Springfield, MA – The Rockford IceHogs visited Springfield on Saturday, December 7, 2024 night, taking on the Thunderbirds and suffering a disappointing 2-1 overtime loss. It was the Thunderbirds’ second overtime win in consecutive nights. After a scoreless first period where the IceHogs dominated play, Thunderbirds goalie Vadim Zherenko had them in the game with some big stops. IceHogs’ Cole Guttman opened scoring 2:59 into the second period when he picked up a loose puck in the slot and put it past Zherenko. The game was getting testy as the Thunderbirds were getting their legs under them but the period ended 1-0. The Thunderbirds’ Tyler Tucker tied the game with a shot from the left point that beat IceHogs netminder Mitchel Weeks. A few minutes later, the Thunderbirds would have a goal overturned on review, and the intensity of play ramped up to another level, but the third period ended with teams knotted 1-1. The Thunderbirds’ Dalibor Dvorsky scored the overtime game-winner on a nice drag and curl around the outstretched IceHogs defender and beat Weeks with a snapshot to the glove side.
See my gallery of game photos by Brian Stone Sr for The Calder Times.
