GLENS FALLS, NY – Tuesday afternoon, Adirondack Thunder goalie J.P. Anderson was named CCM ECHL Goalie of the Week thanks to his sterling play in three outings last week. Tuesday night, he showed the Orlando Solar Bears that the award was well deserved.
Anderson made a franchise record 52 saves and got offensive support from several of his teammates as the Thunder (34-20-6-4, 78 points) doubled up on the visiting Solar Bears (31-23-6-3, 71 points) 4-2 in front of an announced crowd of 1,985 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The victory allowed Adirondack to move into second place in the North division behind the Brampton Beast while the loss left Orlando in fourth in the South.
In a game that had plenty of playoff implications, there was also a bit of irony. From March 4-16, Anderson was loaned by the Thunder to the Toronto Marlies – Orlando’s AHL affiliate – when the Solar Bears could not spare a goalie to replace an injured Garret Sparks. It also featured a strong effort from the Thunder power play which scored twice, taking a combined 1:05 on the two successful man advantage opportunities to do it.
Adirondack opened the scoring 4:24 into the contest. The play began with Tim Harrison who carried the puck into the Solar Bears defensive zone and ended when he put a shot on net from the base of the right faceoff circle. The shot somehow eeked its way past Orlando goalie Ryan Massa, who got a piece of it but could not completely stop it, for Harrison’s first goal of the season.
The Solar Bears responded a little over four minutes later. Denver Manderson started the sequence with a ferocious forechecking effort that resulted in a turnover. Manderson then fed the puck to the slot where Tony Cameranesi put a shot on Anderson who made the save. Anderson failed to control the rebound and Justin Buzzeo took advantage, cashing in for his 18th goal of the season and first since joining Orlando in a pre-trade deadline deal with Atlanta.
Orlando kept the pressure, which had turned a 7-4 disadvantage with 13:32 left in the opening frame into a 15-8 advantage with 5:30 to go in the stanza, on Anderson but he was dialed in and held the visitors at bay. It allowed his teammates to give him the lead when at the 16:50 mark, Peter MacArthur fed James Henry who in turn found Brian Ward unchecked on the back side of the play. Ward redirected the pass into the empty side of the net for his team-leading 22nd of the season and a lead that the Thunder would not relinquish.
Seven minutes into the second period, Adirondack was awarded a power play when Orlando’s Shane Conacher was nabbed for interference. It took the Thunder just 36 seconds of power play time to score when MacArthur, who was behind the net, fed Henry who was on the edge of Massa’s crease. Henry’s shot was partially stopped by the netminder but like Harrison’s tally, the puck got away and squeaked across the goal line for Henry’s 20th of the 2016-17 campaign.
Needing a spark before the frame ended, the Solar Bears got a chance when Adirondack’s Dennis Kravchenko high sticked Daniel Maggio, drawing blood and a double minor. On the ensuing power play, defenseman Eric Baier lined up a shot from the blue line that Conacher redirected between Anderson’s legs for his second score of the season. It was an important goal as it drew Orlando within 3-2 with a full period still to play.
Holding the momentum after the late goal and a whopping 24-9 shot advantage in the second, the Solar Bears were confident that they could stage a comeback similar to the one that led to a win over Florida last Saturday. The expected surge of energy took a hit when Chris Crane was called for hooking at the 2:22 mark and Adirondack needed just 29 seconds of power play time to score. Once again MacArthur was involved as he drove the puck on net where Massa made the original save. As the disc sat loose in the crease, Kravchenko sold out and got his stick on it before any defender could, pushing it across the line for his 15th goal and a two-score margin.
Try as they might, the Solar Bears just could not get any closer as Anderson continued his hot play. Midway through the stanza, he took a sure goal away from Crane with his blocker glove and was never really challenged from there. Orlando head coach Drake Berehowsky pulled Massa with 3:30 to go and his team already sitting on 50 shots on net but the Solar Bears only mustered four more on Anderson, who turned them away with ease.
Orlando’s nine-game road trip does not get any easier as it travel to Brampton, Ontario to face the Beast, who have rocketed up the standings to take over the top spot in the North division. The three game set begins Thursday night at the Powerade Centre with puck drop set for 7:15 p.m.
Notes: Massa finished the night with 23 saves on 27 shots faced…Adirondack’s power play went 2-for-4 while Orlando’s was 1-for-5… The game was Crane’s 200th ECHL contest… With his assist, Manderson tied Jake Cepis for most career assists (77)… Baier’s helper on Conacher’s tally left him two shy of 100 professional assists… Marlies goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo started his second game since being recalled from the Solar Bears and stopped all 30 shots in a 6-0 whitewashing of the Rochester Americans Tuesday night. Kaskisuo is 2-0 with a 1.00 goals against average and a .967 save percentage (58 saves on 60 shots) in his two games.
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