The Adirondack Thunder surpassed their win total from January, and it would take them just two days to do so. This season, slow starts have been the Thunder’s kryptonite, but on Sunday, Adirondack would get on the board first as Jackson van de Leest threw a puck towards the net that Dylan Wendt would deflect in for his sixth of the season at the 4:27 mark of the opening frame. The Thunder would have plenty of golden opportunities to double their lead as they got back-to-back 5 on 3 powerplays but couldn’t convert. Reading would get a golden chance of their own shorthanded at the 15:11 mark as Ryan Leibold got a shorthanded breakaway but would be stopped by Tyler Brennan. Adirondack would commit two penalties in the first, but it would be the second one that came back to bite them as Gianfranco Cassaro found the back of the net on the man advantage to tie the game with 1:13 left in the period as we were tied at one after one.
As the second period began, the Thunder got a lucky bounce as Josh Fimon would hit a wide-open net just 23 seconds into the middle frame to give the Thunder a 2-1 lead. Each team would take three minor penalties in the middle frame. However, neither team could convert on the powerplays, and they’d be rewarded within the second, despite Reading appearing to have tied the game with a PP goal before the refs would call it back after further review.
In the third, it would be a scoring frenzy as the Reading Royals tied the game just 2:03 on a goal in front by Matt Miller for his third goal in as many games. It would be Deja Vu for Adirondack, as just 53 seconds after the Reading goal, T.J. Friedmann would put home a rebound to retake the lead for the Thunder. Grant Loven would score his fourth of the year at the 11:20 mark, and then it would be empty net goals from Kevin O’Neil and Andre Ghantous to secure the 6-2 win for the Thunder. Darian Skeoch would finish the night with two assists for his first points since May 27th, 2024, and first multi-point game since January 26th, 2024. Tyler Brennan would make 30 saves for his sixth win of the season in a big bounce-back game. However, the story of the night would be the special teams, as Adirondack went 0/8 on the PP while Reading went 1/8.
Adirondack will now head out West to face the Tahoe Knight Monsters for three games beginning Thursday Night in Stateline, Nevada.
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