THUNDER COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN 5-3 DEFEAT TO ROYALS

Reading, PA – The Adirondack Thunder scored twice in the third period but saw their come from behind effort fall just short in a 5-3 defeat to the Reading Royals on Saturday evening at Santander Arena.

Terrence Wallin led the Thunder with a pair of power-play goals in the defeat. Defenseman Desmond Bergin also found the back of the net for Adirondack and goaltender Chris Nell made 22 saves in a losing effort.

Adirondack opened the scoring 5:20 into the game as Bergin collected his seventh goal of the season. After Conor Riley fed forward Tim Harrison, whose shot was denied by John Muse, the Reading goaltender poked the puck away from his crease and directly into the path of Bergin, who slotted home a wrist shot for the game’s first goal. Bergin’s goal was recorded as unassisted.

The hosts knotted the score at one with less than a minute to play in the opening stanza as forward Brian Morgan scored with 46 seconds left in the period. Reading captain Derek Whitmore led a 2-on-2 rush down the right wing, cut to the middle and sent a pass to Morgan in front, where he collected the puck on his backhand and slotted his shot underneath Nell for his second goal of the season. Whitmore picked up the lone assist on the play, his fifth of the season.

Reading took advantage of a five-minor major penalty assessed to Adirondack captain Mike Bergin to take a 3-1 lead with a pair of goals midway through the middle stanza. The first goal was controversial as Chris McCarthy’s pass appeared to be kicked in by Michael Huntebrinker but it was ruled a good goal on the ice at the 7:38 mark of the second period. Huntebrinker struck again just over four minutes later as Morgan’s shot hit him in the chest and fell to his stick where he slid it past Nell for his second tally of the evening.

After the Thunder hit the post at one end of the ice, Reading went the other way in quick succession and extended its lead to three goals on Morgan’s second tally of the evening. Huntebrinker entered the offensive zone and fired a shot on goal, which was stopped by Nell with the right pad, but the rebound fell to Morgan at the back post where he buried it for his third point of the game. Huntebrinker picked up the lone helper on the play, his sixth of the season.

The Thunder came back with a power-play tally just shy of the halfway mark of the third period as Wallin buried his ninth goal of the season. After Pierre-Luc Mercier’s shot was denied by Muse, Wallin, positioned just outside of the crease, forced the puck over the goal line to bring his team within two goals. Mercier and Riley collected the assists on the play, Riley’s eighth of the season.

The visitors pulled within a goal with less than three minutes to play in regulation as Wallin buried his second tally of the evening. With the Thunder back on the man advantage, forward Troy Bourke, stationed below the goal line, fed Wallin in front of the net, where he one-timed his shot over the shoulder of Muse for his tenth goal of the season. Bourke and forward Ty Loney collected the assists on the play as Bourke extended his scoring streak to three games.

Despite a flurry of late puck possession from Adirondack, Huntebrinker completed the hat trick with 12 seconds left in the game, his fourth point of the evening.

The Thunder and Royals shift their matchup to Glens Falls as the two teams will square off at Cool Insuring Arena tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Tickets are 2 for $20.18 for tomorrow’s game and will be available at the Adirondack Thunder offices beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

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