THUNDER COMEBACK FALLS SHORT IN 5-4 LOSS TO GROWLERS

NEWFOUNDLAND – Jeff Taylor had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 Adirondack Thunder loss on the road to the Newfoundland Growlers on Friday night.

James Melindy opened the scoring for Newfoundland just 3:10 into the game. Isaac Johnson found Melindy at the top of the crease, and he tapped in his first goal of the year. Assists were given to Johnson and Orrin Centazzo for the 1-0 lead.

Adirondack evened up the game at 8:35 of the first period as Travis Broughman sent in his seventh of the year. Broughman feathered a wrist shot through traffic and it beat goaltender Dryden McKay with the lone assist going to Wayne Letourneau to tie it up 1-1.

Michael Joyaux scored back-to-back goals just 14 seconds apart to give the Growlers a two-goal lead. Joyaux’s first came at 11:03 on a one-timer off a faceoff and his second came at 11:17 on a wrist shot that beat goaltender Isaac Poulter over the right shoulder for a 3-1 lead.

Late in the first, Shawn Weller tipped in a Jeff Taylor shot to pull the Thunder within one goal. The goal was Weller’s eighth of the year with assists from Taylor and Patrick Grasso with 16 seconds left in the period and the Thunder trailed 3-2 to start the second.

Early in period two, Jeff Taylor fired in a power-play goal to tie the game at three. Patrick Grasso and Brandon Schultz combined to set up Taylor for his fifth of the year at 3:28 of the middle frame and Adirondack trailed 3-2.

Pavel Gogolev scored on the power play to give the Growlers another one-goal lead at 10:05 of the second. Brandon Kruse and Brennen Kapcheck were awarded the assists and Newfoundland took a 4-3 lead into the final period.

Ryan Da Silva tied the game at four just 2:21 into the third period. Brandon Schultz and Ryan Smith set up Da Silva who stepped up in the offensive zone for his fifth goal of the year and the game was tied 4-4.

With just 4:29 left in the game, Todd Skirving scored his 22nd of the year to give the Growlers a 5-4 lead and that held up as the final. Isaac Poulter stopped 23 of 28 in the loss.

The Thunder finish in Newfoundland on Saturday before returning home on Wednesday, February 15 against the Maine Mariners at 7 p.m. and Friday, February 17 against the Atlanta Gladiators at 7 p.m. Get your tickets by visiting the Thunder front office or by calling 518-480-3355.

For more information on ticket packages, call the front office at 518-480-3355 or visit www.ECHLThunder.com/tickets. For all the latest Adirondack Thunder news, follow the team on all social media @ECHLThunder.

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