Power Play Propels Sound Tigers

Travis St. Denis (24) guts one out in the corner against Hershey. The
Sound Tigers scored three power play goals and topped the Bears 3-1.

BRIDGEPORT–Special teams ruled the roost on Wednesday night as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers scored three times on the power play and were perfect on the penalty kill in a 3-1 win against the Hershey Bears before 3,330 fans at the Webster Bank Arena. It was just the second time this season that Bridgeport has scored at least three times on the power play, with Scott Eansor, Michael Dal Colle and Tanner Fritz all capitalizing on the man advantage.

 

The Bears’ lone score came just 1:38 into the opening frame. Gibson saved an initial shot by Liam O'Brien from between the circles, but the puck trickled behind him and stopped at the goal line. That gave O'Brien enough time to skate around Gibson and tap the puck across the line for his eighth of the season. It was Gibson's only blemish on the night.

 

The Sound Tigers responded to Hershey’s early tally with three unanswered goals to earn the victory, with two of them coming in the next four minutes. Eansor netted his team-leading 13th goal of the season and fifth on the power play at the 3:06 mark to make it 1-1. While Wayne Simpson was serving a high-sticking penalty, Eansor converted on a rebound opportunity created from Casey Bailey's wrist right at the doorstep against goaltender Vitek Vanecek.

 

Dal Colle notched the eventual game-winner just over two minutes later when he also capitalized on a Hershey penalty. After Riley Barber was called for hooking, Dal Colle skated to the slot and fired home a rocket that went five-hole on Vanecek, who was screened perfectly by Ross Johnston. It was Dal Colle's fourth tally of the season, which came at the 5:23 mark.

At 10:18 of the middle frame, Fritz added some insurance with Hershey down a man following a tripping penalty called against Vanecek. With a scrum developing in front of the net, Eansor and Bailey poked the puck free to Fritz, and the third-year forward pulled it away from a pile of bodies and flipped it over Vanecek's leg pad to give the Sound Tigers a 3-1 lead. It was Fritz's ninth goal of the season and it also capped his team-best 10th multi-point performance (one goal, one assist).

The Bears outshot the Sound Tigers 22-20, but Bridgeport finished the game 3-for-7 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill en route to its second straight win. Vanecek (5-4-0) made 17 saves on 20 shots for Hershey.

With the win, Bridgeport improved to 15-12-2-1, while Hershey dropped to 14-16-0-3. Between the pipes, Christopher Gibson celebrated his 25th birthday by turning aside 21, and improving to 11-6-1. In addition, he now ranks No. 6 on the Sound Tigers' all-time wins list for goaltenders (36).

The Sound Tigers next return to action on Saturday when the Binghamton Devils will visit the Webster Bank Arena. First puck drops at 7 p.m., and fans unable to attend the game in person can follow all the action live on the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHL Live, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.

Happy New Year: 2018 will feature one of the most extensive and exciting promotional lineups in team history. Key upcoming promotions include Marvel Superheroes Night (Jan. 27), and all-new promotions, including camouflage baseball cap (Jan. 13) and a kid's lunch box (Feb. 11) giveaways. Click here to tickets.

Guarantee Your Seats: Season tickets and flex plans are on sale now for the 2017-18 campaign, offering the greatest savings and ultimate flexibility of all ticket packages. Pick between a full-season, 20-game, 15-game or 10-game plan and you'll also be entitled to exclusive benefits, including the ticket holder exchange policy, which means any unused tickets can be traded for future games. Seating options are broken down into six different pricing sections, giving you the flexibility to fit Sound Tigers' hockey into any kind of budget. Please contact Brad Dworin at 203-345-4813 or via brad.dworin@harboryardse.com with questions or to guarantee your seats.

Islanders Recall Aho

The New York Islanders announced on Thursday that defenseman Sebastian Aho has been recalled from the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Aho, 21, recorded 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists) and four power-play goals in 29 games with the Sound Tigers this season and has been one of the top defensemen in the AHL. He currently ranks second among all League blue-liners in goals, leads AHL defensemen in game-winners, and is tied for sixth in points. Aho is also tied for 13th among League rookies in scoring and ranks third on the Sound Tigers in both goals and points.

A native of Umeå, Sweden, Aho agreed to a three-year entry-level deal with the Islanders on July 5 after he was selected by the club in the fifth round of the 2017 NHL Draft (No. 139 overall). He spent parts of the last four seasons with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and posted career highs in goals (10), assists (20), points (30) and games played (50) with the team last season. He added two assists in seven playoff games, and helped Skellefteå capture 2017 SHL silver medal honors.

In 152 career SHL games, Aho registered 15 goals, 45 assists and 60 points during the regular season and also skated in 49 career playoff games, helping Skellefteå win the SHL championship in 2013-14. The 5-10, 170-lb. defenseman also skated with Team Sweden in the World Junior Championships from 2012-15.

Guarantee Your Seats: Flex plans are on sale now for the 2017-18 campaign, offering the greatest savings and ultimate flexibility of all ticket packages. Pick between a full-season, 20-game, 15-game or 10-game plan and you'll also be entitled to exclusive benefits, including the ticket holder exchange policy, which means any unused tickets can be traded for future games. Please contact Brad Dworin at 203-345-4813 or via brad.dworin@harboryardse.com with questions or to guarantee your seats.

—Staff Reports