Thunder seek 5th straight win
MacArthur glad to be back in Adirondack
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. >> The revolving door has started to spin.
In their first major move of the young season, the Thunder dealt goaltender Colton Phinney (4-1, 2.95 goals against average) and forward Shane Eiserman to the Atlanta Gladiators on Monday for cash considerations.
The move was necessitated by the assignment of netminder Cam Johnson to Adirondack from Binghamton, the Thunder’s AHL affiliate in the New Jersey Devils organization.
Johnson, 2-2 at Bingo, will share duties between the pipes with Union College product Alex Sakellaropoulos, whose 33-save performance gave Adirondack its fourth straight win on Saturday. The first-place Thunder (6-2) will try to extend that string to five in a row Tuesday when hosting second-place Newfoundland (54) in a key ECHL North Division matchup on Tuesday (7 p.m.) at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
The Thunder and Growlers split a pair of contests, in Newfoundland, during
the first week of the season. Newfoundland is affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and their AHL team, the Toronto Marlies.
“We need to be physical,” said veteran forward Peter MacArthur of Clifton Park. “They’re very skilled, tough on D, they have quick forwards and they’re young so they have fresh legs. Seven or eight guys of their guys are on AHL deals from Toronto. So they’re enthusiastic, they all want to make their name and move back up to the AHL.”
“We need to do a good job controlling the puck, winning the blue lines, winning the neutral zone and just play as a unit like we have been,” he said. “Any time in this league when guys try to play individual it doesn’t go well. One of the reasons Adirondack has been successful the first three weeks is that it hasn’t been about one person. It’s really a collective effort.”
MacArthur, Adirondack’s team captain and MVP two years ago, has rejoined the Thunder after spending last season with the Allen Americans, in Texas, so he could be closer to his family. His wife, Cristina, has a multiyear deal with a firm in San Antonio.
But he was knocked out of action 20 games into the 2017-18 campaign by a spearing incident and missed the rest of the year.
When it became evident he could resume play this year, MacArthur immediately contacted Thunder head coach Alex Loh.
“I found a saint for a wife,” MacArthur said. “She knows how much I love the game, so she said, ‘You can’t go out lying on the ice. Take an opportunity in Adirondack and finish the right way.’ “
“I always felt very comfortable here in Glens Falls,” MacArthur said. “It’s pretty much like home. I like the professionalism, the structure. At my age (33) I want to be a part of something where you have a chance to move forward and Alex has given me the opportunity to learn under him, so it really checked off all the boxes. Plus, by playing here my parents, sister, brother-in-law, aunts, uncles and friends get to see me play. All the people in this building I consider like an extended family, also.”
MacArthur’s highest priority is helping Adirondack win an ECHL Kelly Cup championship. But he’s also thinking longterm, when it comes time to hang up his skates some day.
“I want to run my own program somewhere whether it be in college, junior or pro,” he said. “I’ve been a lot of different places and seen it go well and seen it go not so well. I’ve seen good and not-sogood people. I always write things down, things I’ve liked and haven’t liked. I would really love to be head of a program some day, somewhere.” from the seats and so many more reveled across the country, all of Puerto Rico certainly cheered its native son from Caguas.
Cora became the first manager from the island to guide a team to a championship. It came more than a year after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico — when Cora negotiated his contract last October, he asked the Red Sox to help his people with relief efforts, and the team eagerly pitched in.
Moments after hoisting the championship trophy, Cora made one more request.
“Next thing I’m going to ask ownership is if we can take the trophy to my island,” he said. “That would be great.”
Cora again turned Dodger Stadium into his personal party room. A year ago, he celebrated at the park as Houston’s bench coach after the Astros beat Los Angeles in Game 7. This time, he was front and center when Boston lifted the shiny gold trophy.
“It’s funny, because when they announced it, we were flying to LA last year between the Championship Series and the World Series, and ironic enough we win it here. So it goes full circle,” he said.
Cora became the fifth manager to win the crown in his first season, joining Bob Brenly (Arizona, 2001), Ralph Houk (Yankees, 1961), Eddie Dyer (Cardinals, 1946) and Bucky Harris (Washington Senators, 1924).
Called A.C. by his players, Cora has an unassuming presence. He often wears a gray hoodie in the dugout — the one he wore for Game 5 is headed to the Hall of Fame — and he doesn’t raise his voice. Except to yell at umpires, that is.
Shouting at his own team?
“No, no, I don’t,” he said before Game 5. “I talk to them and I try to stay in tune with them. If I have something to tell them, I just sit with them. Very casual. Very casual.”
“I try to do it that way. It feels right. It feels right,” he said. “I never had a manager that was like rah, rah, screaming at guys. They always had good conversations, and I learned from them and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
The result, said shortstop Xander Bogaerts, is Cora’s influence is “all positive, no negative stuff going on.”
His dugout demeanor is boosted by a combination of analytical aptitude and people approach.
“Coralytics” is what it’s called by his agent, Scott Boras.
Cora was hired after John Farrell, who led the Red Sox to the 2013 title, was fired following two straight early exits in the AL playoffs.
“Alex was the manager that fit for us. He was really good in so many ways,” Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski said before Game 5. “He knew Boston. I think he excels in dealing with the media, which in Boston is a bigger job than some other places. It can be cumbersome for a lot of people, and I’m not saying it’s not for him at times, but it’s part of the process and he handles it easily.”
Cora was chosen over about a half-dozen candidates that included former managers Brad Ausmus and Ron Gardenhire.
“It was a clear-cut choice that he was our guy,” Dombrowski said.
After the opening loss, Boston won 17 of its next 18 games and was on its way.
Cora steered the Red Sox to a team-record 108 wins in the regular season, then Boston topped the 100-win Yankees and Astros in the playoffs. Along the way, it seemed Cora could do no wrong.