THUNDER COMPLETE WEEKEND SWEEP WITH 4-2 WIN OVER BEAST

Glens Falls, NY – The Adirondack Thunder won for the fourth time in five games as they skated to a 4-2 victory over the Brampton Beast on Sunday afternoon at the Powerade Centre.

Pierre-Luc Mercier scored a pair of goals while forward Paul Rodrigues collected a goal and an assist in the victory. Forward Brian Ward also found the back of the net in his second game back from injury while goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood made 28 saves to earn his first career ECHL victory.

For the second straight night it was the Thunder that opened the scoring, this off the stick of forward Pierre-Luc Mercier for his ninth tally of the season. On a 3-on-2 rush, Conor Riley fed Rodrigues, who saw his shot stopped by Brampton netminder Andrew D’Agostini, but the rebound kicked directly to Mercier in the slot where he buried it for the game’s first goal. Rodrigues and Riley collected the assists on the play, the eighth point of the season for both players.

Just under four minutes later, Brampton came back to knot the score at one as forward Luc-Olivier Blain scored from close range for his fifth goal of the season. Forward Brandon MacLean fired a shot from the point that was turned aside by Blackwood, but the rebound fell to Blain in the crease where he poked it home for the game-tying goal. MacLean and forward David Vallorani picked up the assists on the play, Vallorani’s sixth of the season.

Adirondack took its second lead of the afternoon 4:31 into the second period as Rodrigues collected his second point of the game with the go-ahead goal. Forward Shane Conacher skated down the left wing on a 2-on-1 rush and fed a streaking Rodrigues in front, where his first shot was denied by D’Agostini, but the Oswego State graduate slammed home the rebound for his fifth goal of the season. Conacher extended his scoring streak to five games with the lone assist on the play.

Brampton tied the game at two just over eight minutes into the third period as forward Chris Leveille scored his eighth goal of the season. With the puck behind the Adirondack net, Beast forward David Ling sent a pass that trickled through the slot and directly to Leveille, who fired his wrist shot past Blackwood for Brampton’s second goal of the evening. Ling collected the lone assist on the play, his first assist of the season.

The Thunder scored a pair of goals in the game’s final five minutes to complete the weekend sweep of Brampton. First, with 4:29 left in regulation, forward Brian Ward redirected a Blake Thompson point shot past D’Agostni for a power-play goal that put Adirondack on top by one. Less than two minutes later, Mercier scored his second of the evening to put the visitors ahead by a pair. The Bowling Green product fired a shot from the right-hand circle, which was denied by D’Agostni, but he worked the rebound in while falling to the ice for his tenth goal of the season.

The Thunder continue on a three-game road trip on Wednesday as they head to Wheeling for a divisional matchup with the Nailers. Adirondack is home again at Cool Insuring Arena next Saturday as they take on the Reading Royals on Pink in the Rink night at 7:00 p.m. Visit ECHLThunder.com or call 518-480-3355 x1 for tickets to tomorrow evening’s game or any upcoming Thunder home game.

###

Adirondack Thunder Hockey – This Is Our Team