As the Atlanta Falcons, New York Yankees and even the Boston Bruins will tell you, no lead is safe. Thursday morning, the Twin City Thunder also learned that lesson the hard way after they blew a 5-0 advantage.
The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs scored six unanswered goals to defeat the Thunder 6-5 in overtime of a USPHL National Collegiate Development Conference game at the Advent Health Center Ice Rink in Wesley Chapel, Florida.
“You take it in, we are fine, it is what it is, it’s a learning experience,” Thunder NCDC coach Dan Hodge said. “I guess the bright spot is we have scored 11 goals in two games (this week). It’s unfortunate, the last two games, the Kings game and today, we had a letdown in the second period. We just have to clean that up.”
The teams also played a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair in November, with the Monarchs coming out on top 5-4.
Forward Grant Porter had two goals Thursday, including the game-winner, while defenseman and Scarborough native Zander Lizotte had three assists.
“It was not a great start for the boys,” Porter said to USPHL.com after the game. “But we came back into the locker room (after the first period) we knew we had some unfinished business. We are a good team when we play hard. Coming down (to Florida) we haven’t played great, but when we play our style, play fast, play our system, we are a good hockey team. We came out there and took it one shift at a time and finished off great.”
New Hampshire started to heat up as Paul Letto found the net just past the midway point of the second period. Riley Enderle notched the second goal, while Colton Friensen put the Monarchs within two.
The three goals came in a span of two minutes and 19 seconds.
With under four minutes remaining in the second period, Porter cut the Monarchs deficit to 5-4.
New Hampshire outshot the Thunder 27-17 in the middle frame. Devon Bobak’s (33 saves) day was done after two periods in the Thunder net. Connor Leslie (13 saves) came in for the third period.
With seven minutes remaining in the third, the Monarchs’ Ryan O’Halloran tied the game up at five.
Porter scored his second of the game on the power play 65 seconds into the overtime session, as Thunder forward Valeri Rykov took a penalty at the end of the third period.
Thunder captain and Williams College commit Nick Rashkovsky opened the scoring nearly nine minutes into the contest for his seventh goal of the season. Yancy Whitaker stretched Twin City’s lead to 2-0 with under six minutes remaining in the first period for his second goal of the season.
Gabe Potyk put the Thunder up 3-0 with under three minutes remaining in the first period, with Rykov assisting on the goal, and Aidan McCarthy picked up his second assist of the morning after also assisting Rashkovsky’s goal.
The Monarchs pulled former Thunder goalie Artur Oganzhanyan (seven saves) after the first period and Falmouth native Alex Ramsay (32 saves) came on in relief.
Bradley McMains was called up from the Thunder’s Premier League team and he scored his first goal with the NCDC team to put the Thunder up 4-0 early in the second period. The goal was assisted by Nathan Chickering and Alex Rivet.
McMains, a South Portland native, took Dominic Chasse’s spot as the second-line center. Chasse is day-to-day with a wrist injury.
“He did a good job filling in for Dom,” Hodge said of McMains. “Dom is a (2002-born) player and (McMains) is a (2003-born player). You are switching out similar parts. He had another good showing. I think the first time he played with us he had an assist and today he had a goal.”
At the midway point of the second period, Rivet notched his fourth goal of the year to give the Thunder a 5-0 lead.
The Thunder get back at it Friday in a exhibition game against the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association all star team at 10:40 a.m.
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