ATLANTA – Tyler Brennan made 36 saves as the Adirondack Thunder extended their win streak to five games with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Gladiators on Saturday night in front of 7,917 at Gas South Arena.
Adirondack took an early lead as Brannon McManus set up Tag Bertuzzi and he sent a back hand shot by goaltender Ethan Haider for the 1-0 lead. The goal was Bertuzzi’s 10th of the year and 14th point in the last nine games with assists from McManus and Chase McLane just 2:16 into the game.
Alex Campbell added to the lead at 8:04 of the first as he picked up a rebound and lifted the puck over the left pad of Ethan Haider for a 2-0 advantage. The goal was Campbell’s sixth of the year from Patrick Grasso and Jacob Graves and the Thunder took the two-goal lead into the intermission.
Matt Salhany got a good bounce and gave the Thunder a 3-0 lead at the 5:24 mark of the second period. Ryan Wheeler sent the puck down low, and it bounced off the wall to Salhany who snapped it into the net for his 10th of the year.
Atlanta got one back as Nolan Orzeck scored just over one minute later with a shot off the post and into the net. Isak Walther and Joey Cipollone were given the assists on Orzeck’s sixth of the year at 6:30 of the second period and Adirondack took a 3-1 lead into the third.
With time winding down in the third period, the Gladiators pulled within one as Cody Sylvester blasted in a one timer on the power play. The goal was Sylvester’s 11th of the year with 4:56 left in regulation to decrease Adirondack’s lead to 3-2.
Atlanta pulled the goaltender late and Justin Taylor and Patrick Grasso added empty-net goals to seal the 5-2 victory. Tyler Brennan won his ninth game of the year with a 36-save performance.
After two weekends on the road, the Adirondack Thunder returns to Harding Mazzotti Arena February 20-22 against Greensboro.
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