THUNDER MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE WITH 3-1 WIN OVER MANCHESTER

Manchester, NH – The Adirondack Thunder claimed sole possession of first place in the North Division for the first time this season after a 3-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday evening at SNHU Arena.

Forward Pierre-Luc Mercier led the way with two goals while forward Andrew Radjenovic also found the back of the net and Conor Riley collected two assists. Goaltender Olivier Mantha made 30 saves on 31 shots between the pipes as he won in his professional debut.

The Thunder opened the scoring for the second straight night as Mercier collected his 15th tally of the season. After forward Tim Harrison and defenseman Mathieu Brodeur held the puck in the offensive zone, Mercier gathered it in the right-hand corner, cut towards the net and shot past Manchester netminder Evan Cowley for the goal. Brodeur and Harrison collected the assists on the play, Harrison’s third point in as many games.

The Monarchs knotted the score at one 2:13 into the second period as forward Francois Beauchemin netted his seventh goal of the season. After Adirondack turned the puck over in its own zone, Manchester forward Keegan Iverson won the puck in the corner and fed Beauchemin in front, where he beat Mantha on the backhand for the game-tying goal. Iverson and defenseman Justin Agosta collected the assists on the play, Iverson’s ninth of the season.

Adirondack regained their advantage midway through the middle stanza as Radjenovic converted at the 10:23 mark. With the puck behind the Manchester goal line, Riley and Austin Orszulak created a turnover on the forecheck and Orszulak fed Radjenovic in the slot, where he snapped a shot past Cowley for his seventh tally of the season. Orszulak and Riley tallied the assists on the play, Riley’s 11th of the season.

The visitors doubled their advantage midway through the third period as Mercier collected his second goal of the evening. Riley’s chip down the left wing hit off of a stanchion and fell to Mercier in the slot, where he carried onto his forehand and ripped a shot over Cowley’s right shoulder to put the Thunder ahead by a pair. Riley collected the lone assist on the play for his third multi-point game of the season.

The Thunder return home for a pair of games next weekend, beginning with a rematch against Manchester on Friday evening. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Cool Insuring Arena. Visit ECHLThunder.com or call 518-480-3355 x1 to get tickets for all upcoming Thunder home games.

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Adirondack Thunder Hockey – This Is Our Team