GLENS FALLS- The Adirondack Thunder opened their home slate on Saturday Night vs Maine Mariners after Friday night’s game was postponed due to the tragedy in Lewiston, Maine, where 18 people lost their lives. Vinnie Purpura, who came into the season as the third-string goaltender, would get the call between the pipes for the Thunder’s home opener with Jeremy Brodeur getting back from Utica on Saturday afternoon, “Ya, I was fired up; that’s the only way to describe it” said Purpura when asked about how he felt getting the start for the home opener, in which he would make 28 saves. Adirondack would once again give up the opening goal as Curtis Hall and Reid Stefanson had a two on one as Hall would find the back of the net for his first of the season at the 3:33 mark of the opening frame. Despite giving up the first goal, Adirondack played a very strong opening frame where they would throw 16 shots at Shane Starrett, who stood tall, stopping all 16 he faced in the opening 20 and finished the game with 37 saves, as the Thunder were only down one. Maine would come out in the second hungry for more as Gabriel Chicoine found the back of the net just 33 seconds into the period for his first of the year. The Thunder needed a response, and they got one as T.J. Friedmann got a nice pass from Grant Jozefek in front to pick up his first professional goal and cut the Mariners’ lead in half, “Felt good, you dream about it as a kid playing professional hockey, being able to be here and be able to help and contribute is why I’m here” said Friedmann.
Special teams was a big story coming into this game as the Thunder went 0/5 on the PP and killed off all three penalties, including a short-handed game in their season opener at Worcester. Maine came into tonight’s game leading the league at 55.6% on the PP but only 69.2% on the PK, but Adirondack would kill off all three of Maine’s powerplays .”Our special teams have done a really good job; we’ve focused on those in practice, make those a really big focus, you win and lose games with special teams, and I think we’ve done a really good job with it so far,” said Purpura. Adirondack would get their first PP of the game as Yushiro Hirano drew a penalty at the 16:01 mark of the second. However, the Thunder wouldn’t be able to score with the man advantage, but it would be Ryan Smith who’d find the back of the net just as the PP expired to tie the game at two after 40. The first two goals given up by the Thunder tonight came in the first five minutes of the period, and it wouldn’t change in the third as Gabriel Chicoine picked up his second of the game at the 4:00 mark of the third to give the Mariners their lead back. Hirano, who drew the penalty that led to the Smith goal, would be rewarded with a goal of his own off a pass from Tristan Thompson, who would pick up his first professional point on the assist to tie the game.
Both sides would have their chances to win it in third, but the game would head to OT as once again both sides had great chances to win it, but it would be Owen Pederson who would send the Mariners home happy after a rough 48 hours, “I think it’s huge. The first one is always the hardest, and for us, it means a lot for us to win it for Lewiston and the state of Maine, up there we’re the big team in Maine; it feels nice we put the state on our back and make them proud during this tough time,” said Mariners Head Coach Terrence Wallin after Saturday’s win.
