T-Birds Seek Same Offense, Different Result in St. John's

 

St. John's, NL– The Springfield Thunderbirds (9-9-3-2) will look to duplicate their Friday offensive output while improving on the defensive side of the puck as they visit the St. John's IceCaps (13-11-1-0) for a second straight night at the Mile One Centre. The puck drops at 6:05 p.m. ET.

The Thunderbirds will receive one piece of good news on Saturday, as St. John's defenseman Mark Barberio (three assists on Friday) and forward Mike McCarron (game-tying goal in third period) were recalled following the game by the Montreal Canadiens. j

 

Springfield fell behind 2-0 in just 5:27 of the first period, but responded with four of the games next five goals, sparked in large part by a fight pitting 5-foot-8-inch Joey Diamond against the bigger Jeremy Gregoire. Anthony Greco and Eric Robinson tied the game at two in the first period before Chris Terry gave the IceCaps a 3-2 intermission lead. 

 

Not to be outdone, the Thunderbirds got second period strikes from Dryden Hunt on the power play and Ryan Horvat at even strength to give Springfield its first lead at 4-3. St. John's would tie the score on a goal by Max Friberg, sending the game to the final 20 minutes in a deadlock.

 

Shane Harper extended his franchise-record point streak to seven games on a power play goal to give the T-Birds a 5-4 lead, only to see St. John's come back to win on goals separated by just 31 seconds off the sticks of McCarron and Stefan Matteau. 

The Thunderbirds have yet to lose back-to-back road games in regulation this season, and tonight Springfield looks for its tenth victory of the season behind an offense that has filled the net with nine goals in the last two games. 

The IceCaps and Thunderbirds end their season series tonight, with Springfield holding a 2-1-0 record thus far. The puck drops at 6:05 p.m. ET on NewsRadio 560 WHYN and can also be heard on the iHeartRadio app.