Published: 6/20/2022 11:00:10 PM
Modified: 6/20/2022 10:59:50 PM
The Thunderbirds knew the Chicago Wolves were going to come out hard in Game 2 after the home team dropped Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals in overtime on Sunday. They just didn’t expect how big of a response the Wolves had in them.
Springfield fell 6-2 to the Wolves in Game 2 on Monday, evening up the Calder Cup Final series at one game apiece. After playing the first two contests on the road, the Thunderbirds will return home for the next three games of the series; Game 3 will take place at the MassMutual Center on Wednesday with the puck dropping at 7:05 p.m.
Chicago opened the game with a pair of goals just 29 seconds apart. Richard Panik got the scoring started for the Wolves and Spencer Smallman doubled the lead just a few moments later.
Defender Joey Keane scored his first postseason goal for Chicago 8:15 into the first period, giving the Wolves a commanding 3-0 lead. The hosts finished the first period barrage with a power play goal, finally capitalizing with the extra skater advantage on a 5-on-3 power play goal from Josh Levio.
Down 4-0 going into the second, the Thunderbirds allowed another goal 5:18 into the middle frame. Chicago captain Andrew Poturalski tapped in the Wolves’ fifth goal of the evening to make it 5-0.
The game seemingly out of reach, the Thunderbirds began to claw their way back into the contest. Calle Rosen tallied his first postseason goal on the power play with just over six minutes left in the second, and Will Bitten got on the board with his eighth postseason goal to make it 5-2 just a couple minutes later.
Chicago cemented the win with a lone goal in the third period with another power play goal from Levio; the Thunderbirds were unable to make up any more ground in the final frame.