T-Birds Begin 3-Game Canadian Set in Belleville

January 7, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release

BELLEVILLE, ON - The Springfield Thunderbirds (17-8-2-1) begin their first road trip north of the border on Friday night as they take on the Belleville Senators (12-13-0-0) for the first of back-to-back games inside CAA Arena.

Springfield enters the weekend still in first place in the Atlantic Division with 37 points to their credit, while the Senators sit second from the bottom in the North. It is only the Thunderbirds' second-ever trip to CAA Arena; Springfield won the first meeting of the franchises by a score of 2-1 back on April 4, 2018.

The night will mark a homecoming for Thunderbirds' leading scorer Matthew Peca, who skated in 21 games with the Senators in the shortened 2020-21 season, recording 11 points (3g+8a) with Belleville. Peca had tallied points in six consecutive Thunderbirds games before seeing his streak get snapped on Sunday in the loss at Providence.

Springfield will have reinforcements back from St. Louis ahead of the weekend series, as Nathan Walker, Alexei Toropchenko, and Charlie Lindgren have all returned to the Thunderbirds active roster after successful stints with the Blues.

Ahead of Friday's game, the Thunderbirds also announced the signings of defenseman Jordan Henry and forward Liam Coughlin to professional tryout contracts.

Following back-to-back games in Belleville (each dropping the puck at 7:00 p.m.), the T-Birds make the trek west to face the Toronto Marlies on Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.

For more information on the Springfield Thunderbirds and to order tickets, please visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com. To learn more about becoming a Thunderbirds ticket member, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) to speak to a Thunderbirds representative.

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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.

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