The Adirondack Thunder and Indy Fuel met for just the second time in franchise history. The first game was on November 27th, 2019, and Adirondack won 4-2 at the now Cool Insuring Arena. In the opening five minutes, the Fuel were all over the Thunder and needed to find a way to gain some momentum. On Wednesday, Adirondack was without Darian Skeoch and Sean Gulka, but it would be an unlikely candidate in Brendan Less who decided to drop the gloves with Dakota Seaman at the 5:40 mark of the opening period. Seaman took the extra two for instigating as Adirondack would head to their first PP of the game. The Thunder wouldn’t be able to find the back of the net on the PP, and it would be the Fuel that would get on the board at the 11:48 mark of the period as Kyle Maksimovich put home a rebound for his 15th of the season, as the Fuel led 1-0 after 20 minutes of play.
In the second, the Fuel would be all over the Thunder to start the second as they held them without a shot for the first eight-plus minutes, and Jeremy Brodeur would have to make some big saves to keep it a one-goal game. Adirondack would also have to kill off two penalties by the Fuel, and would kill both of them off to continue to keep themselves in the game. The Thunder would finally tie the game up at one as Ryan Conroy walked in and beat Ben Gaudreau for his eighth of the season with less than two minutes to go, giving the Thunder some momentum heading into the third period. Both teams would have their chances in the third, but both goaltenders would stand tall, keeping the game tied up at one.
“It’s been great. Getting a full season under my belt there’s a lot of lessons that I can take away from and I think my game’s matured well throughout the season and trying to be a good asset all the way through, so I’ve learned a lot this year”
Ryan Conroy when touching on his two-point night and his experience this year compared to last year
Adirondack would get a golden opportunity at 11:40 as Spencer Cox took a double-minor for slashing and sent the Thunder on a four-minute PP. The Thunder would convert in the first two minutes of the PP as Lars Ronde would tip one in for his first pro goal at the 12:42 mark, giving the Thunder a 2-1 lead and his first pro goal in his first pro games after being signed to an ATO earlier in the day. Indy would pull Gaudreau with just under two minutes to go in the third, and it paid off as Kyle Maksimovich would net his second of the game to tie and send the game into OT.
“Ya, it was very nice, a little relief there seeing that go in and it’s just an unbelivable moment and one that will stick with me for a long time”
Adirondack Thunder forward Lars Ronde on picking up his first pro goal on Wednesday Night
Adirondack would have the only two shots in overtime, but couldn’t find the back of the net, and the game would head to a shootout. Jarrett Lee would have his four-game point streak snapped on Friday Night, but he would make up for it as he scored in the fourth round, and the Fuel have now won four straight games and now sit in the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division, and for the Thunder, they dropped their third straight, in a game they should have had. Adirondack is now 0-2 in the shootout this season. The Thunder and Fuel will be back in action on Friday Night for the first of two games on Stick It To Cancer Weekend. Friday’s games will be available on MY4 Albany.
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