Rochester Ruins Bridgeport’s Home Opener, 4-3

The Rochester Americans ruined the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' home
opener with a 4-3 victory on Saturday afternoon. (Photo by Bill Harper)

By Bob Phillips

BRIDGEPORT—Saturday represented the home opener for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers who entertained the Rochester Americans, one of the oldest franchises in the American Hockey League, who came to visit. In the end, it was a disappointing day for the Sound Tigers. Victor Olofsson broke a 3-3 tie with a minute remaining in regulation to lead Rochester over Bridgeport, 4-3, before a disappointing crowd announced at 4,272 at the Webster Bank Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Currently in their 63^rd season in the league, the Amerks are the AHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sound Tigers wasted no time in cranking it up when left wing Connor Jones took a pass from defenseman Parker Wotherspoon camped on the right side of the crease. Wotherspoon proceeded to sneak the puck past Amerks netminder Scott Wedgewood to stake Bridgeport to a 1-0 lead just 1:40 into the contest. Josh Ho-Sang was also credited with a helper for the Sound Tigers.

The Americans came back less than two minutes later to knot the score at one apiece while on the power play. With Jones in the box for hooking, Rochester’s Kevin Porter took a pass from defenseman Zach Redman and flipped it past Bridgeport netminder Christopher Gibson at the 3:07 into the period. Defenseman Lawrence Pilut, who had fed the puck to Redman, also got an assist on the play.

The Tigers reclaimed the lead midway through the first stanza on Travis St. Denis’s first goal of the2018-19 campaign. Defenseman Devon Toews got the helper at the 11:25 mark.

For the period, the Sound Tigers outshot the Amerks 12-8.

Bridgeport opened a two-goal lead midway through the second period when, immediately after killing off a hooking penalty by left wing Michael Dal Colle, Tanner Fritz picked off an attempted clearing pass, passed it Dal Colle who fed it to Steve Bernier, who wristed it past Wedgewood to put the Sound Tigers up 3-1 at the 9:53 mark. It was Bernier’s second marker of the season.

Rochester cut Bridgeport’s advantage in half when Brendan Guhle fed left wing C.J. Smith from the high left point. Smith flipped a backhander past Gibson to make it 3-2 at the 15:30 mark. Rochester outshot Bridgeport 13-5 in the second stanza.

The Amerks knotted it at 3-3 while on a 5-on-3 5:34 into the third period when, with Bridgeport’s Kyle Burroughs in the penalty box for cross-checking, and Seth Helgeson in the box for slashing, Alexander Nylander scored his first goal of the season, with Victor Olofsson and Zach Redmond picking up assists. It was Redmond’s fifth helper of the young season.

Olofsson scored what would turn out to be the game-winner, sending a gorgeous flying backhander from the right circle past Gibson with just 59.4 seconds remaining in regulation. Danny O’Regan got the helper. Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson pulled Gibson in favor of the extra skater to no avail as the Amerks staked off with a hard-earned 4-3 victory.

For the game, Rochester outshot Bridgeport 28-23. The Amerks were 2-for-8 on the power play, while the Sound Tigers were 0-for-5 while on the man advantage.

With the win, Rochester improves to 2-2-0-0, while Bridgeport slips to 1-2-0-0. The Sound Tigers will look to extract revenge in less than 24 hours when the same two teams go at it again tomorrow. First puck drops at 3 p.m. at the Webster Bank Arena.