GLENS FALLS – Tag Bertuzzi recorded three points as the Adirondack Thunder took six of eight points on the week with a 6-3 victory over the visiting Maine Mariners on Sunday in front of 4,594 fans at Harding Mazzotti Arena.
After Jacob Hudson gave Maine a 1-0 lead just 3:50 into the game, Adirondack came back with three goals in the first period. Brannon McManus tied the game as he cut across the hash marks, dodged a big check, and fired the puck by goaltender Luke Cavallin for his 18th of the season. The goal came at 13:34 of the first with assists from Tag Bertuzzi and Jeremy Hanzel.
Tag Bertuzzi would give the Thunder the lead after Sean Olson’s chance was denied. Bertuzzi tracked down the rebound and punched in his sixth of the year with just 1:50 left in the first period for a 2-1 advantage. Olson and Brannon McManus were awarded assists.
On the power play late in the first, Tyson Fawcett beat Luke Cavallin on a turnaround chance from below the hash marks to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead. The goal was Fawcett’s seventh of the year from Brian Carrabes and Tag Bertuzzi with under three seconds remaining, and Adirondack took the two-goal lead into the intermission.
Andrew Nielsen answered back for Maine at 6:23 of the second period to pull the Mariners within one on the power play. Nielsen’s shot from the points sailed through traffic and into the net with assists from Linus Hemstrom and Max Andreev and Adirondack’s lead decreased to 3-2.
The Thunder responded as Alex Campbell pushed the puck forward off a defensive zone faceoff, went around the defense, and fired the puck off the cross bar and into the net for a 4-2 lead. The goal was Campbell’s fifth of the year from Patrick Grasso at 10:00 of the second.
Chase McLane gave Adirondack a 5-2 lead as he did a give-and-go with Conner Hutchison and dragged the puck around defenseman Jaxon Bellamy beating Luke Cavallin around his left leg pad for the goal. It was McLane’s second of the season with assists credited to Hutchison and Luke Reid at 12:34 and the Thunder took that three goal lead into the third.
Each team added a goal in the third period as the Thunder came away with a 6-3 victory. Jeremy Brodeur denied 24 of 27 shots in the victory.
The Thunder returns to Harding Mazzotti Arena on Wednesday for a North Division battle with the Worcester Railers at 7 p.m.
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