AUBURN — Twin City Thunder goalie Brody Haynes was almost perfect Friday night, but didn’t he get enough help from his teammates.
The Boston Junior Bruins defeated the Thunder 1-0 on an Easton Ryan goal in a USPHL National Collegiate Development Conference contest at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn.
“Brody gives us a chance every night, and he proved again tonight why he’s one of the best goalies in this league,” Thunder coach Dan Hodge said. “He made a lot of tough saves.
Colin Winn made 40 saves in the shutout for Boston (10-6-3, 23 points).
Hodge said the players in front of Haynes had a so-so performance and made Haynes’ job difficult and allowing the Bruins to take 47 shots.
“Our (defense) did not play well in front of him tonight, and I just told them that,” Hodge said. “We were not good defensively, and we let him down, the whole team (let him down). We play team defense, but I thought our defensive core, a couple of guys, did not show up tonight. That cost us.”
The Thunder (7-7-1, 15 points) defeated the Bruins on Sunday 4-3. The difference Friday was Boston made that one extra play.
“When they scored with 12 seconds left (in the third period on Sunday), and ultimately win in a shootout, we talked about making that one more play,” Bruins coach Mike Anderson said. “We really focused on making one more play and bearing down on the defensive side of pucks. We did a better job there today.”
Haynes is the reigning NCDC goalie of the week after making 35 saves in Sunday’s win over the Bruins. He made 14 saves in the first period Friday night. He also helped kill two penalties in the first period.
“You always say your goaltender has to be your best penalty-killer, and he was the best penalty-killer we had (tonight),” Hodge said.
Winn made 17 saves in the first period for the Bruins.
Haynes’ best period was the second when he stopped 17 shots.
Forward Steven Armstrong had Twin City’s best scoring chance later in the second period when he created a turnover just inside the Thunder’s offensive end, but he put the shot wide.
Winn made seven saves in the second period.
Twin City had its first power play of the game two minutes into the third period when Boston defenseman Jude Brower went to the penalty box. The Thunder, though, didn’t get a shot on goal during the man advantage.
“At the end of the day, you have to score goals, and the offense has to provide that, but we did not have that tonight,” Hodge said.
Midway through the third period, Bruins’ defenseman Nico Paone put a shot on goal and deflected off Haynes’s body to a waiting Ryan at the side of the crease. Ryan settled the puck down and shot it into the goal.
“We did a good job throwing the puck at the net, and we got a bounce,” Anderson said. “We had a guy in the right place at the right time. Luckily, that was enough to win the game.”
Haynes made 15 saves in the third period, while Winn stopped 14.
On Saturday, the Thunder are on the road to face the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs at 7:30 p.m.
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