WORCESTER, MA – Cam Johnson only saw 16 shots but turned every one away, the Thunder saw three different goal scorers and Adirondack extended its winning streak to six games with a 3-0 shutout over the Railers Friday night in Worcester.
Brian Ward scored the only goal of the game’s first 50 minutes when he redirected a Blake Thompson shot past Railers netminder Evan Buitenhuis. Ward won an offensive-zone faceoff back to Thompson who fired a slap-shot on net. The Thunder’s all-time leading goal scorer got a piece of the shot for his fourth goal of the year. The assist was Thompson’s first point of the season.
The 1-0 score held until just past the halfway mark of the third period when Mike Szmatula doubled the Thunder advantage. Josh Holmstrom and Cullen Bradshaw battled behind the Worcester night, they banged bodies and the puck squeezed out in front of the cage. Szmatula came racing in and smacked a quick shot by Buitenhuis for a 2-0 lead with his fourth tally.
Conor Riley put the game away when he potted an empty-net goal with 45 seconds to go for the 3-0 final. Jakob Reichert picked up an assist on the score, his first professional point.
Johnson only saw 16 shots in net but set the tone early with a montage of stops midway through the first period when Worcester was charging hard. The Thunder defense aided Johnson’s effort as he only saw seven shots on net throughout the final two periods of play.
Adirondack is off for the rest of the weekend and plays next on Wednesday as it travels to Brampton to take on the Beast. Puck drop is slated for 7:15 p.m. from CAA Centre in Ontario. For the latest Thunder news, be sure to follow the team on Facebook and Twitter (@ECHLThunder).
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