The Adirondack Thunder and Reading Royals will meet for the first time during the 2024-25 regular season after the two teams split a two-game set in the preseason. Coming into the series, these two teams are both coming off losses as the Thunder suffered their first regulation loss last Saturday vs Norfolk Admirals, and the Royals, who started the season off 3-0, have gone on a downward spiral and are now 2-6-2 in their last ten games. Adirondack dominated the season series last year, going 8-2-1-1 in 12 games against Reading. The Thunder also got some reinforcements from the Utica Comets on Wednesday, and I would expect all three players who were sent down to be in the Thunder lineup on Friday Night.
Where To Watch/Listen
TV/Streaming: FloHockey
Listen Live: Adirondack Thunder Radio Network
Listen Live: Reading Royals Radio Network
Players To Watch
Adirondack:
Ryan Conroy: The 23-year-old defenseman is off to a hot start this season, putting up three goals and an assist for four points in five games, leading all Thunder defensemen in goals. Conroy is starting to emerge as a big offensive piece for the Thunder on the blueline in his first full season in the ECHL. He has also been a big part of the Thunder PK, which has killed off all the penalties they’ve committed this year and scored a short-handed goal.
Kevin O’Neil: Heading into the season, O’Neil was expected to be one of the key pieces for the Thunder offensively, and he hasn’t disappointed. He has two goals and six assists so far this season and has scored points in five of his six games. The Latham, NY, has three short-handed assists this season as Adirondack leads the league in short-handed goals (4). I expect him to continue to be a big part of the Thunder offense moving forward
Alex Young: Coming into the 2024-25 season, there was a lot of hype around Alex Young after he put up two goals and four assists for six points in five games at the end of the regular season last year. Despite a quiet Kelly Cup Playoffs, where he played in nine games, he couldn’t find the scoresheet. This year, he’s gotten off to a quick start offensively, putting up a goal and four assists for five points in six games, but that hasn’t been the only thing he’s done well, as his stick-handling and playmaking skills have also been on display early on in the season.
Reading
Gianfranco Cassaro: The 25-year-old defenseman signed his first pro contract this Summer with the Reading Royals after spending five seasons at the NCAA Level with UMass Amherst and RIT, where he put up 36 goals and 45 assists in 81 games, with 32 of those goals coming in his last two seasons with the Tigers. So far this season, the Royals have gotten exactly what they would have expected out of Cassaro, as he has three goals and six assists for nine points in 13 games this season. Things may not be going as expected of late in Reading, but it’s easy to say that the Nobeton, Ontario, native has been one of the bright spots for the team so far.
Todd Skirving: There’s no doubt that after the season the Royals had last year, they needed to make a splash in the off-season, and one of those big acquisitions would be signing free-agent forward Todd Skriving. In 13 games this season, he already has five goals and three assists for eight points after coming off a shaky 2023-24 campaign where he had just eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in 64 combined games with the Newfoundland Growlers and Florida Everblades. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native also brings a lot of leadership with seven years of ECHL experience under his belt and was the perfect candidate to wear the “C” for the Royals this season.
Connor McMenamin: The Collegeville, PA native is back playing in his home state after spending his final season of eligibility at the University Of Minnesota-Duluth, where he six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 35 games after spending the previous four years at Penn State University where he put up 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points in 129 games. In his first pro season, McMenamin has had no trouble finding the scoresheet this season as he has four goals and six assists for 10 points. I would expect the 25-year-old forward to continue being a big piece for the Royals moving forward.
Team Stats
Adirondack:
2.00 GA per game (4th)
2.83 GF per game (17th)
11.1 % PP (27th)
100% PK (1st)
Reading:
3.00 GA per game (18th)
2.54 GF per game (20th)
23.3% PP (9th)
79.5% PK (17th)
Goaltending
Seeing that it’s a three-in-three, I would expect to see all three goaltenders get a start for the Royals, which would mean that Vinnie Purpura would get his second start of the season and first against his former team. The 26-year-old goaltender gave up four goals on 26 shots in his first start of the season; Purpura went 15-4-4 with a 2.78 GAA, .908SV%, and one shutout in 25 games in his rookie year with the Adirondack Thunder. For the Royals, Keith Petruzzelli has gotten off to a hot start this season, going 3-1-1 with a 2.00 GAA and .937SV% in five starts this season, and has given up three goals or less in all of his starts so far this season.
For Adirondack, Jeremy Brodeur and Tyler Brennan have been fantastic so far this season and have been a big part of the Thunder’s success. Brodeur has gone 3-0 this season with a 1.30 GAA, .951SV%, and one shutout in his three starts this season. Brennan, who is coming off an injury-shortened season, has looked solid early on, posting a 1-1-1 record with a 2.27 GAA and .922 SV%. There is a chance that David Fessenden will make his season debut this season after beginning the season on the IR.
Brodeur won Goalie of the Month for October and Keith Petruzzeli would win Goalie of the Week Back in October
Familiar Foes
Heading into this weekend, Travis Broughman, Vinnie Purpura, Will MacKinnon, and Kurt Gosselin will be facing their former team; however, Tag Bertuzzi, who spent time with Reading last year, is currently up in the AHL, and Chase Brand, who played in seven games the Royals was recently placed on the 3-Day IR and will miss the weekend series. MacKinnon was held off the scoreboard in the only two games he played in against the Royals last season. This weekend will be MacKinnon’s first game in the ECHL this season after beginning the season in the AHL with the Comets, and he is still searching for his first point of the 2024-25 season.
