The Adirondack Thunder have struggled this season against the Reading Royals, as coming into Wednesday’s game, the Thunder were 2-5-2-0 against the Royals this season and had yet to beat Reading on the road. Reading would get on the board at the 6:39 mark of the opening period as Max Newton picked up his 28th of the season on a tap-in off on a rebound that came off Vinnie Purpura’s pad at the 6:28 mark of the opening frame. Reading would dominate the first period as they would throw 21 shots at Purpura, who stood tall all night. Adirondack would tie the game on a tic-tac-toe play with Bailey Brkin down; however, Reading would quickly get their lead back as Jacob Gaucher would score on the PP 2:29 after the Vidmar goal, Alec Butcher would score less than two minutes after Gaucher as he was left all alone in the slot and would make it a two-goal game. Adirondack would get a five on three late in the period but couldn’t convert on the first penalty but would score at the tail end of the second as Shane Harper fired a shot past Brkin’s shoulder to make it a one-goal game heading into the third.
The Thunder would come out firing in the third, and just 3:08 into the period, Travis Broughman fed Brady Fleurent, who just got it past Brkin to tie the game up at three. Neither team would be able to score, and they would head to OT, where Adirondack had struggled this year as they are 2-10 in games that head to the extra frame. Patrick Grasso won a foot race to the puck, and he and Harper had a two-on-one as he fed Harper, who’d find Grasso, who’d fire one past Brkin to give the Thunder the OT victory. Vinnie Purpura made 38 saves in the win as the Thunder point streak gets extended to nine. Adirondack now sits two points behind Worcester for 4th place, as the two teams will meet for a two-game set in Worcester; the Thunder still have two games in hand on the Railers.
