Thunder squander lead in 9-7 defeat

GLENS FALLS » Thunder fans got two games for the price of one on Sunday.

The first, which lasted 26:57, saw Adirondack jump out to a commanding 5-2 lead, thanks in part to a lucky bounce that landed in an unattended Brampton net.

Act II saw the Thunder outscored, 7-2, en route to an ugly 9-7 loss that was nothing less than a horror show.

The defeat, at the hands of Brampton, leaves Adirondack in fourth place in the ECHL’s North Division standings with 12 games left in the regular season.

A win would have put the Thunder in sole possession of second place, just two points behind front-running Reading.

Two of Adirondack’s goals were by sheer luck. After falling

behind, 1-0, at 1:57 of the first period, Brian Ward knotted the score with one of the flukiest scores ever. His pass off the side boards took an unexpected carom and landed in the back of Brampton’s net, which goaltender Zach Fucale left empty, thinking the puck would hug the boards and go behind the cage.

Two minutes later, Ward blasted a slapshot from the slot that beat Fucale to make it 3-1 and the Thunder appeared well on their way to a third straight weekend victory after beating Manchester on Friday and Saturday.

James Henry increased the lead to 4-1 at 3:06 of the second, which should have given the Thunder an irontight grip on things.

Instead, the lead slipped through their fingers like hot butter on a summer day.

At 5-2, Adirondack was still in command.

Then Brampton switched goaltenders, and it was just as if someone flipped a switch as the Beast shifted into high gear, leaving the Thunder in their dust.

Brampton closed out the second period with three straight goals, which made it, 5-5, and went ahead, 6-5, just 40 seconds into the final frame.

The Thunder tied it at 6 on their second gift of the game when Brampton’s David Pacan knocked a puck into his own net. There was almost 17 minutes still to play.

Chris Leveille put the Beast ahead for good, 7-6, with a power play goal and Brandon Marino added another, a minute later, to make it, 8-6.

In a desperation move, Thunder coach Cail MacLean pulled goaltender Drew Fielding with 3:34 to play and Ward scored 22 seconds later to keep Adirondack’s faltering hopes alive, 8-7. It was his third goal of the game, giving Adirondack hat tricks in two straight contests as Peter MacArthur tallied three markers in Saturday’s win over Manchester.

Brampton closed out the scoring with an empty-netter that finally brought the curtain down on one of the Thunder’s worst performances of the year.

The Thunder return to action next weekend with three home games, two against Wheeling on Friday and Saturday before hosting Atlanta on Sunday. All games are at 7 p.m.