ECHL Playoffs Roundup: Adirondack's Ryan Smith Among Friday Standouts
Looking at the top performers from the three ECHL playoff games on Friday.
Friday's slate of ECHL playoff games saw a little bit of everything.
The Adirondack Thunder evened up its series with the Norfolk Admirals. The Thunder scored three unanswered goals to close out the game and the tie series at 2-2.
Meanwhile, Toledo wrapped up its series in thrilling fashion. A back-and-forth game concluded with the Walleye winning in overtime, extending its win streak to 22 games and sweeping the Wheeling Nailers.
Kansas City held off another third-period comeback from Idaho to go up 3-1 in the series, with a chance to close it out on Saturday.
Here's a look at the top performers from the three games on Friday.
Adirondack 5, Norfolk 2
Jeremy Brodeur (ADK)
Brodeur's last postseason start came in Game 4 in the first round against Maine. However, you would not have known that by the Adirondack goaltender's performance on Friday night. Brodeur made 36 saves on 38 shots and showed up in key moments of Adirondack's 5-on-3 penalty kill that lasted for 1:52. He also made a big-time save at one end, and Shane Harper proceeded to score at the other.
Ryan Smith (ADK)
Smith has been one of the hottest players in the ECHL lately. The Thunder forward recorded another two goals, including the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner, just moments after Norfolk tied the game at 2-2. Smith led all Adirondack skaters with seven shots on goal and picked up an assist on Ryan Wheeler's goal late in the third period.
Stepan Timofeyev (NOR)
In a losing effort, Timofeyev tied the game at the 14:25 mark of the second period. The Admirals forward finished with three shots on goal and a +1 plus/minus rating, and he has goals in four of his last five games.
Toledo 3, Wheeling 2 (OT)
Brandon Hawkins (TOL)
The Walleye had a challenging time solving Taylor Gauthier through the first 36-plus minutes of the game. However, the ECHL's MVP for the 2023-24 season delivered the game-tying goal late in the second period, giving Toledo a ton of momentum going into the intermission. Hawkins finished with a +1, 12 shots on goal, and had goals in three of the four games.
Justin Addamo (WHL)
Addamo picked a good time to score his first goal of the series. The Nailers forward provided the equalizer at the 9:17 mark of the third period to push the game to overtime.
Riley Sawchuk (TOL)
Coming off a five-point game in Game 3, Riley Sawchuk stayed red-hot and scored the series clincher on a wild sequence. Hawkins lost his helmet and skated the bench. Sawchuk hopped over the boards and immediately scored the game-winner.
Kansas City 5, Idaho 3
Patrick Curry (KC)
Patrick Curry opened the scoring early in the first period for the second consecutive game. The Kansas City forward also set up Jeremy McKenna's one-timer on the power play in the second period, giving the Mavericks a 3-0 lead. Curry finished with two points, a +2 plus/minus rating, and tied for a team-high five shots on goal.
Nolan Walker (KC)
Walker notched his first three-point effort in the playoffs and his second straight multi-point game. The Mavericks forward scored on a wicked wrister from the high slot just over four minutes into the game and added another on a 5-on-3 power play for Kansas City in the third period. Walker had just two shots in the game but scored on both. Efficiency.
Jordan Kawaguchi (IDH)
Kawaguchi led the comeback effort in the third period with two goals and has now scored in three consecutive games. The Idaho forward was consistently around the net on Friday, scoring his first on a sharp-angle wrister from the left side and his second on a backhander from the right side of the cage. Kawaguchi finished with a +2 plus/minus rating and five shots on goal.
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