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| Chris Bourque lets one fly—literally—vs. Lehigh Valley on Saturday night. (Photo Courtesy soundtigers.com) |
Bridgeport came out flying in its third meeting against Lehigh
Valley this season, taking 13 shots on goal from nine different skaters prior
to the halfway mark of the first period. But despite the constant offensive
zone pressure and several scoring chances, Bridgeport could not solve Hart,
who was seeing his first AHL action since Dec. 15 after spending his previous
12 games with the parent Philadelphia Flyers. Bridgeport ultimately outshot Lehigh
Valley by a 20-5 margin at the end of a scoreless opening frame.
The Sound Tigers finally broke on the board first 2:02 into the
middle frame courtesy of Bellows. On the team’s 22nd shot of the night, he intercepted
a stretch pass in the neutral zone, carried the puck across the blue line, and
snapped a shot from left circle below Hart’s blocker. The rookie forward’s unassisted
tally was his 11th of the season.
The Phantoms struck back just over 10 minutes later when Justin Bailey
tied the game at 12:08. After finding the puck in the neutral zone, Bailey
created a partial breakaway and fired a wrist shot past Smith’s five-hole for
his 11th goal of the season and second is as many games.
The Sound Tigers regained the lead for good at the 13:08 mark on
Bourque’s eighth of the season. After Sebastian Aho’s wrister from the top of
the left circle failed to make it through to the net, Koivula found the puck at
his feet and made a slick backhanded pass to set up Bourque. In the slot,
Bourque caught the pass and quickly wired a shot off the bar and in. With the
goal, Bourque snapped a 14-game goalless drought, dating back to Dec. 21 at
Charlotte.
The Sound Tigers continued to carry the majority of play
throughout the third period, and added an insurance marker with Bourque’s
empty-net tally at 18:36 to ice the score at 4-1.
Neither team was successful on the powerplay. Lehigh Valley was 0-for-5,
while Bridgeport went 0-for-3 on its man-advantage opportunities. The Sound Tigers
also outshot the Phantoms 36-29—the first time the club has outshot its
opponent since Dec. 27 against Hartford.
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| The Sound Tigers will be represented by Michael Dal Colle (left) and Sebastian Aho at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic Monday and Tuesday nights at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. |
With the win, the Sound Tigers improved to 24-16-4-2, while the
Phantoms fell to 24-15-3-2. The win also propelled Bridgeport past Lehigh Valley
into second place in the Atlantic Division, 54 points to 53. They trail
league-leading Charlotte by 12 points.
The
league will now take a brief respite for the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic
(Jan 27-28) at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Bridgeport will be
represented by Michael Dal Colle and Sebastian Aho. The Sound Tigers will be
back in action Friday night when they host Lehigh Valley in a rematch. First
puck drops Friday night 7 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena. It will be another Frosty Friday with 12-oz. Budweiser
products available to fans 21 and over for $5. The game will streamed on the Sound Tigers Radio Network,
and may be viewed live via AHLTV. Pregame coverage is
set to begin at 6:45 p.m.
UPCOMING PROMOS
The Sound Tigers are offering an extensive promotional schedule for
the 2018-19 season. Upcoming dates include for the addition of Hockey Weekend
in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24), Hockey and Hops (St. Patrick’s Day, Mar. 17) and
Princess Night (Mar. 30). To view the full 2018-19 promotional schedule, please
click HERE. For additional information,
or to reserve a group outing for any giveaway or theme night, please call the
Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300 ext 7.
—Staff Reports
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