The Adirondack Thunder IR continues to grow as you can now add forward Grant Jozefek (3/23) and goaltender Vinnie Purpura (3/25) to that list. Jozefek played for the Thunder on Friday vs Norfolk but wouldn’t play in the final two games, and there was nothing that I saw that really caught my attention with Jozefek on Friday Night. The New Jersey native has put up seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 54 games this season with the Thunder. Purpura certainly didn’t look himself on Sunday Afternoon as he would let in five goals on just 10 shots before getting the hook from Head Coach Pete MacArthur; that was the third time in Purpura’s last 10 appearances that he has given up five goals or more. The 6’6 goaltender is 15-4-4 with a 2.78 GAA, .908SV%, and one shutout. Both players are expected to miss the upcoming two games, and it is unknown if they will travel with the team to Texas to take on the Allen Americans for three games beginning April 5th.
It wasn’t all bad news for the Thunder, as Andre Ghantous has returned to the team after taking a personal leave of absence to deal with a family matter in California. Ghantous has two goals and six assists for eight points in just four games with Adirondack and made his AHL debut for the Utica Comets on Friday vs Bridgeport Islanders. If the Thunder are able to keep Ghantous around, it would be a massive addition to their lineup, especially seeing that they will be without Shane Harper for the next three games, and Darion Skeoch will miss Friday’s game vs Reading Royals as they are both serving suspensions. Isaac Poulter is back in Glens Falls after being sent up to the New Jersey Devils to back up Kaapo Kahkonen; Poulter made his first ECHL start on Friday night, stopping 30 of 34 shots in Adirondack’s 5-4 win vs Norfolk Admirals, he’s had a solid season down in Utica putting up a 17-8-1 record with a 2.55 GAA, .911SV%, and one shutout. Adirondack will run with a tandem of Poulter and Jeremy Brodeur for the foreseeable future, as Tyler Brennan is also on IR.
