Shane Harper comes out of retirement, keys Thunder 3-1 win

Chronicle reporter Ben Westcott writes: Adirondack Thunder great Shane Harper came out of retirement Saturday and scored the go-ahead goal in a 3-1 victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Wheeling Nailers.

Harper, 36, scored at 13:32 of the third period as the 4,324 fans at Harding Mazzotti Arena roared their approval.

Harper retired after the 2023-24 season. He also suited up in the Thunder’s 3-0 loss to Wheeling the night before.

“Shane joined us for the weekend. We were short forwards,” Thunder President Jeff Mead explained to The Chronicle.

“He still helps out with the team on occasion, so he is still close with us and will always be a part of our team.”

Mead noted, “He is not returning full-time and has a full-time non-hockey job locally,” but “if there is an opportunity for him to help us again and it works out for us both, of course we would welcome Shane back.

“His career on the ice speaks for itself and the respect he has inside our locker room can only help our organization.”

Harper’s 75 points in the 2022-23 season is a franchise record. In 113 regular season games with the Thunder from 2021-24, he amassed 131 points (56 goals, 75 assists). He also played for the now defunct Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL earlier in his career.

The Valencia, California native’s pro career peaked at the NHL level, where he played 14 games for the Florida Panthers in the 2016-17 season.

Justin Taylor, another 36-year-old Thunder forward, also made waves Saturday, setting the ECHL record for career games played (885).

Besides Adirondack, the Ontario native has played for Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, Idaho, Trenton and Tulsa during his record breaking ECHL tenure. He has 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 18 games for the Thunder this season.

The Thunder are currently 4th place in the North Division with an 11-7-2 record.

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