The Adirondack Thunder and Wheeling Nailers would wrap up their five-game season series on Sunday Afternoon, with the series tied at two games apiece. It would be the same goaltending matchup we saw on Friday Night as Jeremy Brodeur and Taylor Gauthier would get the starts for their respective teams. Adirondack would also skate a man short on Sunday, as Kishaun Gervais would be a late scratch for the Thunder. Head Coach Pete MacArthur announced post-game that Gervais is day-to-day. The first period has not been friendly to the Thunder this season, but on Sunday, it would be Adirondack who had the momentum early as they were all over the Nailers in the opening frame, outshooting them 13-5 despite taking two penalties.
“Gervais was pretty stiff when he got to the rink this morning and just couldn’t make it work so Wheels slid up front and Gibson went on the backend and we got a team win today”
Head Coach Pete MacArthur when asked about the late scratch to Kishaun Gervais
Adirondack and Wheeling brought the physicality all weekend, which didn’t change on Sunday. In the second, it wouldn’t just be the players throwing the hits and chirping each other as Wheeling’s assistant coach Mitch Giguere and Darian Skeoch would be seen exchanging plenstries across the benches. The Thunder came into Sunday tied for third with eight short-handed goals and would have a golden chance to get their ninth short-handed goal of the season as Adirondack’s #9 Ty Gibson would get a breakaway opportunity, but Gauthier would make the save to keep the game scoreless.
“Definitley, it sucks sitting in the stands and missing on being with the guys and everything like that. It was a good little reset to get healthy and it was nice to be back out there”
Kevin O’Neil on picking up a goal in his return to the Thunder lineup
In the third, Adirondack would get on the board first as Kevin O’Neil, who had missed the last four games, would beat Taylor Gautheir for his team-leading 17th goal of the season at the 11:52 mark of the third period. Dylan Wendt, who’s been bounced around like a ping-pong ball all weekend, would add an empty-netter with a minute left in the third to make it 2-0. However, the fireworks weren’t over quite yet, as with 13 seconds left in the game, the tensions from the weekend finally spilled over as everyone had a dance partner, including Darian Skeoch, who paired up with Matthew Quercia, a matchup Skeoch was looking for all weekend. Once all was said and done, the two teams would combine for 186 total penalty minutes in the game, and 164 of those came with 13 seconds left in the game. Every player on the ice would receive at least a 10-minute misconduct penalty. Wheeling’s 104 penalty minutes would be the most by a team this season in the league, and the 186 PIMS were a season high for penalty minutes in a game this season between two teams. Jeremy Brodeur picked up his second straight shutout and ninth win of the season, stopping all 25 shots he faced. Taylor Gauthier would suffer his eighth loss of the season despite stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced.
“Ya, we try to play that physical hard brand and I saw Gulks going at it with someone and figured I’d join in on the fun”
Darian Skeoch on the altercation that occured with 13 seconds left in the third
Adirondack will get some much-needed rest before hosting the Maine Mariners for two games next weekend. Wheeling will head home to begin a busy four-game homestand beginning on Wednesday Morning vs Trois-Rivieres Lions.
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