticket punched (for the playoffs),” Associate Coach Alex Loh said. “Then
we’ll go from there.”
The Thunder outscored the Monarchs 9-2 while taking two straight games during their last trip to Manchester on March 2-3. But the next week, after jumping out to a 2-0 lead, Adirondack suffered a humiliating 5-4 loss to the Monarchs in Glens Falls.
However, the Thunder haven’t lost in regulation since then, and emerged victorious from last weekend’s grueling three-game schedule with three more W’s to their credit.
Loh said recently-acquired new players from the college ranks are having a positive impact on the team.
“It’s great because they’re so eager,” he said. “We have the right mix of older players, too.”
Veteran James Henry, with 18 goals and 30 assists, can’t wait for the postseason to begin. He wants Adirondack’s playoff run to last well into spring, so he can wear shorts and flipflops to the arena instead of heavy, cold-weather outerwear.
“The deeper we go into the playoffs the happier everyone is, the more excited everyone is to play hockey,” Henry said.
Led by Brian Ward’s 28 markers, the Thunder have eight double-digit goal scorers, making each line a threat. Defensemen such as Desmond Bergin, with two recent game-winning goals, and Mathieu Brodeur, have stepped on offense as well lately.
“If you look at any successful championship team, they’re not one line and done,” Henry said. “It doesn’t end with your topline players. It takes the whole team. You want line after line to contribute. That’s what all 10 forwards here have done.”