Coach Mike Hold of the Mahoning Valley Thunder believes there were several reasons why his team was

Coach Mike Hold of the Mahoning Valley Thunder believes there were several reasons why his team was able to rally and overwhelm the Albany Conquest, 59-33, last Saturday in the af2 season opener on Cortland Banks Field in the Chevrolet Centre.

But Hold hopes that the Thunder, which didn’t play well in the first half before jelling in the second, won’t wait until the third quarter to excel this Saturday when the Manchester Wolves come to town for a 7:05 p.m. game.

“Manchester is a better team [than Albany],” said Hold, noting that Saturday’s matchup will be the Wolves’ season opener.