GLENS FALLS- The Adirondack Thunder began their “Stick It To Cancer” weekend on Friday Night vs Reading Royals in one of the weekends where hockey isn’t the main focus, as the focus this weekend is remembering those we lost to the terrible disease and raising money for a cure. On the Ice, the Thunder would get on the board first as Ryan Wheeler would beat Nolan Maier short-side to open up the scoring and then Andre Ghantous would find the back of the net just 39 seconds later as the Thunder had a 2-0 lead less than halfway through the opening frame. Reading would get themselves back in the game as Tyson Fawcett would feed Tag Bertuzzi in the circle as he would score from the circle as we had three goals in just 2:53 as Adirondack had a 2-1 lead after the opening 20. Ryan Smith would have a golden opportunity to extend the Thunder’s lead to two as he got a short-handed break-away with a little over five minutes to go in the middle frame. Ryan Devine would take a roughing penalty with less than a minute left, to give the Thunder a PP to start the third. At the end of the period before the Royals headed to the locker room, Devon Paliani would turn around and slam his stick against the glass behind the bench as it appeared something was said to him that he didn’t take too kindly.
“It’s special, it’s a special building, it’s a special place, I always go back to Shane Conacher when he tied the game back and he came back from testicular cancer and that’s just story book, I’m a spirtual guy, I just hope we can we our rink with lots of love and postive energy this weekend
Head Coach Pete MacArthur on Stick It To Cancer Weekend
Erik Middendorf would find the back of the net for his 18th goal of the season in his first game back with the Thunder since February 2nd vs Reading. Once again it would take the Royals long to respond as Jake Bricknell fed Powell Connor for his first pro goal to put the Royals within one but that’s as close as they would come. Ryan Smith scored at the 7:17 mark of the third period for his seventh goal against the Royals this season but as he scored Ryan Devine would check Mac Welsher, which knocked Welsher out for the rest of the game. The physicality would hit a boiling point at the 13:51 mark of the third after Yushiro Hirano would get checked into the boards, as Travis Broughman and Koletrane Wilson would hit the showers as they would both get 10-minute misconducts. Tristan Ashbrook would add an empty-netter for his 26th goal of the season as the Thunder would knock off the Royals 5-2, Isaac Poulter made 20 saves in the win.
