LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – The Tahoe Knight Monsters bounced back from their only slump of the year to take three from the Adirondack Thunder at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. It was a special “Affiliation Weekend” where the team temporarily became the Tahoe Golden Monsters to celebrate their NHL family teams Vegas Golden Knights (AHL) and Henderson Silver Knights (ECHL).
Thursday – Tahoe puts up a 24-Karat Performance in Game One Win
It’s good to be golden.
On day one of Affiliation Weekend, the Tahoe Golden Monsters took down the Adirondack Thunder 3-1 to break their four-game losing streak. Jake McGrew scored twice, Aidan Girduckis notched his first career goal, and Jordan Papirny was sensational in net again to lead Tahoe to victory.
With Tahoe being 1-4-1 in their last six games, a strong start was crucial in their return home against the Thunder. And that’s exactly what happened, as they controlled major stretches of the first period and outshot ADK 11-7. With three minutes to go in the frame, McGrew took a great feed from Jake Johnson, outraced a defender to the goal, and poked the puck in to give the Golden Monsters the lead.
For McGrew, it was his first goal since mid-January, and a much-needed jumpstart for Tahoe in the contest.
They carried that momentum into the second, as Aidan Girduckis ripped in a shot from the top of the zone just under three minutes in to double Tahoe’s lead. The goal was his first in his ECHL career, and ended up being the game-winner.
TJ Friedmann got one goal back early in the third for Adirondack, but Papirny slammed the door after that. He finished the contest with 29 saves on 30 shots, continuing a torrid stretch since the start of January.
McGrew would score his second goal of the game midway through the third for some added insurance, and the buzzer would sound on Tahoe’s first series-opening win since January 10 against Rapid City.
Friday – Pinard and Vikman Shine in Game 2 Win
The Golden Monsters glimmered again in game two against Adirondack, winning 5-2 for their second straight victory. Simon Pinard scored his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season, Adam Robbins scored the game-winner, and Jesper Vikman made 40 of 42 saves to lead Tahoe to victory.
Vikman shined in the first period, making 11 saves on 11 shots, including some sprawling saves on chances in close. The buzzer sounded on a scoreless first with both squads carding multiple high-danger opportunities.
In the second, Kevin O’Neil scored just a minute into the frame for Adirondack off a power-play one timer assisted by Ryan Wheeler. The goal marked the Thunder’s first lead of the series.
But after that, the fun really began for Tahoe.
Simon Pinard got the Golden Monsters going with a one-time strike off a perfect feed from Sloan Stanick to tie the game at one. Stanick set up the play, creating some time and space for himself before dishing it across the crease.
Then Adam Pitters carded his second goal of the season with a power play missile to give Tahoe the lead. And just over a minute later, Adam Robbins found the loose puck after a Jake Stevens shot from distance and tucked it in to extend the lead to two goals.
Vikman continued his stellar effort in the frame, making 14 of 15 saves and consistently staying poised even when under duress.
The Thunder made it a one-goal game just 57 seconds into the third off a backdoor goal from Savva Smirnov. They had two power plays in the frame, but weren’t able to capitalize.
Tahoe was able to activate shorthanded however, as Pinard broke away and scored his second goal of the game for some much-needed insurance. And just 50 seconds later with an empty net in front of him, Bear Hughes put the nail in the coffin with his 11th goal of the season.
Vikman finished the contest with a stellar 40 saves on 42 shots seen, completing one of his best starts of the season and a fantastic bounce back effort.
Saturday – Tahoe Nets the Golden Goal in OT for Series Sweep
Bring out the brooms.
In the final game of affiliation weekend, the Tahoe Golden Monsters struck gold in overtime in a 4-3 victory over the Adirondack Thunder. Sloan Stanick tipped in a shot from Jake Stevens in front of a sellout crowd in Tahoe to secure the sweep.
The first period began with a bang for the Thunder as they struck just over three minutes in on a quick wrister from Dylan Wendt. But Bear Hughes would respond just a minute later by tucking in a rebound off of a Stanick shot for the equalizer.
In the second, it was more of the same as Gustav Muller scored just over two minutes in to give the Thunder the lead right back. Tensions escalated to a boiling point as Hughes and Andre Bisson exchanged blows midway through the frame.
Simon Pinard, skating in his 100th ECHL game, notched the equalizer for Tahoe on a fluttering shot through traffic that beat ADK netminder Tyler Brennan up high. The strike marks his 48th in his career, and his 24 goals this year matches his total from last season.
There was back and forth action to begin the third period, as both squads traded high-danger scoring opportunities. With just over five minutes to go in the frame, Jake McGrew ripped in a great feed from Adam Pitters to give Tahoe their first lead of the game.
But with the extra attacker on the ice, TJ Friedmann scored the game-tying goal with under a minute to go, and the buzzer sounded to signal overtime.
The Thunder carded multiple chances to begin the extra frame, but Tahoe goalie Jesper Vikman made two point-blank stops to keep the game alive. And it was Stanick who sent the fans home happy four minutes into OT with his 20th goal of the season.
After getting swept last weekend in KC, the Golden Monsters put together an incredibly resilient series against the Thunder and got a much-needed six points out of it. They are now one point back of the Mavericks in the standings heading into a pivotal weekend in Wichita.
Vikman finished with 26 saves on 29 shots seen for his second straight win. The series was a great bounce back for him overall, and he is now 4-0 in the second games of back-to-back starts.
The Golden Monsters will turn back into the Knight Monsters on Friday, February 14 against the Wichita Thunder, with the puck drop scheduled for 5:05 p.m. in Kansas. The recaps of Tahoe Knight Monsters are sponsored by AleWorX where home postgame parties feature wood-fired pizza, self-serve beer, and great scenery.