The Marlies and Thunderbirds met Saturday evening for the first time this season and both teams came out hungry as they looked to get back in the win column.
The Thunderbirds struck first with an early goal from Jonathan Ang. Ang’s fourth of the season came just 1:39 into the opening frame and was assisted by Jamie McGinn. The Marlies saw an opportunity on the man-advantage at 15:06 as Springfield’s Matt Marcinew was called for high-sticking. The Marlies were unable to convert on the ensuing power play and the game returned to even strength. Gabriel Gagne got the Marlies on the board at 17:13, finishing off a nice passing play from Adam Brooks and Dmytro Timashov. The goal was Gagne’s fifth of the season and first with the Marlies.
Thomas Schemitsch restored Springfield’s lead at 4:20 of the second from McGinn and Paul Thompson. Minutes later, Schemitsch was called for high-sticking, giving the Marlies an opportunity on the power play. They converted less than a minute into the man-advantage as Jeremy Bracco found Chris Mueller on the doorstep and he made no mistake banging home his 23rd of the season. Calle Rosen picked up the secondary assist on the goal, his 32nd of the season. At 15:47, Adam Brooks gave the Marlies their first lead of the night as he and Trevor Moore converted on a shorthanded 2-on-1. The eventual game winner was Brooks’ first professional shorthanded goal.
Both teams combined for nine shots in the third in a tight defensive battle. In the final minutes of the frame, Samuel Montembeault left his post between the pipes to make way for an extra attacker. Pierre Engvall scored on the empty net to seal a 4-2 win for the Marlies. Bracco and Mueller assisted on the empty-net goal.