AHL’s Two Top Dogs Set To Square Off

With the second-best record in the AHL, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers
head to Charlotte for two games with the league-leading Checkers
this weekend.

CHARLOTTE, NC—The top two teams in the American Hockey League will go at it this weekend when the Bridgeport Sound Tigers head south to challenge the Charlotte Checkers in two games at Bojangles Coliseum in the Queen City. The Checkers, the top minor league affiliate of Carolina Hurricanes (or the team formerly known as the Hartford Whalers) are playing at a level head-and-shoulders above everyone else in the American Hockey League with a 22-6-2-0 record, good for 46 points. The Sound Tigers, the top affiliate of the New York Islanders, enter the weekend with a 17-8-4-1 record, seven points behind the Checkers. Bridgeport leads the Rochester Amerks, who lead the AHL’s North Division, and the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Admirals, by one point for the league’s second-best record. Both the Sound Tigers and Checkers compete in the AHL’s Atlantic Division.

In the Sound Tiger’s last contest, a 4-3 overtime loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township, PA, on Wednesday, Bridgeport twice held—and lost—a two-goal advantage. Michael Dal Colle, Travis St. Denis and Mitch Vande Sompel all scored for Bridgeport, while netminder Christopher Gibson turned away 28 of the 32 shots the Pens took at him, extending his unbeaten streak in regulation to 10 games (6-0-4).

FRIDAY’S GAME

Tonight's contest marks the second of eight matchups between the Sound Tigers and Checkers this season, and the first of four in the Tar Heel State. Bridgeport currently leads the series 1-0-0-0 following a 4-2 victory at Webster Bank Arena on Nov. 11. In that game, Ryan Bourque led the way with two assists and Connor Jones potted the game-winner early in the third period. The Sound Tigers were 3-5-0-0 overall vs. the Checkers last season, and 1-3-0-0 at Bojangles Coliseum last season.


The series continues tomorrow night at Bojangles. Faceoff for Friday's game is at 7 p.m, while first puck drops at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The Sound Tigers will next be home on December 27 when they face their in-state archrivals, the Hartford Wolf Pack. faceoff at the Webster Bank Arena will be at 7 p.m. 


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VIEW FROM CHARLOTTE

The Checkers carry a league-best seven-game point streak (6-0-1-0) into tonight's action and currently lead the AHL with 46 points. Last time out, Charlotte suffered its first loss since Dec. 1 in a 4-3 overtime setback to the Utica Comets at home on Tuesday. Defenseman Jake Bean scored once and added two assists, while Morgan Geekie and Aleksi Saarela also found the back of the cage. Alex Nedeljkovic took the loss with 27 saves, but continues to lead the AHL in wins (14). Janne Kuokkanen and Andrew Poturalski pace the Checkers offense with 27 points, which is tied for 13th among all AHL players.

TOEWS EARNS THE CALL 
Third-year defenseman Devon Toews earned his first NHL call-up on Wednesday when he was recalled by the Islanders during their four-game road trip out west. Toews joined the team in Las Vegas for Thursday’s meeting against the Golden Knights, but did not make his debut. The 2017 AHL All-Star recorded 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 24 games with the Sound Tigers this season, which ranked second among team defensemen and fourth overall. He was also tied for ninth among all AHL defensemen in scoring and 11 of his 19 points came on the power play, which led the Sound Tigers and was tied for third-most among AHL blue-liners.

DAL COLLE NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Michael Dal Colle scored five goals on five shots last weekend, including his first hat trick at Providence, earning him CCM/AHL Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career. Dal Colle, the New York Islanders' fifth overall pick in 2014, scored again on Wednesday - his sixth goal on six straight shots - and now leads the Sound Tigers in goals (15) and points (24), and is second in plus-minus (+10). He is the first Sound Tiger to win Player of the Week since Ryan Pulock did it in February 2017.

SOARING SWEDE

Sebastian Aho has six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in his last six games, and currently leads all active Sound Tigers in scoring (20 points). A fifth-round pick (#139 overall) in 2017, Sebastian made his NHL debut last December and led all Sound Tigers defensemen in goals last season with nine. He also shared the team lead for points among blue-liners with 29. The Swedish defenseman is currently tied for fifth in scoring with 29 points, and tied for fourth in assists (17) among AHL defensemen entering tonight's contest.

GIBSON'S GROOVE

Christopher Gibson notched Bridgeport's first shutout since Feb. 25, 2018 with a 33-save effort last Sunday afternoon against the Penguins. It was his seventh shutout with the Sound Tigers and the ninth of his pro career. The 25-year-old netminder hasn't lost in regulation since Oct. 28 at Providence and boasts a 2.09 goals-against-average and .929 save percentage over his last seven starts. He is tied with Dieter Kochan for fourth place on the Sound Tigers' all-time shutouts list behind Wade Dubielewicz (15), Rick DiPietro (8) and Kevin Poulin (8).

BITS AND PIECES

• The Sound Tigers have outscored opponents by 13 goals at five-on-five this season…
• Steve Bernier is tied for third in the AHL with seven power-play goals…
• Bridgeport is 12-0-0-0 when scoring at least four goals in a game...
• The Sound Tigers have scored first in seven straight games and are 14-2-1-1 when doing so this season...
• Bridgeport is 3-1-0-1 in Friday night games...
• The Sound Tigers have been outshot in five consecutive contests…
• Ryan Bourque is one game shy of his 500th pro appearance.

AFFILIATE REPORT

NHL: New York Islanders (17-13-4): Next: Sunday at Dallas (8 p.m. ET) 

ECHL: Worcester Railers (12-12-3-1): Next: Tonight vs. Adirondack (7:05 p.m. ET)

 

POWER-PACKED PROMOS

The Sound Tigers are offering an extensive promotional schedules this season. Upcoming events include the return of popular themes like Hockey and Hops (Mar. 17), Military Appreciation (Jan. 12), Star Wars Night (Jan. 19) Princess Night (Mar. 30), and Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24). For a complete 2018-19 promotion schedule, click HERE.

For more information, or to reserve a group outing, call (203) 345-2300 ext 7.

—Staff Reports