T-Birds Top Sound Tigers in Season Opener

Bridgeport's Matt Lorito (14) scored the game's first goal, but Springfield
came roaring back with five unanswered tallies to come away with a
5-1 victory on Saturday night at Mass Mutual Center.

SPRINGFIELD—Matt Lorito scored an early power-play goal, but the Springfield Thunderbirds responded with five unanswered goals to earn a 5-1 victory before 6,793 fans at Mass Mutual Center on Saturday night. It was the season opener for both teams.

The Sound Tigers jumped out to an early lead when Lorito, a 5-9 winger from Oakville, Ont., tucked in a rebound during Bridgeport’s first power play. With Matt Marcinew in the box for interference, Oliver Wahlstrom directed a long shot on target that bounced through Kieffer Bellows’ screen and to goaltender Chris Driedger. The initial shot was turned back, but Lorito buried the loose change to make it 1-0 at 9:11 of the opening period. Aho also collected an assist and finished the game with a team-high five shots.

Just 84 seconds later, the T-Birds tied the contest courtesy of Blaine Byron’s even-strength, highlight-reel goal. The third-year forward completed a spin-o-rama down the right wing and cut through the crease, finishing a forehand shot past Jared Coreau’s blocker to make it 1-1 at the 10:35 mark.

Springfield tacked on two more goals in the second period to make it 3-1 after 40 minutes. Dominic Toninato netted the eventual game-winner at the 5:52 mark when he deflected a long floater from Tommy Cross. Seventeen seconds later, Joel Lowry deposited his first goal of the season after Owen Tippett hit the crossbar with a blast. Tippett’s shot rang off the iron and drew Coreau out of position, where Lowry cleaned it up into a wide-open net.

Tippett extended Springfield’s lead at 10:50 of the third period when he capitalized on the power play, taking advantage of Parker Wotherspoon’s interference penalty. Less than two minutes later, Jonathan Ang added a shorthanded tally that was created by hard work in the neutral zone. Ang, a second-year forward from Markham, Ont., stole the puck as Bridgeport attempted to begin a rush and darted straight down the ice where he finished a forehand shot that beat Coreau at 12:16.

Bridgeport finished the game 1-for-2 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. Coreau (0-1-0) made 30 saves in his Sound Tigers debut, while Driedger (1-0-0) stopped 24 shots to earn the win for Springfield. Overall, the T-Birds outshot the Sound Tigers 35-25, including 22-14 in the final two frames. They also scored four of their five goals over that span.

The feisty contest included two fights: captain Kyle Burroughs vs. Lowry in the first period and Nick Schilkey vs. Paul Thompson in the third. The latter came immediately after Thompson connected an open-ice, high hit on Thomas Hickey that took him out for the remainder of the evening. Thompson was handed a five-minute major for interference.

Saturday’s game marked the North American debut for Islanders’ 23rd-overall pick in 2019, Simon Holmstrom. He ended the night with three shots-on-goal. It was also the professional debut for forward Mason Jobst.

The Sound Tigers went 1-for-2 on the power play, and were successful in killing off four of the five power play shifts they handed to the T-Birds.

THE SKINNY

—Staff Reports

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