Pens Stop Sound Tigers

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers saw their four-game winning streak come to
a halt on Saturday when they fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
in the Keystone State.

WILKES-BARRE, PA—The Bridgeport Sound Tigers saw their fourth-game winning streak come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins before 4,418 fans at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday night. Matt Lorito scored for the second straight game and Parker Wotherspoon posted his first goal of the season, while Jakub Skarek (2-3-0) made 29 saves on 34 shots

Five Penguins had multi-point performanceS, including Adam Johnson (1 goal, 1 assist), who recorded the eventual game-winner at 11:54 of the second period. Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith (10-4-0) had 26 saves in his sixth consecutive victory.

WBS struck first on its initial power play at 6:13 of the opening frame to take a 1-0 lead.

With Mason Jobst in the box for holding, Oula Palve guided a long one-time slap shot from the blue line that was deflected by Stefan Noesen and Sam Miletic, resulting in Miletic’s third goal of the season on the rebound. However, the Sound Tigers answered just over five minutes later when Wotherspoon fired home the equalizer. Lorito made a nifty pass from behind the goal line, filtering the puck to the right wing where Wotherspoon buried a quick shot on the forehand. Andrew Ladd also gathered an assist

Matt Abt regained the Penguins’ lead at 6:07 of the second period with his first goal of the year. Abt lifted a long shot from the left point that funneled through a crowd and over Skarek’s glove for the first of back-to-back goals that put the home team ahead 3-1. Johnson followed up at the 11:54 mark by beating Skarek from distance, assisted by Chase Berger and Anthony Angello.

Less than two minutes later, Bridgeport got its deficit back down to one with Lorito’s team-leading sixth goal of the year. Colin McDonald pushed a pass up the wall to left point where Seth Helgeson stepped into a heavy slap shot that Casey DeSmith kicked back, but Lorito finished the second chance from the doorstep. It was also his 12th point in 23 games, tied with Sebastian Aho for the team lead.

The Pens ended the night with two third-period goals to earn the 5-2 win. Angello’s fifth tally of the season made it 4-2 at the 5:13 mark before Palve netted his first of the year shortly thereafter. Palve’s body deflected a point shot from Thomas Di Pauli on a delayed penalty at 6:24.

Bridgeport finished 0-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. The contest also included one fight when Wotherspoon and Chase Berger went toe-to-toe in the final five minutes of regulation. With the loss, Bridgeport falls to 8-12-3-1, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton improves to 13-6-2-1 with the victory.

The Sound Tigers now continue on a three-game road trip next Friday when they will travel to upstate New York to challenge the Utica Comets. First puck drops at 7 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center, and the game will be broadcast via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and streamed AHLTV. Pre-game show starts show at 6:45 p.m.
 
Sound Tigers season tickets and flex plans are on sale now for the 2019-20 campaign. Full-season, 20-game, or 10-game plan are available, with all offering exclusive benefits, including the ticket holder exchange policy. For more info, contact Brad Dworin at 203-345-4813 or via brad.dworin@harboryardse.com.

THE SKINNY

—Staff Reports

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