2026

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Armand Klisivitch | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 1:22 AM ET

The Adirondack Thunder began a massive three-in-three weekend on Friday Night as they hosted the Trois-Rivières Lions for the final regular-season home game. In the opening minute of the game, Adirondack would find themselves short-handed as Mitchell Becker took a delay of game penalty. Just before the mid-way point of the period, Tanner Edwards fed Matt Salhany in the slot to put the Thunder on the board. On Thursday, Adirondack got four bodies back from the Utica Comets, and it would be Tag Bertuzzi who beat Benjamin Gaudreau short-side on the PP to double the Thunder’s lead. In the final minute of the period, it would be Chase McLane on the doorstep as he potted home his sixth of the season to give Adirondack a 3-0 lead heading into the locker room.

“Ya, if you play the right way like we did in the first period. You play solid defense to start the game you can’t get away from that. I know we all get excited that we want our points but at the end of the day the most important thing for the team in two points”

Head Coach Sylvain Cloutier on the team’s performance on Friday Night

Early in the second, Tanner Edwards would get a breakaway and make a nice move, only to be denied by Gaudreau. The Alaskan forward would get his redemption less than five minutes later as he put home a juicy rebound to make it a 4-0 game. Trois-Rivières responded 1:05 later as Charles Martin fired a shot from the point, beating Brodeur and getting the Lions on the board. Later in the period, Jeremy Hanzel fed Patrick Grasso, who took the shot on a two-on-one with Kevin O’Neil to make it 5-1 Thunder. For Hanzel, he picked up his third assist on the night on Grasso’s goal. Early in the third, Tag Bertuzzi got a great look on the PP, but hit the cross-bar, but would retrieve the puck and on a second effort put it home to make it 6-1 Thunder. Then things started to go downhill fast for the Thunder.

Ya it was nice, unfortunately I was a -1 so that doesn’t feel good but last few times I got send down here we lost the game but it was more important for us to get the two points tonight”

Tag Bertuzzi on his two point night

Trois-Rivières would attempt to come back as they scored three goals in 3:57, including two goals 44 seconds apart as Sylvain Cloutier took a timeout to calm the Thunder down. At the 8:52 mark of the second, Jace Isley and Mark Estapa dropped the gloves, with Estapa getting the extra two for cross-checking, sending the Thunder back to the PP. On the ensuing PP, Tag Bertuzzi fed Dylan Wendt for Adirondack’s third PP of the night to make it 7-4. Isaac Dufort would beat Brodeur five-hole at 14:02 as the Lions got a lifeline. Ron Choules pulled Benjamin Gaudreau for the extra skater with just under four to go. Neither team would find the net as the Thunder snapped their two-game losing skid. The loss for Gaudreau would be his first loss this season against the Thunder, as he was 3-0 vs Adirondack prior to Friday Night.

What’s Next For The Thunder?

Adirondack will close out the regular season with two games on the road against the Worcester Railers. Two points in any fashion over the next two nights or a Reading loss on Saturday set the Thunder up for a date with Maine in the opening round.

This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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