Scoring still proved hard to come by, but the Twin City Thunder used a late man-advantage to capture their first of the season Thursday.
James Tatro’s power-play goal in the closing minutes pushed the Thunder past the host Jersey Hitmen 2-1 on the first day of the Hitmen Classic in Wayne, New Jersey.
Twin City opened the season with three straight losses at the Junior Bruins Shootout last weekend, scoring a combined four goals across the three games.
The defense had its best game of the season Thursday, holding the Hitmen scoreless through two periods. Edvin Robertsson opened the scoring for the Thunder just under seven minutes into the final frame, with Leo Mantenuto assisting.
The Hitmen countered 39 seconds later on Camden Prier’s goal.
The game stayed tied for nearly 10 minutes, until Tatro converted on a power play off assists from Christian Day and Denis Maliew with 2:46 remaining. That man-advantage goal broke an 0-for-4 power-play drought to start the game.
Twin City held Jersey scoreless on three power plays.
Stefan Carney stopped 39 of 40 shots in goal for the Thunder. Braedyn McIntosh made 32 saves for the Hitmen.
The Thunder continue play at the Hitmen Classic on Friday, with a scheduled 12:15 p.m. puck drop against the Rockets Hockey Club.
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