Sound Tigers Stop Springfield in OT

Travis St. Denis scored the game winner in OT as the Sound Tigers topped the
Springfield Thunderbirds. The win snapped a five-game slide for Bridgeport.

Staff Reports

Josh Ho-Sang set up Travis St. Denis for the winning tally in overtime as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers topped the Springfield Thunderbirds, 5-4, before an announced 3,888 fans at Webster Bank Arena on Wednesday night. The Sound Tigers are the top minor league affiliate of the New York Islanders, while the Thunderbirds are the top affiliate of the Florida Panthers.

Bridgeport fired the first salvo at 9:26 of the opening period. After a scramble in front of the crease, Connor Jones sent the puck out to the top of the left circle where Jon Landry fired a shot over the glove-side shoulder of Springfield netminder Mike McKenna.

Less than seven minutes later, the Sound Tigers doubled their lead. Playing his first game for Bridgeport, Eric Boulton sent the puck to Ryan Pulock in the neutral zone. Pulock, a third-year defenseman, skated down the left boards, cut through the circle and slipped a low shot from the slot that made it through McKenna’s five hole. The assist was Boulton’s first American Hockey League point since 2000 in his first AHL game since Nov. 27, 2011.

The Thunderbirds got one back in the middle stanza when Ryan Horvat snapped in a rebound at the 7:17 mark. Joe Diamond took the initial shot which was stopped by Sound Tigers goalie Stephon Williams. But Williams was unsuccessful in corralling in the rubber biscuit, and Horvat was in the right place at the right time to finish it and cut Bridgeport’s advantage to 2-1.

Ho-Sang put Bridgeport back up by two with a power play goal at 18:16 of the second period. Following a cross-checking major and game misconduct to Horvat for a vicious hit on Steve Bernier, Michael Dal Colle threaded a diagonal feed to Ho-Sang at the right post where he nudged it home for his third goal of the season.

Springfield controlled the majority of the third period, scoring three times to send the game to overtime. Chase Balisy made it 3-2 at the 2:40 mark when he scored on a wraparound, stuffing the puck into the left side of the net. Then, just 62 seconds later, Balisy sent a backhand pass to Zac Lynch in the high slot. Lynch lifted a slapshot over Williams’ left shoulder for his first professional goal, knotting the score at 3-3.

But after losing a two-goal lead, Bridgeport regained the advantage when St. Denis found Kearns deep in the Thunderbirds’ zone. Kearns redirected a shot on target that McKenna steered below the goal line, but Kearns stuck with it and banked another chance off the goaltender that made its way past the line for his ninth tally of the season.

But Springfield was undeterred. The Thunderbirds tied the game for a second time at 16:52 of the third when Williams lost the puck as he came out of the crease. That created an opportunity for Tim Bozon, who took full advantage by slipping a shot around Williams’ right leg for his fifth tally of the season.

The Sound Tigers wrapped things up 3:24 into the extra period when Ho-Sang corralled a bouncing puck below the right circle, spun right and fed it to St. Denis, who flipped a shot top shelf for his fifth goal of the month. “He’s an elite player,” said St. Denis of Ho-Sang, his teammate and roommate. “He sees the ice well. I knew he’d try to get it to me.”

A physical battle throughout, the game produced two fights and 47 combined penalty minutes. Ben Holmstrom and Mackenzie Weeger dropped the gloves at 12:17 of the middle frame, while Michael Dal Colle and Jared McCann did the two-fisted tango at 15:25 of the third.

The Sound Tigers were 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Williams (4-10-0) made 24 saves in the win, while McKenna (4-7-4) stopped 29 shots. With the win, the Sound Tigers improved to 17-12-0-0, while the Thunderbirds fell to 11-12-4-2. Ho-Sang (one goal, one assist) and Tanner Fritz (two assists) had multi-point efforts as the Sound Tigers remained unblemished, 8-0, in games extending beyond regulation. Bridgeport also snapped a five-game slide dating back to Dec. 11. Landry, Pulock and Bracken Kearns also found the back of the net for the Tigers.

The Sound Tigers now hit the road, beginning a five-game road trip on Friday with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Hershey Bears at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. Fans can follow all the action online at AHLlive.com, beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.

The Tigers do not return to the cozy confines of the Webster Bank Arena until Sat., Jan. 14, when they will entertain the Utica Comets. It will be Military Appreciation Night, and the first 1,500 fans through the turnstiles will receive a Sound Tigers Bomber Hat courtesy of the Better Business Bureau. In addition, all active and veterans of the military will receive free admission with valid ID. The Sound Tigers players will be wearing special camouflage jerseys during the game. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds benefiting the BBB Military Line Scholarship. Prior to the game, a Veterans Expo featuring companies that are hiring and offering special services to help veterans will take place from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Tickets to Military Appreciation Night are available by clicking HERE, or by visiting the Webster Bank Arena Click It or Ticket Box Office.

THE SKINNY