Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
Led by new coach Sylvain Cloutier, the Adirondack Thunder play their home opener against the Trois-Rivieres Lions Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Harding Mazzotti Arena.
“I’m just getting readjusted to the area,” he told The Chronicle. “It’s been nothing but positive.”
“It was pretty emotional last Saturday when I got behind the bench,” he said, referring to the home preseason game Oct. 11. “It brought a lot of stuff back. Everything’s been going really well so far. We had a great training camp.”
The Thunder won their season opener 5-3 over the Worchester Railers Oct. 19.
“We have a high compete level,” Cloutier said. “One of our main goals was to bring guys in that had the will and wanted to compete, and so far we’ve seen that.
“The goal is always to make the playoffs, and then once you get in you want to get to the big dance. Right now my focus is a game at a time, but our goal is to make the playoffs, that’s for sure.”
Toward that end, “we’re going to need to be solid defensively,” said Cloutier.
“We’re a good skating team, good transition team. We can play the skill game, but also we can play that heavy style.
“Obviously there’s going to be some ups and downs. No one’s perfect. The main thing is trying to stay consistent. Hopefully we stay consistent, we grab points every weekend, and that should help us build toward our goal to get into the playoffs.”
As for playing at Harding Mazzotti Arena, Cloutier said, “We’re extremely excited. To have over 3,600 people for a preseason game, how can you not get excited for that?
“Our fans are some of the best hockey fans in minor pro hockey. They know the game. They’re going to cheer us on and support us, but also they’ll let us know if we’re not doing well. They care so much and I know the boys and our staff want to give back to this community and give the best product we can here on the ice for them.” —Ben Westcott
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