BREY BESTS BEAST IN 3-2 THUNDER WIN

GLENS FALLS, NY – The Adirondack Thunder used a pair of first-period goals and a strong performance from rookie goaltender Art Brey to take down the Brampton Beast by a 3-2 final Friday night in front of 4,069 at Cool Insuring Arena.

Brey was the story of the night for the Thunder as the St. Lawrence University product stopped 26 Beast shots in just his second professional start. The 25-year-old netminder was perfect through the first 50-plus minutes of the contest before Brampton tallied a pair of late goals. 

John Edwardh started the game’s scoring with a power-play goal at 9:02 of the opening frame. The lefty forward glided with possession down the left wing and looked to put a centering feed towards the Brampton cage. Instead of finding a Thunder skater, the puck deflected off Beast defenseman Chris Martenet’s stick and up and over the shoulder of Etienne Marcoux. The goal was Edwardh’s 24th score of the season, assisted by Shane Conacher and Cullen Bradshaw.

Brian Ward doubled the Thunder advantage with a highlight-reel goal as just 46 seconds remaining in the first period. James Henry entered the offensive zone down the left wing and as the defense converged on him, the Thunder captain found Ward alone cutting towards the net. The Thunder’s all-time leading goal scorer added another to his resume as he finished with a backhand deke for a 2-0 Thunder lead.

Jake Linhart made it a trio for Adirondack with the team’s second power-play goal of the night. Bradshaw dug out a loose puck behind the goalline and found an open Linhart sitting alone in front of the net. The rookie defenseman deposited his one-timer past Marcoux for his sixth score of the season.

Brampton pushed back with a pair of goals late in the third period. First, Boston Leier flicked a wrist shot by Brey to end his shutout bid at 12:15 of the final period. Nathan Todd turned it into a one-goal affair when he tapped home a rebound after David Vallorani took the initial shot.

The Beast pulled Marcoux but could not convert with the extra skater as Adirondack collected its first win over Brampton in the team’s past four meetings.

The Thunder are back at it tomorrow evening as the Maine Mariners come into town to begin a home-and-home set. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Glens Falls, NY. For the latest Thunder news, follow the team on all social media @ECHLThunder.

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