TRENTON, N.J. – The Trenton Ironhawks made history on Saturday night, earning their first win on home ice with a 4-1 victory over the Adirondack Thunder in front of 7,032 fans at CURE Insurance Arena.
Mikey Colella opened the scoring 15:43 into the first period, recording the first Ironhawks goal on home ice in team history. Colella fired a wrist shot from the left circle past Adirondack goaltender Jeremy Brodeur to give Trenton a 1-0 lead. Liam Coughlin and Max Patterson collected the assists on Colella’s second goal of the season.
The Ironhawks extended their lead at 8:10 of the second period when John Gelatt scored his first goal of the season. Gelatt broke in alone and beat Brodeur to make it 2-0, with Colella earning his second point of the night with the lone assist.
Adirondack cut the deficit to one early in the third period when Shane Harper scored on a rebound at 4:05, but Trenton answered late in regulation. With 2:42 remaining, defenseman Brennan Kapcheck fired a shot from the point through traffic and under the crossbar for his first goal of the season, restoring the Ironhawks’ two-goal advantage. Coughlin and Ryan Bottrill assisted on the goal.
Kyle Penney sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:36 remaining, giving Trenton a 4-1 victory and its first home win in franchise history.
Coughlin led the Ironhawks with three assists, while Colella recorded a goal and an assist. Bottrill added two assists. Ryan Fanti stopped 28 of 29 shots to earn the first win in team history, while Brodeur made 23 saves on 26 shots for Adirondack.
The Ironhawks finished the night 0-for-5 on the power play, while Adirondack went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Saturday’s crowd of 7,032 marked a historic night for professional hockey in Trenton as the Ironhawks played their inaugural home game at CURE Insurance Arena.
The Ironhawks return to action on Wednesday against Reading Royals at 7:00p.m.
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