Thunderbirds Square Off with IceCaps in Home Opener

Springfield, MA – The Springfield Thunderbirds (2-1-0), fresh off two consecutive victories on the road where they allowed just one goal in two games, will look to make it three in a row as they welcome the St. John's IceCaps (1-3-0) on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center.

 

Opening Night, presented by MGM Springfield, will kick off at 4:00 p.m. ET at the T-Birds Tailgate on Court Square, across from the MassMutual Center. Fans should take note that T-Birds Tailgate will go on, rain or shine, underneath a tent.

 

The Thunderbirds were victorious on Friday night in Wilkes-Barre as they held on for a 1-0 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Reto Berra's 23 saves were enough to preserve the first shutout in Springfield Thunderbirds history, and Ryan Horvat's first period goal proved to be the only offense require on the evening. 

 

The Penguins pushed the envelope in the third looking for the equalizer, but Berra remained solid as a rock. His two best saves came off a point blank by Kevin Porter just moments after the Thunderbirds turned the puck over inches in front of the blue paint. Then, with the goaltender pulled, the Penguins fired a last ditch effort, which Berra stopped with the stick off a re-direction from a Chad Ruhwedel point shot as time expired.

 

The IceCaps, meanwhile, are fresh off a slump-busting 4-1 win over the Providence Bruins on Friday night in Providence. The IceCaps snapped their three-game losing streak thanks in large part to goaltender Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 50 of 51 shots in his first AHL start.

 

Offensively, the IceCaps raced to a 3-0 lead early in the second and then held on despite being outshot 51-21 on the night.  

 

Tickets to the Thunderbirds' home opener are sold out; however, In celebration of this sell out milestone, the Thunderbirds will be offering up to $5 off the price of a ticket for next Friday and Saturday’s games.  This is an opportunity both for those who were unable to make it to Opening Night as well as those who want to come back for more. The Friday, October 28th game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers is $1 Night (with $1 hot dogs, soda, and popcorn) and launches the Pregame Concert Series. Saturday, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, features T-Birds Trick or Treat for Halloween. Each game is set for a 7:05 p.m. ET puck drop.

 

Interested in being part of the next era of AHL hockey in Springfield? Springfield Thunderbirds Season Ticket Memberships start as low as $12 per game and feature the most exclusive benefits, including a commemorative jersey. For more information, fans may call the Thunderbirds ticket office at (413) 739-GOAL (4625).