GLENS FALLS, NY – Shane Conacher tied the game with 83 seconds remaining in regulation as the Thunder came from behind to earn a point in a 3-2 (OT) loss Friday night against the Worcester Railers.
Conacher, playing in his first game for the Thunder since being diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this season, corralled the puck after Jake Linhart’s initial shot went wide and fired home the rebound as cheers from 3,317 at Cool Insuring Arena rained down. The goal was Conacher’s ninth of the season and gave him 24 points in 32 games played.
Worcester jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Nick Sorkin and Ryan Hitchcock. Sorkin scored Worcester’s first power-play goal against Adirondack in the teams’ 10th meeting of the season at 16:48 of the opening period. The tally broke the Thunder’s perfect 24-for-24 penalty kill against the Railers this season.
Hitchcock made it a two-score game less than five minutes into the middle frame. The lefty forward skated down the center-slot and fired his wrist-shot high-glove side on the opposite handed Logan Thompson for a 2-0 lead.
Adirondack’s Matt Salhany closed the gap to one before the end of the second when he ripped a beautiful wrist-shot top-shelf to beat Worcester netminder Evan Buitenhuis. Peter MacArthur slid a deft backhand pass to the Warwick, RI native who out-sprinted the Railers defense before he popped the short-side top corner to get the Thunder on the board.
Conacher tied the game after Logan Thompson was pulled from the net and Adirondack was skating with an extra attacker.
Neither team collected the win in overtime before an eventual seven-round shootout commenced. Conacher kept the Thunder alive in Round 3 as he finished five-hole in a do or die situation for Adirondack. Captain James Henry put the pressure on Worcester with a goal in Round 4, but Barry Almeida potted a goal to continue the competition.
Adirondack couldn’t muster another goal before Bo Brauer won it for Worcester in Round 7 of the shootout.
The Thunder are back on home ice tomorrow evening as they host the Manchester Monarchs to finish out the “Stick It To Cancer” weekend at Cool Insuring Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Glens Falls. For the latest Thunder news, follow the team on all social media @ECHLThunder.
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