Gameday: Adirondack at Reading
Published on January 1, 2016 under ECHL (ECHL)
Adirondack Thunder News Release
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: Tonight is the second of three consecutive meetings between divisional rivals Adirondack and Reading and the second of 11 meetings during the second half of the season. The Thunder were victorious on Thursday evening, as they took down the Royals 2-1 in a shootout at the Civic Center. After tonight's game the Thunder will rematch with Reading before they return to the Civic Center for five home games in a row.
A WORK OF ART-HUR: Thunder forward Peter MacArthur scored in regulation and the shootout to power the Thunder offense in Thursday's win over Reading. The Clifton Park native scored Adirondack's lone goal in regulation, before he ended the game in the skills competition with a nice move in the third round. MacArthur has collected three points (1-2-3) in five games this season after he joined the team in late December.
MIKE AND IKES: Michael Kirkpatrick continued to pencil his name onto the scoresheet as he picked up the primary assist on MacArthur's goal on Thursday. Kirkpatrick finished off his month of December amongst the league's elite, as he collected 15 points (5-10-15) over 13 December games. Kirkpatrick has also nestled in with the top rookie scorers in the ECHL, as he ranks fifth among all first year players. Kirkpatrick also leads the Thunder in goals (11), assists (15) and points (26) this season.
A GOOD APPLE: Adirondack netminder Ken Appleby bounced back in a big way with a 26-save effort in Thursday's win over Reading, along with two saves in the shootout, which led to Appleby being named as the game's first star. The victory for Appleby broke a five game losing streak and improved his save percentage to .920 in the process.
SHOOTOUT TO THRILL: The Thunder won in a shootout for the first time this season in Thursday's win, as they evened up their shootout record to 1-1 on the season. Dana Fraser and Peter MacArthur each found the back of the net in the skills competition, complimented by Ken Appleby's two saves. The crowd at the Civic Center was treated to a shootout for the first time since April 5, 2014, when Nick Cousins scored in the fifth round of the tiebreaker for the Adirondack Phantoms in a 4-3 win over Bridgeport.
FIRST TIME'S A CHARM: When leading after the game's first few minutes, there are few teams in the league that are harder to beat than the Thunder. Adirondack is 12-0-1-1 when leading after the game's first period, bolstered by Thursday's win. The Thunder are one of six teams that are undefeated in regulation when they lead after 20 minutes.
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WHO: Reading Royals (15-11-2-3) @ Adirondack Thunder (18-7-1-1)
WHAT: ECHL REGULAR SEASON GAME
WHEN: Saturday January 2, 2016 @ 7:00 PM
WHERE: Santander Arena
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