Adirondack’s season comes to a close in OT

Glens Falls —  The Adirondack Thunder’s 2016-17 season came to an end in overtime with a 6-5 loss 2:57 into the extra session against the Manchester Monarchs on Tuesday evening at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

For the fourth game this series, Adirondack was first to score with a goal as forward Dennis Kravchenko opened the scoring 11:25 into the game, his third postseason goal. From the hash marks, Cam Brown connected with Ryan Culkin at the point, who put a shot on net that Kravchenko deflected past the glove of Manchester netminder Sam Brittain.  Culkin and Brown collected the helpers on the play, Culkin’s first and Brown’s second of the series.

The Monarchs leveled the score just 1:59 later, however, as forward Matt Leitner scored a power-play goal with 6:36 remaining in the first period. After the Monarchs held the puck in their offensive zone, defenseman Colton Saucerman fired a shot towards the high slot where Leitner used a high deflection to send it past Adirondack netminder J.P. Anderson. Saucerman and defenseman Thomas Schemitsch collected the helpers on the play, the second of the series for Schemitsch.

The Thunder regained the lead at the 6:06 mark of the second period as Kravchenko found the back of the net for the second time of the evening. In the neutral zone, Brown poked the puck out of a jam to Kravchenko, who skated it all the way to offensive face-off circle before he fired a wrist shot past the glove of Brittain. Brown was awarded the lone assist on the play, his second helper of the game.

The Monarchs took their first lead of the evening with a pair of goals in the first half of the second period. First, forward Ashton Rome fed defenseman Connor Hardowa, who skated down the slot and fired a shot towards the net that was redirected home by Tyler Sikura for his first goal of the postseason.  Just under three minutes later, Leitner put a shot on net that was turned aside by J.P. Anderson, however the rebound trickled free and Kevin Morris picked up the rebound for his first goal of the postseason. Leitner picked up his second point of the evening as Quentin Shore tallied his fifth assist of the series.

Adirondack responded with a pair of their own goals to close out the period with a 4-3 lead. At 12:34, James Henry notched his first postseason goal as he picked up a rebound at the back post that originated at the point with a slap shot from Alber, who intentionally fired wide. Just 2:36 later, from the defensive zone, Culkin connected with Brian Ward in the neutral zone, skated in on a breakaway opportunity and finished with a top-shelf goal. Culkin and Patch Alber were awarded the helpers on the goal, Culkin’s third assist of the game.

Just 26 seconds into the third period, Manchester evened the score with a goal from Sikura, his second of the game. From the point, Rome sent a wrist shot wide of the net, but Sikura managed to use the backhand of his stick to deflect the shot through the legs of Anderson to push the Monarchs into a 4-4 tie. Rome collected the lone assist on the play, his second of the evening.

Just past the halfway point of the third period, the Monarchs took their second lead of the evening as Lynch collected his second goal of the 2017 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Positioned at the point, Schemitsch fired a shot towards the net that Lynch redirected from the high slot past Anderson for the go-ahead goal. Schemitsch picked up the lone assist on the play for the visitors.

With 2:34 left in regulation, defenseman Patch Alber tallied his first goal of the series to tie the game 5-5, which would ultimately send the game into overtime. From behind the net, Adirondack Captain Peter MacArthur fed a pass to Alber as he crashed the net from the point and finished with a one-timed slap shot through the legs of Brittain. MacArthur and Henry notched assists on the goal, MacArthur’s first and Henry’s third of the postseason.

2:54 into overtime, Manchester ended Adirondack’s season with a goal from Cory Ward, his first tally of the series. Manchester’s Daniel Doremus won a faceoff and Ward picked up the puck, skated wards the goal line and sent a wrist shot towards the net that deflected off of Anderson before it went into the back of the net. Doremus netted the lone assist on the play, his second of the 2017 Playoffs.

The defeat ends Adirondack’s season in six Kelly Cup Playoff games. The Thunder will hit the ice again in October as they kick off the 2017-18 ECHL season.