Thunderbirds mount six-goal comeback to beat FireWolves
Dec 28, 2024
The Halifax Thunderbirds went on a 10-goal run in the second half, erasing a six-goal deficit in the process to beat the Albany FireWolves 13-9 at Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night.
Clarke Petterson (3G, 4A) and Randy Staats (1G, 6A) continued their strong starts to the season, leading the Thunderbirds offensively in this game. Thomas Hoggarth (2G, 2A) and Jason Knox (1G, 3A) also had procutive nights while Dawson Theede finished with two goals and three points along with six loose balls.
Colton Armstrong, Trevor Smyth, and Ryan Terefenko all chipped in with goals from the back end while Jake Withers won 15 of 26 draws and had eight loose balls.
Warren Hill started the game, making 28 saves across parts of three quarters. Drew Hutchison finished out the game, earning the victory while turning away 12 shots.
Both teams had strong offensive chances early, but it was the FireWolves finding the net early to start the contest. Ethan Walker got the opening marker off a feed on the crease from Eric Fannell before Dyson Williams and Alex Simmons added on for the visitors to make it 3-0 through the opening quarter.
Halifax was getting their looks, but Doug Jamieson came out hot in the cage, turning away 12 shots in the first quarter.
Simmons added his second of the night on the power play to open the second, but after Walker’s second off an odd bounce made it 5-0 for the FireWolves, the Thunderbirds found their footing and started to cut into the lead.
Cole Kirst got things started for Halifax at the 7:35 mark, putting in a hard-working offensive shift that rewarded him with a goal off a hard outside shot. The Thunderbirds headed to the man advantage off the ensuing draw, and it took Thomas Hoggarth just nine seconds to convert with a crease dive goal off a behind-the-back feed from Staats. Clarke Petterson capped off the run to end the half with another outside shot that found twine to cut the deficit to two for Halifax heading into the locker room.
Albany took back control of the game in the third. On a penalty kill, Will Johansen got in on goal and scored a transition marker to start things off for Albany. That was followed by another goal by Joe Nardella off that next face-off. Patrick Kaschalk made it an 8-3 game at the 7:08 mark, and Walker followed up with another power-play marker, putting Halifax in a six-goal hole with with 20 minutes left in regulation. Hill was pulled from the game and Hutchison finished things out for the second straight week.
But from there, Halifax flipped a switch and turned it on, carried all the way by the energy in The Nest.
Colton Armstrong got the Thunderbirds going with a coast-to-coast transition tally -- his first of the year. Jason Knox got his first of the game with a beautiful underhand shot that went bar down on the power play, and his lefty running mate, Dawson Theede, added another pair, muscling his way through the Albany D to the middle for a tough marker after sneaking a shot home minutes before.
Petterson got his second with a shot off hip to make it a one-goal game, and Hoggarth knotted the game at nine after slipping to the crease and burying an inside feed from Staats.
In the final five minutes of the third, the Thunderbirds flipped the script and erased a six-goal deficit, leaving the last quarter up for either team to win.
The hosts continued their run into the final frame. Staats found the back of the net for the first time on the night just 53 seconds into the fourth, giving Halifax its first lead of the game. Petterson completed his hat trick at the 6:19 mark to make it a two-goal advantage for the Thunderbirds, and Hutchison was able to turn away any chances the FireWolves fired his way.
Trevor Smyth and Ryan Terefenko potted empty netters in the final minutes to seal the deal for the Thunderbirds.
Now sitting at 1-3 on the year, the Thunderbirds go into the new year on a bye week before returning to action for a crucial home and home with the Rochester Knighthawks. The first half of the season series goes at Blue Cross Arena on Jan 11, with the opening face-off slated for 8:00 p.m. AT.