Thunderbirds Dominate Riptide
J.J. Pavlick
12/17/22
The thunderbird flew into Nassau Coliseum and completely annihilated the Riptide like a bird that toys with its food before biting its head off. The Riptide started the game off strong with an early 3-0 lead but that is where the good news goes to die. The Thunderbird didn't just screech back quickly and efficiently they picked the defense apart limb by limb and went for full-blown torture.
To end the first quarter the Thunderbirds would score 6 straight unanswered goals and take a 6-3 lead into the 2nd. What looked like a promising start for the Riptide when they jumped out with 3 quick goals quickly turned into a nightmare.
The second quarter was no better for the Riptide as they conceded 3 more goals before finally scoring one then gave up 2 more after that. The Riptide did earn a 5-minute powerplay but the rules state after 2 goals the opponent goes back to full strength. So, while the Riptide made quick use of their advantage, the Thunderbirds responded right away with 2 of their own ending the half with the Thunderbirds up 13 - 6. The score appears to be close, but the two teams are night and day of each other.
The Riptide limped into halftime wounded and found some life in the third period outscoring the Thunderbird 4 -1 and closing the score to 14 - 10. The fans in the arena started to gain hope that they may see another comeback from their side.
However, the 4th quarter was one-sided, with the Thunderbird coming out strong scoring 2 goals before conceding the lone goal the Riptide had for the 4th quarter. The Thunderbird would score four straight goals and put their claws deep into the wounds. The Thunderbird would win the match 20 - 11 and while the score looks somewhat tight the game never really was, and fans were deflated fast going into the holidays. The Riptide who was expected to fight for a title this season and be a real threat looked anything but tonight and the team met behind closed doors afterward for a long time.
The Riptide will look to rebound against Toronto which has struggled this season as well. The game should showcase the offensive prowess the Riptide have and show why experts picked them to not only make the playoffs but be a real threat.