The Twin City Thunder opened the first round of the USPHL Premier playoffs with a 7-1 loss to the South Shore Kings on Saturday night in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
They will need to win Sunday in Game 2 to keep their season alive.
“I didn’t think we had a good start, that’s for sure,” Thunder coach Doug Friedman said. “I think we looked like a team playing in their first ever playoff game. They were hungry, they were executing and they got some bounces. We didn’t execute at the end of the day and they did.
Chris Mott had two goals to lead the Kings, while Joseph Schaefer and Ryan Coady each had a goal and two helpers.
The Kings took a 1-0 when Schaefer found the back of the net at the 4:29 mark.
Twin City responded three minutes later when Zachary Simpson found the back of the net, with Etienne Crousle and Matt Jolicouer recording the assists.
South Shore scored three unanswered goals to end the period with Artem Mateyehenko breaking the 1-1 deadlock 9:10 into the period. Mott scored just past the 11-minute mark and Coady capped the scoring in the first period at the 13:35.
The Kings ended Jaxon Friedman’s night in goal early in the second after Kade Kaminski and Curtis Judd scored in the first 75 seconds of the middle period.
Friedman was lifted after Judd’s goal for Derek Fournier. Friedman made nine saves while Fournier turned away 24 shots in relief.
“(Fournier) did fine and he made a couple of big saves,” Doug Friedman said. “The team started to pick it up a little bit, started to improve and got comfortable. It was not the ideal first half from every single player.”
Mott scored his second goal of the game at the 6:22 mark of the third period to cap the scoring off for the Kings.
Jake Horoho made 25 saves in the victory.
Nordiques 7, Powerhawks 0
The L/A Nordiques improved to 41-4 on the season by defeating the Niagara Powerhawks 7-0 on Saturday in North Tonawanda, New York.
The Powerhawks, meanwhile, drop to 2-37 with the loss.
Colby Audette and Josh Sanchez each had two goals for the Nordiques. Joe Bisson, Sam Frechette and Valeri Rykov each added a goal.
Hunter Raye earned the shutout in goal.
Despite playing an inferior opponent, L/A coach Cam Robichaud saw solid team effort from the Nordiques, who are winding down the regular season.
“I saw some decisions that players made to run a team breakout and team systematic play rather than going end-to-end on their own,” Robichaud said. “I was happy they had the big picture in their head, like we need to do the team structure, not I need to get my individual points. I did see it, guys listening and buying into what we are preaching.”
Robichaud said the Nordiques hit six posts and Niagara Falls goal made at least five big saves or the margin of victory would have been bigger.
The same two teams play again Sunday at 1 p.m.
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