Jack MacDonald made a good first impression for the Twin City Thunder.
The forward Twin City acquired in a trade with the South Shore Kings this past weekend scored twice in the Thunder’s 5-4 shootout victory against the Northern Cyclones in a USPHL NCDC New England Division game at Norway Savings Bank Arena in Auburn on Thursday.
“He came in and contributed right away,” Thunder coach Dan Hodge said. “He did a great job. He’s a fast hockey player, he has some skill and talent. We are excited where it goes.”
Before the game, the Thunder welcomed Justin Juray, Just-in-Time-Recreation’s owner, to drop the ceremonial puck.
“There was a lot of positive energy,” Hodge said. “It was definitely a surreal moment. We definitely talked to the guys, ‘You have three hours to change the narrative for a short amount of time to get people’s minds off the tragedy.’ Justin Juray was here to drop the puck; it was a touching moment for sure.”
The teams traded goals throughout the first two periods. Caden Mech gave the Cyclones a 1-0 lead four minutes into the first period when his shot beat Twin City goalie Stefan Carney (40 saves).
Nearly three minutes later, Cole Roenick tied the game for the Thunder.
Felix Bisson put the Cyclones (3-9-3, 9 points) up 2-1 just past the 12-minute mark of the first stanza before MacDonald notched his first goal three minutes later to even the game.
The Thunder (4-6-1, 9 points) got an unassisted goal from Nolan Leonard in the first minute of the middle frame for a 3-2 advantage.
Northern Cyclones retook the lead when Alan Evtimov and Michael Markowski each found the back of the net in the second.
MacDonald evened the game at 4-4 in the final minute of the second period when the puck got behind Cyclones goalie Paul Dalessio (48 saves).
“Honestly, we didn’t play well in the second period at all — we were flat,” Hodge said. “Carney played really well in net; he kept us in there. I thought we were fortunate to be 4-4 coming out of the second. In the third, we got our minds right and played better hockey. We had some opportunities.”
After a scoreless third period and five-minute overtime session, Thunder forward James Tatro was the lone shooter to score in the shootout.
The teams will face each other again in Hudson, New Hampshire, Saturday at 1 p.m.
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