Mackenzie Weegar scored 1:42 into overtime as the Springfield Thunderbirds rallied for a 5-4 win over St. John’s in their inaugural home opener on Saturday night.

A sellout crowd of 6,793 packed the MassMutual Center to usher in a new era of pro hockey in Springfield. It was the largest crowd for an AHL game in the city since Apr. 6, 2002.

Dryden Hunt tallied two goals and an assist for the Thunderbirds, Weegar and Paul Thompson each added a goal and an assist and Ian McCoshen also scored as Springfield rallied from 4-2 down with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation.

Chris Terry (1g, 3a), Sven Andrighetto (1g, 2a) and Charles Hudon (2g) paced the IceCaps’ offense.