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| Matt
Lorito splits two defenders in the Sound Tigers’ 5-2 loss to the Bears on Sunday in Hershey, PA. |
Bridgeport
took control early with three goals in the opening period to set the tone. St.
Denis capitalized at the 10:21 mark when he skated to the doorstep and finished
Nick Schilkey’s centering feed from behind the goal line. His fourth tally of
the season came on the power play following Utica’s bench minor for too many
men on the ice. With an assist, Schilkey extended his scoring streak to four
games (3g, 1a) and set up Bridgeport’s first goal on the man advantage since
Nov. 23.
Stevens made it 2-0 nearly four minutes later with his first goal since Nov. 24 and his second of the year. Colin McDonald directed the puck above the right circle, where Kyle Burroughs sent a shot towards the net that Stevens deflected in front at 14:40. McDonald is now on a five-game scoring streak (5a), tied for the team’s longest this year.
Less than two minutes later, Stevens added another one shorthanded – the Sound Tigers’ first shorthanded goal of the season. He stole the puck in the neutral zone and darted straight at Zane McIntyre before sliding a backhand shot under the goalie’s pads at 16:40.
Utica got one back at the 18:24 mark courtesy of Reid Boucher’s league-leading 19th goal, which also extended his scoring streak to nine games. Brogan Rafferty sprung Sven Baertschi down the right wing and the latter sent a backhand pass, cross ice, to Boucher at the left post. The sixth-year forward raced towards the feed and buried a one-timer past Jared Coreau’s blocker to make it 3-1.
The Sound Tigers were outshot 10-7 in the second period, but netted the only goal of the frame when Kiefer Bellows muscled his way to the crease and finished a miraculous effort. After finishing up a holding minor, Sebastian Aho emerged from the box and bumped a pass to Bellows, who moved down the right wing and cut towards the crease. He lowered his shoulder and forced a lane before pushing a forehand shot in while flying through the air. It was Bellows’ sixth goal of the season, good for second-most on the club.
The Comets made things stressful with two power-play goals in the third period to pull within one. Jonah Gadjovich snapped home a perfectly-placed shot above Coreau’s reaching glove at the 7:39 mark, in the dying seconds of Bellows’ penalty for cross-checking. It’s the 14th straight game that the Comets have scored a power-play goal.
Carter Camper made it 4-3 in the final three minutes with another goal on the man advantage. He skated down the right wing and sniped a shot from a sharp angle for his third of the season. However, the Comets couldn’t pull back even despite bringing McIntyre to the bench for an extra attacker. Stevens nearly completed a hat trick after a takeaway in the neutral zone, but his shot hit the outside of the net.
The Sound Tigers finished the game 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. Coreau (3-7-1) had 31 saves on 34 shots, while McIntyre made 19 stops. For Bellows, who netted what would become the game-winner, it was his fifth goal in his last seven outings. And St. Denis’s power play goal in the first period snapped an 0-for-32 stretch for the Sound Tigers with a man advantage. Utica outshot Bridgeport 34-23.
Stevens made it 2-0 nearly four minutes later with his first goal since Nov. 24 and his second of the year. Colin McDonald directed the puck above the right circle, where Kyle Burroughs sent a shot towards the net that Stevens deflected in front at 14:40. McDonald is now on a five-game scoring streak (5a), tied for the team’s longest this year.
Less than two minutes later, Stevens added another one shorthanded – the Sound Tigers’ first shorthanded goal of the season. He stole the puck in the neutral zone and darted straight at Zane McIntyre before sliding a backhand shot under the goalie’s pads at 16:40.
Utica got one back at the 18:24 mark courtesy of Reid Boucher’s league-leading 19th goal, which also extended his scoring streak to nine games. Brogan Rafferty sprung Sven Baertschi down the right wing and the latter sent a backhand pass, cross ice, to Boucher at the left post. The sixth-year forward raced towards the feed and buried a one-timer past Jared Coreau’s blocker to make it 3-1.
