Norfolk came into the three game series with Adirondack with two wins on the season, and after the series was over, they had doubled their win total. These were three games that Adirondack really needed after being swept by Maine last weekend. However, Patrick Grasso was a bright spot for the Thunder as he picked up six goals and an assist during the three games in Norfolk. Adirondack now sits at 5-11-3-1 and nine points behind Trois-Rivieres for fourth in the North.
Grasso’s Hatty Not Enough As Thunder Drop Middle Game In Norfolk
The Adirondack Thunder dropped a thriller on Saturday to the Norfolk Admirals in the middle game of a three-game set. It comes as no surprise that the Admirals would get on the board first as Eric Williams fed Carson Musser, who was just coming out of the penalty box as he got a break-away on Jake Theut, who made the initial save. Still, Musser found his own rebound and put it in the back of the net, the sixth that the Thunder have given up that now leads the ECHL. Adirondack would only trail for 2:31 seconds as Colin Long would make a nice pass to Sebastian Vidmar in front on the PP to tie the game up at one, it was Vidmar’s first game back after serving a three-game suspension, and the game would be tied after the opening 20. Adirondack has played their best hockey in the middle frame this year, and it wouldn’t change tonight. However, despite outshooting the Admirals 16-6 in the middle frame, two of those six shots found the back of the net. Tag Bertuzzi would be left wide open on the right side and would fire one past Theut just 1:32 into the period, then a deja vu moment for the Thunder as Griffin Lunn would come out of the penalty box and get a break-away to extend the Admirals lead back to two.
Adirondack, for the second straight game, would get a late PP goal. This one came as Patrick Grasso would bat a puck in off a Shane Harper shot to make it a one-goal game heading into the third. Norfolk, just like in the second, would get a quick goal on the PP as Mathieu Roy would score in his first game as an Admiral on a tip. Adirondack would get some puck luck on the second goal of the game as Patrick Grasso fired a puck that would hit the backboards and then hit Michael Bullion and find its way into the net for Grasso’s second of the game. Sam Hu would give the Admirals a two-goal lead, but Patrick Grasso would score as the Thunder had a six-on-four. Adirondack had a ton of great chances to tie the game as they had pulled Theut, and one of the Admirals had a broken skate blade. However, they couldn’t find the back of the net and would lose this one 6-4. Jake Theut made 22 saves in the loss.
Adirondack Drops 2nd Straight To Admirals
The Adirondack Thunder came into Sunday afternoon needing a win to take the rubber game in the three-game set vs. Norfolk. Patrick Grasso was coming off a hat-trick on Saturday Night and would open the scoring early for the Thunder as he scored on the PP just 2:21 into the opening period. That Grasso goal would carry the Thunder into the locker room up one after the opening frame. Norfolk didn’t waste any time in the second as 2:56 into the period, Elijah Vilio would find a rebound and take a hard shot from the circle that would beat Jake Theut and tie the game up at one. Patrick Grasso, who has been on fire this week, would get his second goal of the game and fifth in the last two games to give Adirondack a 2-1 lead. Six minutes after the Grasso goal, Norfolk would respond as Brett Van Os would score to tie the game up at tw. Justt 1:19 seconds after the Van Os goal Noah Corson would get a major and game misconduct for boarding, which would send the Thunder to a long PK which would turn into a five on three for 1:53 for Norfolk, but the Thunder would kill it off and all six power-plays that Norfolk had in the game. Adirondack would get their fair share of chances as they outshot the Admirals 12-5 in the final frame, but Tag Bertuzzi would get his second goal in the two games to give the Admirals a 3-2 lead which they would hold on to win the game.
