WHO: Adirondack Thunder (35-24-2-4) vs. Manchester Monarchs (37-21-4-5)
WHAT: ECHL REGULAR SEASON GAME
WHEN: Saturday, March 26, 2016 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: Glens Falls Civic Center – Glens Falls, NY
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: ECHL TV - AUDIO: HITS 95.9 -TWITTER: @ECHLTHUNDER
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: Tonight’s matchup is the third to last meeting of the season for the top two teams in the East Division, Adirondack and Manchester. So far on the season, the series has been even with each team winning six times but Adirondack holds a 15-13 points advantage in head-to-head play. Adirondack was victorious in the most recent meeting, a 4-3 overtime victory in Manchester on March 8.
OVERTHROWING THE MONARCHY: Against the Monarchs, Adirondack has been led offensively by forwards Greg Wolfe (4-5-9) and Michael Kirkpatrick (5-4-9), who have each compiled a team-high nine points apiece. Thunder defenseman Patch Alber has also played solidly on the blueline against Manchester, leading all scorers on either side with eight assists and a +9 rating over ten games played.
PLAYER (OF THE WEEK) HATERS BALL: Thunder forward Peter MacArthur is the current Sherwood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week. MacArthur collected eight points (1-7-8) in three games against Orlando last week, including a four-assist outing on Thursday that tied his ECHL career high. MacArthur also added a three-point night (1-2-3) on Sunday evening, his eighth multi-point game of the season.
PARKS AND RECREATION: Goaltender Mavric Parks made his first professional start against Kalamazoo on Tuesday and made 20 saves on 22 shots in a 2-0 defeat to the Wings. Parks, who had previously appeared twice in relief, has now compiled a 1.72 goals against average and a .917 save percentage over his three appearances. The Eganville, ONT native joined the Thunder after four seasons at the University of Prince Edward Island.
THE ALBANY THUNDER: Adirondack suffered a series of roster losses over the past week, including three call-ups by the AHL’s Albany Devils, making it six Thunder alumni on the current Albany roster. Gunnar Hughes was recalled on Tuesday, made his AHL debut and collected his first career AHL assist in a 4-1 win over Syracuse. Mathieu Brodeur and Alex Carrier were recalled yesterday and both skated in Albany’s 2-1 defeat in Syracuse. The trio joined Ken Appleby, Joe Faust and Ben Johnson in the Albany lineup, with Johnson scoring in both games.
DINALLO FURTADO: To combat the personnel losses, Adirondack bolstered its roster yesterday with the addition of forward Jeff DiNallo, who joined the team on an Amateur Try Out from Clarkson University of the ECAC. DiNallo, 22, collected 68 points (24-44-68) in 122 career games with the Golden Knights, including a team leading 21 during his junior season. DiNallo was also an alternate captain during his senior season.