UNIONDALE, NY (December 16, 2022) – Tomorrow’s game will be the fourth matchup between the New York Riptide and the Halifax Thunderbirds in each franchise’s history. The Thunderbirds & Riptide met in the opening game for each franchise, where the Riptide fell 12-4 in Halifax back in December of 2019. The two clubs met twice last season where the Thunderbirds came out on top with 13-10 and 16-13 wins, respectively.
The Opponent
This week’s opponent is the Halifax Thunderbirds, who are coming off an 18-8 win over the Philadelphia Wings in their home opener. Both the Riptide and Halifax had a bye week in Week Two.
Five players on the Thunderbirds had seven points in their opener. Right-handed Forward Clarke Petterson and left-handed Forward Eric Fannell each lead the way with four goals and three assists a piece, while newcomer Randy Staats racked up 15 shots on goal, potting one and adding 6 assists, 5 of which were primary assists.
The Thunderbirds special teams look to have improved after being ice-cold last season. The man up went 3 for 5, and their penalty kill was a perfect 4 for 4. Jake Withers was dominant on face-offs, as the Thunderbirds won over 63% of their face-offs. Halifax registered 19 more shots on goal than their opponents, while net-minder Warren Hill stopped just over 80% of the shots that he faced, making 33 saves.
The Thunderbirds were able to pull away from the Wings quickly, as the team’s forwards got to the middle of the floor often uncontested, and capitalized on their opportunities.
The Riptide
The Riptide are looking to bounce back after a close game in Week One, which saw a late comeback fall short, eventually falling 15-14 to the San Diego Seals who now sit a perfect 2-0 on the season. Jeff Teat will look to keep up his hot hand on Saturday night as the star left-handed forward tallied four goals, added seven assists and recorded 15 shots on goal in his first game of the season.
The Riptide’s injury troubles continue, as the team will be without team captain Dan MacRae for the second straight game. The defender is recovering from a nagging lower body injury. Forward Callum Crawford, who left halfway through the team’s season opener, will also miss Saturday’s game with a lower body injury. On the bright side, defenders Brent Noseworthy & Leo Stouros are expected to be back in the lineup for New York after recovering from a pair of lower body injuries of their own.
Saturday could prove to be a big night, as a handful of the Riptide are chasing milestones:
- New York defenseman Damon Edwards needs two points for 100 in his career.
- New York forward Connor Kearnan needs three points to reach 100 in his career.
- New York forward Reilly O’Connor needs three games played to reach 100 in his career.
- New York defenseman Jay Thorimbert needs one game played to reach 200 in his career.
Following this game, the Riptide will have a three week break before returning to the Nassau Coliseum to take on the Toronto Rock (0-1).
Where to Watch/Listen
Tickets to tomorrow’s game at the Nassau Coliseum are available now and start at just $22. You can catch the action on ESPN+ & MSGSN2, and listen at FM 88.7 WRHU.
