PORTLAND, ME – Desmond Bergin scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season, Alex Sakellaropoulos turned aside 37 of 39 shots and the Adirondack Thunder used four unanswered scores to get back in the win column with a 4-2 win over the Maine Mariners Sunday afternoon.
After Morgan Adams-Moisan started the game’s scoring with a redirection in front of Sakellaropoulos, the Thunder went on a four-goal run that began with Bergin’s first of the game on the power play. John Edwardh fed Matias Cleland at the left point where he shifted a pass to Bergin at the top of the right faceoff circle. The Thunder defenseman took one stride in and ripped his wrist-shot by Ed Minney to tie the game at one goal apiece. The assist was Edwardh’s eighth point in four games at Cross Insurance Arena.
Cullen Bradshaw gave Adirondack its first lead of the night when he tallied at 13:56 of the middle period. Bergin backhanded a pass towards the net that got caught up in front of the Maine cage. Bradshaw came out of the scrum with the puck and drove home a shot from within three feet for his eighth score of the year. Bradshaw now has seven points (3g-4a) in his last seven games.
Bergin doubled the Thunder lead 25 seconds later when he corralled a bouncing puck in the offensive zone, spun and fired a quick wrist-shot by Minney for his second score of the night. The Harvard University product now has six points (2g-4a) in six games since returning to the Thunder lineup from the American Hockey League.
Conor Riley capped the Thunder scoring with a shorthanded goal midway through the final frame. Riley out-hustled the Mariners defenders to the puck, skated the length of the ice and put a quick shot on net. Minney made the initial save but the puck kept trickling and ended up over the goal-line for Riley’s team-leading 16th goal of the season.
Drew Melanson collected a rebound and fired past Sakellaropoulos with just under three minutes remaining for the 4-2 final score.
Sakellaropoulos was outstanding in net for Adirondack, making his first start in the three Thunder games this weekend. The former Union College goalie finished with 37 saves as he continuously bailed the Thunder defense out on odd-man situations throughout the game. Sakellaropoulos has now won seven of his last eight starts in net for Adirondack.
The Thunder hit the ice next on Wednesday evening at SNHU Arena to take on the Manchester Monarchs. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. in New Hampshire.
###Adirondack Thunder Hockey – This Is Our Team
Adirondack Thunder
Allen Americans
Atlanta Gladiators
Bloomington Bison
Cincinnati Cyclones
Florida Everblades
Fort Wayne Komets
Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Idaho Steelheads
Indy Fuel
Iowa Heartlanders
Jacksonville Icemen
Kalamazoo Wings
Kansas City Mavericks
Maine Mariners
Norfolk Admirals
Orlando Solar Bears
Rapid City Rush
Reading Royals
Savannah Ghost Pirates
South Carolina Stingrays
Tahoe Knight Monsters
Toledo Walleye
Trois-Rivières Lions
Tulsa Oilers
Utah Grizzlies
Wheeling Nailers
Wichita Thunder
Worcester Railers