Game 1 - Adirondack (4-2) vs. Manchester (4-0)
April 27, 2018 - ECHL (ECHL)
Adirondack Thunder News Release
WHO: 1 - Adirondack Thunder (4-2) vs. 2 - Manchester Monarchs (4-0)
WHAT: NORTH DIVISION FINALS - GAME 1
WHEN: Friday, April 27, 2018 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: Cool Insuring Arena - Glens Falls, NY
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: The Adirondack Thunder have advanced to the North Division Finals and will take on the Manchester Monarchs in Round 2. Tonight's game begins a best-of-seven series between the two teams, with the first four games being held at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls.
HAVEN'T WE SEEN YOU BEFORE: The Thunder and Monarchs will square off for the third straight season in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. In 2016, Adirondack was victorious four games to one while the Monarchs defeated the Thunder four games to two in 2017. This season's matchup will mark the first time that the teams have met in Round 2, with each of the first two meetings occurring in Round 1.
DE-RAILED: Adirondack defeated the fourth seeded Worcester Railers in the North Division Semifinals by a 4-2 series final. The Thunder's victory marked the second time in three seasons that they have advanced out of the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. The first-round matchup marked the first time that Adirondack and Worcester had met in the ECHL postseason.
ROUND 2 TIMES 2: The Thunder have advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs for the second time in franchise history. In 2016, Adirondack took on the South Carolina Stingrays in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and fell four games to three in a hard-fought seven-game series. Manchester is also in Round 2 for the second time after it defeated Brampton in the North Division finals last season.
BRIAN'S SONG: Adirondack forward Brian Ward led his team during the first round as he collected four goals and five points, both tops on the Thunder. Ward is one of three players in Thunder history to net four goals in a series, joining Greg Wolfe (2016) and Dennis Kravchenko (2017). Ward also finished the first round tied for third in the ECHL in goals scored during the 2018 postseason, one shy of the league lead.
DJ PAULY R: Adirondack forward Paul Rodrigues ended Round 1 on a three-game point streak, extended with the game-opening tally in Game 6 on Monday in Worcester. Rodrigues netted four total points in the North Division Semifinals, tied for second on the Thunder in scoring. The fifth-year pro is currently in his first year of Kelly Cup Playoffs action in his first season as a member of the Thunder.
TWO YOUTS: Thunder forwards Ryan Schmelzer and Mike Szmatula, who both joined the team in March, each contributed to the round one victory. Schmelzer ranks second with three goals and four points in Round 1 and is tied for third in the ECHL in goals by a rookie. Szmatula collected three points (2-1-3), including a multi-point effort in the series clinching win in Game 6 in Worcester.
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