Sports stats



AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

Power Play's Huge Day Not Enough as Crunch Top T-Birds

November 16, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds right wing Martin Frk shoots against the Syracuse Crunch
Springfield Thunderbirds right wing Martin Frk shoots against the Syracuse Crunch
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (6-5-0-3) scored a season-high four power-play goals, but the Syracuse Crunch (5-6-1-2) erased a three-goal deficit to stun the T-Birds in a shootout, 5-4, on Wednesday at the MassMutual Center in the return of the Thunderbirds School Day Game.

The Thunderbirds were outshot 13-6 in the first period, but Springfield's power play made up for that difference, putting together its finest period of the season and perhaps the club's history.

Matthew Highmore got the scoring barrage started at 8:19, knocking a rebound past Syracuse goalie Max Lagace just 12 seconds into Springfield's first power play of the morning. Matt Kessel wasted little time getting a shot toward the net from the left point. Despite a block by the Syracuse defense, Highmore found himself in the right spot to pump the rebound through Lagace to make it a 1-0 lead for the T-Birds.

Syracuse responded just 4:19 later when Gemel Smith one-timed a snapper that rose over Joel Hofer's shoulder, evening the score, 1-1.

At 16:46, Jake Neighbours made a neat move to the right-wing wall, buying himself some time and space. He slipped a feed to Nathan Todd, who fired a wrist shot off of Lagace's pad. Drew Callin arrived on the scene to deflect the rebound past Lagace off his skate, and it restored Springfield's lead to 2-1.

With 21 seconds left in the first, the T-Birds were awarded their third power play. It ended up taking them just 15 seconds to get another power play marker, this time off a long-range wrister by Kessel with 6.6 seconds to go in the frame. The T-Birds' 3-1 lead on just six shots also proved to be the end of the day for Lagace, as Hugo Alnefelt came on in relief to start the second period.

Alnefelt filled in well for Lagace, turning away a clean breakaway from Martin Frk on his way to making 11 saves in relief on the day. Frk did cash in, though, for Springfield's fourth power-play goal at 14:02 of period two, elevating the lead to 4-1.

For the first half of the third period, the action was sparse, as neither team generated anything too promising on the attack. Syracuse coach Ben Groulx took a calculated gamble, pulling Alnefelt with over 10 minutes left on the clock for an extra attacker. The move worked when Darren Raddysh beat Hofer on a one-time blast at 11:40 to bring the score to 4-2.

A minute later, following matching minors and with Alnefelt again on the bench to give the Crunch a 5-on-4 advantage and an empty net, Simon Ryfors whistled home his ninth of the year over Hofer's blocker to make it 4-3 at 12:40.

Springfield's penalty kill was perfect on the day, going 4-for-4, but less than 20 seconds after dispatching a minor penalty, off a clean face-off win, Declan Carlile found a hole over Hofer's shoulder, wristing a puck through traffic and tying the score, 4-4, with 2:59 to play in regulation.

Hofer held his ground in overtime, stopping four more Syracuse offerings to get the game into a shootout. Will Bitten slipped a puck through Alnefelt's legs in the top of round two to give Springfield the shootout advantage, but goals by Gage Goncalves and Smith, along with an Alnefelt stop on Neighbours, gave Syracuse the victory.

The Thunderbirds continue their five-game homestand on Saturday when they welcome the Charlotte Checkers for Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for the 2022-23 season and lock in the best prices and member benefits by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

Check out the Springfield Thunderbirds Statistics




Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds right wing Martin Frk shoots against the Syracuse Crunch
Springfield Thunderbirds right wing Martin Frk shoots against the Syracuse Crunch
   



American Hockey League Stories from November 16, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central