Adirondack took an early lead when Brannon McManus set up Tag Bertuzzi and he sent a backhand shot from goalie Ethan Haider for the 1-0 lead. The goal was Bertuzzi’s 10th of the year and 14th point in the last nine games with assists from McManus and Chase McLane just 2:16 into the game.
Alex Campbell extended the lead at 8:04 of the first when he grabbed a rebound and lifted the puck over Ethan Haider’s left pad for a 2-0 lead. The goal was Campbell’s sixth of the year from Patrick Grasso and Jacob Graves and the Thunder took the two-goal lead into the intermission.
Matt Salhany got a good rebound to give the Thunder a 3-0 lead at 5:24 of the second period. Ryan Wheeler sent the puck down low and bounced off the wall to Salhany, who fired it into the net for his 10th of the year.
Atlanta got one back when Nolan Orzeck scored just over a minute later with a shot off the post and into the net. Isak Walther and Joey Cipollone had the assists on Orzeck’s sixth of the year at 6:30 of the second period and Adirondack took a 3-1 lead in the third.
As time expired in the third period, the Gladiators pulled within one as Cody Sylvester banked in a one-timer on the power play. The goal was Sylvester’s 11th of the year with 4:56 left in regulation, cutting the Adirondack lead to 3-2.
Atlanta pulled the goaltender late and Justin Taylor and Patrick Grasso added empty-net goals to seal the 5-2 victory. Tyler Brennan won his ninth game of the year with a save of 36.
After two weekends on the road, the Adirondack Thunder return to Harding Mazzotti Arena against Greensboro from February 20-22.
#Thunder #extends #streak #victory #Gladiators #Pro #Hockey #News