The Sound Tigers were outshot 10-7 in the second period, but netted the only goal of the frame when Kiefer Bellows muscled his way to the crease and finished a miraculous effort. After finishing up a holding minor, Sebastian Aho emerged from the box and bumped a pass to Bellows, who moved down the right wing and cut towards the crease. He lowered his shoulder and forced a lane before pushing a forehand shot in while flying through the air. It was Bellows’ sixth goal of the season, good for second-most on the club.
The Comets made things stressful with two power-play goals in the third period to pull within one. Jonah Gadjovich snapped home a perfectly-placed shot above Coreau’s reaching glove at the 7:39 mark, in the dying seconds of Bellows’ penalty for cross-checking. It’s the 14th straight game that the Comets have scored a power-play goal.
Carter Camper made it 4-3 in the final three minutes with another goal on the man advantage. He skated down the right wing and sniped a shot from a sharp angle for his third of the season. However, the Comets couldn’t pull back even despite bringing McIntyre to the bench for an extra attacker. Stevens nearly completed a hat trick after a takeaway in the neutral zone, but his shot hit the outside of the net.
The Sound Tigers finished the game 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. Coreau (3-7-1) had 31 saves on 34 shots, while McIntyre made 19 stops. For Bellows, who netted what would become the game-winner, it was his fifth goal in his last seven outings. And St. Denis’s power play goal in the first period snapped an 0-for-32 stretch for the Sound Tigers with a man advantage. Utica outshot Bridgeport 34-23.
The
win moved the Sound Tigers to 2-1-0-0 against the Comets this season and ended
Bridgeport’s three-game winless in regulation slide overall.
THE SKINNY
THE SKINNY
Next, the Sound Tigers headed to the Keystone State to challenge the Hershey Bears where Bridgeport dropped a 5-2 decision before 6,754 fans at Giant Center on Saturday evening.
Hershey’s Brian Pinho,
skating in his 100th pro game, opened the scoring just 1:49 into the first
period with his fourth goal of the year. He charged ahead and completed a
give-and-go with Axel Jonsson-Fjallby down the left wing before deflecting
the return pass from the doorstep behind goaltender Jakub Skarek.
Bellows answered with his sixth goal in eight games at the 7:48 mark to tie the game at 1-1. Bellows stickhandled below the Bears’ goal line and sent a pass to the crease, where it redirected off of a Hershey defenseman who was battling in front with Colin McDonald. Kyle Burroughs and Kubiak each earned a helper. It was the third straight game in which Bellows has scored. It was also the 100th professional contest for Bellows, son of former NHL star Brian Bellows. Mike Sgarbossa, the Bears’ leading scorer, received a fortunate bounce at 11:44 to put Hershey back on top with his 10th goal of the campaign. Sgarbossa entered the Sound Tigers’ zone and attempted to set up Garrett Pilon on the right side, but his pass redirected off of Seth Helgeson’s reaching stick and made its way past Skarek. Just 54 seconds later, Philippe Maillet bumped the Bears’ lead up to 3-1 with a point-blank shot in front of Skarek. Liam O’Brien gained possession behind the goal line, took it to the side of Bridgeport’s net and guided a pass to Maillet for a one-time goal. It was Maillet’s fourth of the season at 12:38. Ladd kept the Sound Tigers close with his fifth goal of the season just 86 seconds into the second period. Kubiak set up Parker Wotherspoon at the left point where he quickly filtered a shot to the net that Ladd deflected in. However, the Bears ended the frame with two goals 14 seconds apart to pull ahead 5-2. Former Islander Matt Moulson registered a power-play goal at the 5:59 mark, cleaning up Sgarbossa’s initial shot that hit the back of Helgeson, before O’Brien’s sixth of the year came shortly after. The Sound Tigers had five power-play opportunities in the third period, including a couple of lengthy 5-on-3 chances, but couldn’t solve goaltender Vitek Vanecek again. In fact, Bridgeport outshot Hershey 21-8 in the final two periods. The Sound Tigers finished the evening 0-for-6 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the kill. Bridgeport outshot Hershey 26-18. The loss dropped Bridgeport to 1-1-0-0 against Hershey this season. * THE SKINNY The Sound Tigers return home on Wednesday when they will host the Syracuse Crunch at Webster Bank Arena. First puck drops at 7 p.m., and fans unable to attend can follow the action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.
—Staff Reports
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