SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Springfield Thunderbirds (12-9-1-0) clawed back from 1-0 down after 40 minutes and emerged with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Rockford IceHogs (8-10-3-0) before a sold-out crowd of 6,793 on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center. 

After the two clubs exchanged chances in the opening five minutes, the opening period brought very little in the way of offense against Springfield netminder Vadim Zherenko or Rockford goalie Mitchell Weeks. 

The T-Birds were uncharacteristically sloppy in the defensive zone, and a pivotal turnover at 2:59 of the second period resulted in Rockford's opening goal as Cole Guttman picked off a loose puck in the middle of the zone and slipped a five-hole shot through Zherenko to make it 1-0 IceHogs. It marked the first time in eight games that the T-Birds allowed the first goal of a game.

Offense did not come easily for Springfield, as the home team was outshot 16-6 in the middle period. Zherenko was at his best, making a pair of other breakaway saves on Guttman among his 24 denials through 40 minutes of play. 

Zherenko rose up to make a game-changing stop in the opening seconds of the third, as he stretched out with the left leg to stonewall Samuel Savoie on a breakaway bid to keep the score at 1-0.

Less than three minutes later, Tyler Tucker continued his torrid goal-scoring weekend, flipping a point shot over Weeks on the glove side, bringing about a Teddy Bear storm and equalizing the game, 1-1.

It appeared as if the Thunderbirds had taken the lead just a few moments later when a Michael Buchinger shot bounded high in the air and into the blue paint. Matthew Peca jabbed the loose puck across the goal line, seemingly making it a 2-1 Springfield lead. Despite being called a goal on the ice, the officials gathered and ultimately waved off the tally, and the 1-1 tie carried to the end of regulation.

The T-Birds rewarded their netminder in the extra session at 3:42 with their 19-year-old phenom stepping into the spotlight. After Aleksanteri Kaskimaki fed the puck through neutral ice to Dalibor Dvorsky, a 2-on-1 developed with Tucker joining the rush. Dvorsky patiently curled the puck to the middle of the ice around a sprawled defender before launching a perfect shot glove-side on Weeks to give Springfield its second overtime win in as many nights.

The rookie's team-leading 10th goal of the season also went down as his first overtime game-winner as a pro. Springfield has now won four straight games and is 8-1-1 in its last ten games, springboarding the team into third place in the Atlantic Division standings.

The T-Birds next embark on one of their longest road trips of the season, beginning with a Saturday contest in Wilkes-Barre against the Penguins on Dec. 14 at 6:05 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Interested 2024-25 season ticket members can call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com to learn how to become a regular at the Thunderdome.