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| Otto Koivula netted to goals in the Sound Tigers' 4-3 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday. |
Bridgeport got on the board first less than a minute into
the contest on a power play. After LV’s Mikhail Vorobyev was called for hooking,
former Phantom Colin McDonald set up Koivula in the left circle and the
second-year forward fired a shot above Alex Lyon’s blocker at 2:16 for his
first goal of the season. It was the fastest goal the Sound Tigers have scored
his season.
Bridgeport had another man-advantage opportunity late in the
opening frame but not only came up empty, but also allowed Lehigh Valley to tie
it up in the final minute. Maxim Sushko intercepted a pass and entered the
offensive zone where he dropped it off for O’Reilly in the slot. O’Reilly
nearly overskated the puck, but reached back and beat Skarek’s blocker with a
wrist shot at 19:17 to knot the score at 1-1.
The Phantoms took the lead less than six minutes into the
second stanza when Aube-Kubel redirected Mark Friedman’s shot from the point to
make it 2-1 5:59 into the second stanza. It was Aube-Kubel’s second goal in as
many days.
Following a flurry of penalties handed out to both teams in
the final six minutes of the period, the Sound Tigers got back into the game while
on a four-on-three opportunity. Sebastian Aho sent a pass to the left circle
where Quenneville fired a one-timer that hit the post went in for his first AHL
goal to make it 2-2. Quenneville’s first AHL marker was assisted by Matt Lorito,
who registered his team-leading seventh point of the season. It was
Bridgeport’s second power-play strike of the contest, and marked the first time
the Sound Tigers have scored multiple power play goals in a game this season.
Skarek ended the period with impressive stops on shots from Mark Friedman and
Frost.
Lehigh Valley came out strong in the third period and made a
statement with a few shifts of solid offensive pressure. Despite some key saves
from Skarek and Jeff Kubiak in the crease, Frost continued his hot scoring
touch and gave the Phantoms their second lead of the game just 2:53 in. He
curled above the left hash marks and guided a wrister off the post, extending
his point streak to seven games.
But the Sound Tigers’ never-say-die attitude continued
compliments of the youngest player on the Bridgeport roster—18-year-old
Holmstrom, who grabbed a long rebound off a shot by Mike Cornell in front of
Lyon and scored his second goal in as many games to make it 3-3 at the 7:35
mark. Cornell also registered his first point of the season on the youngster’s
tally.
Less than three minutes later as Koivula scored his second
of the contest that ultimately proved to be the margin of victory for Bridgeport
midway through the third period. Parker Wotherspoon floated a lengthy shot at
Lyon from the left point and Koivula tipped it in for the winner at 10:06.
The Phantoms were not to roll over, however, and went on a
power play late in the period, but were unable to capitalize. Indeed, the Sound
Tigers ended the game with a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, and were 2-for-4
on the power play. Overall, Lehigh Valley outshot Bridgeport 34-28, and Lyon
(2-1-2) stopped 24 shots for LV.
With the win, Bridgeport improves to 2-7-2-1, while the Lehigh
Valley falls to 4-3. The victory also snapped an eight-game winless skid for
the Sound Tigers, who earned their first two-point night since Oct. 11 at Charlotte.
The Phantoms saw their eight-game point streak come to an end, despite goals
from Morgan Frost, Cal O’Reilly and Nic Aube-Kubel.
Next game for the Sound Tigers will be their annual Cool Fun
101 School-Day Game vs. the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
For those unable to attend, the game can be heard on the Sound Tigers Radio
Network and watched on AHLTV beginning
with the pre-game show at 10:15 a.m.
—Staff Reports
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