The Adirondack Thunder kicked off a three-game series in State Line, Nevada, against the Tahoe Knight Monsters (they’ve re-branded to the Tahoe Golden Monsters as part of affiliation Weekend). Before the game began, both teams would lose a skater late as Logan Nelson and Ryan Francis were both late scratches, and there’s been no update yet on either player’s status for tomorrow’s game. Both teams seemed very even-keeled in the opening frame up until the 17:02 mark when Jake McGrew beat Adrien Bisson in a puck race and flicked one past Tyler Brennan to give the Knight Monsters a 1-0 lead. With one second left in the opening frame Jake Johnson would take a hooking penalty as Adirondack would head to the locker room with a PP awaiting them when they came back.
Ya, it was weird, but it would have been a lot weirder if we were in Adirondack but it’s certainly weird seeing that logo on the other side. It was nice to see some old friends like Pete MacArthur, Mike Bergin, and Alex Mann
Tahoe Knight Monster Head Coach Alex Loh on facing his former team
Adirondack would not be able to take advantage of the PP, and 45 seconds after it was over, Aidan Girduckis would find the back of the net for his first ECHL goal. There’s no doubt that the Thunder would have their chances as they hit numerous posts, with Kevin O’Neil finding the Iron at least twice in Thursday Night’s game. The Thunder would finally get on the board at the 4:43 mark of the third period as Kishaun Gervais found T.J. Friedmann for a one-timer to make it a one-goal game. At 11:51, it would once again be Jake McGrew, who found the back of the net on a very similar play that led to the game’s opening goal. It would once again be a stellar performance for Jordan Papirny as he stopped 29 of the 30 shots for his 11th win of the season and has not lost at home since November 23rd vs Kansas City Mavericks.
“I don’t think the first one there was an individual effort, Johnny made a good fluid pass and I just kinda saw it there and decided I could get to the puck and then I realized I was a little too close to the goalie and I just wanted to get a stick on it and fortunately it popped in”
Jake McGrew on his two goal night
Despite the loss, there’s a lot to like about this game as a Thunder fan. Tyler Brennan had another solid start in net, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced. Dylan Wendt had some solid chances, and overall, the Thunder kept themselves in the game against a good Tahoe team. Adirondack will look for their revenge in the second game of the series later tonight, with puck drop at 10:30 EST.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
