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AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

Hofer's Heroic Efforts Lifts T-Birds over Penguins

April 23, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds center Nikita Alexandrov and goaltender Joel Hofer vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Springfield Thunderbirds center Nikita Alexandrov and goaltender Joel Hofer vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (40-24-6-3) held the slimmest of leads for 39 minutes behind a strong defense and better goalie in a gutsy 3-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (35-30-4-4) before a sellout crowd of 6,793 at the MassMutual Center.

The Thunderbirds fell victim to the first goal against when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Radim Zohorna parked himself in front of Joel Hofer and deflected a Mitch Reinke point shot past the Springfield goalie's glove hand, opening the scoring at 7:05 of the first.

The Penguins' 1-0 lead, however, would not make it a full minute. Will Bitten worked a puck free from behind the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton net and found captain Tommy Cross at the center point. With some traffic in front of rookie goalie Joel Blomqvist, Cross fired a wrist shot that eluded the netminder to tie the score just 32 seconds later, 1-1.

Springfield's power play, which had scored only one time in the last two weeks entering play on Saturday, got a golden chance to take the lead when Steven Santini was cut on a high-sticking penalty with less than three minutes left in the period. The Penguins killed the first minor, but with time winding down in the closing seconds of the period, Sam Anas fed a perfect slap pass to James Neal, who finished the play with just four seconds left in the period to give Springfield the 2-1 lead.

The next 40 minutes would turn into the Hofer show, as the T-Birds netminder was at his magnificent best in turning away a swarm of 24 Penguins shots from all angles and in all situations over the final two periods.

With the Penguins' net empty, Nikita Alexandrov sold out the body without a stick, blocking a point blast that allowed Bitten to skate the puck the length of the ice and into the yawning net to finish the night's scoring. For a second straight game, Bitten (1g, 1a) and Alexandrov (2a) each picked up multiple points for the T-Birds.

Hofer stopped 32 of 33 in the victory, and in his last three outings, he has turned away 98 out of 102 shots he has faced.

On Sunday, the T-Birds close their regular-season slate of home games against the Providence Bruins at 2:05 p.m. inside the Thunderdome. Fans are invited to join in Boomer's Birthday Bash, featuring mascots from the local area, including Tessie and Wally from the Boston Red Sox. In addition, Spongebob and Patrick will also be on hand for photos on the concourse. After the game, all are invited to the ice to "Paint the Ice," with special thanks to Rocky's Ace Hardware.

Springfield will close its regular season with two more road contests this upcoming week on Tuesday at Lehigh Valley (7:05 p.m.) and Friday at Providence (7:05 p.m.). All games can be heard on NewsRadio 560 WHYN and streamed on AHLTV.

Thunderbirds' playoff ticket information will be made available in the coming days. Follow @ThunderbirdsAHL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more details to come, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

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Springfield Thunderbirds center Nikita Alexandrov and goaltender Joel Hofer vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Springfield Thunderbirds center Nikita Alexandrov and goaltender Joel Hofer vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
   



American Hockey League Stories from April 23, 2022


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