Courtnall, Persson Tally in Loss
January 17, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The Syracuse Crunch downed the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 6-2 on Saturday night at Webster Bank Arena.
Mike Blunden had a goal and two assists, while Jonathan Marchessault had three helpers to power the Crunch past the Sound Tigers in their first meeting of the year.
Syracuse defenseman Joey Mormina started the scoring when he fired a one-timer from the point about nine minutes into the game for a power play goal. Slater Koekkoek scored just seconds later when he skated unopposed into the high slot and rifled a shot over Bridgeport goaltender David Leggio's shoulder.
The onslaught would continue early in the second period, as Blunden tipped a Dylan Blujus point shot past Leggio to put the Crunch up 3-0.
However, the Sound Tigers clawed their way back into the game when Justin Courtnall skated down the wing on a 2-on-1 and fired a shot over Syracuse goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis' glove, cutting the lead to a pair. Bridgeport would have the chance to cut the lead down even more when they received a power play soon after the goal, but failed to capitalize despite a few good chances.
The Crunch would retake the three-goal lead just minutes later, as Tanner Richard knocked home a rebound from a Blujus point shot.
The Sound Tigers had another power play chance right after the Richard goal, but Vladislav Namestknikov stole the puck and made a nifty move to score on a short-handed breakaway, increasing the Sound Tigers deficit to four.
The lead could have been even more, as a Bridgeport turnover lead to another short-handed chance for the Crunch just seconds after the previous goal, but Leggio made a big save on a 2-on-0 to keep the game 5-1.
A tic-tac-toe power play goal by Mike Angelidis 6:56 into the third period increased Syracuse's lead to 6-1, effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Sound Tigers would score a power play goal with just over five minutes left in the game when John Persson slid the puck past a sprawling Gudlevskis, but it was too little, too late. The Crunch hunkered down defensively, holding on to the lead for the remainder of the game.
Leggio made 29 saves in the losing effort, and Gudlevskis made 24 saves for the win. Each team got a power play goal, as Syracuse went 1-for-7 and Bridgeport went 1-for-5.
The Sound Tigers will have an immediate chance to avenge the loss, as the two teams will meet again tomorrow afternoon for a 3:00 game.
Notes: It was Faith Night at the game tonight, with many church communities in attendance...There were a total of 26 penalties issued during the game...Tomorrow's game is Cancer Awareness Night, with $5 off tickets at the box office for wearing purple.
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2015
- Bulldogs Send Griffins to Third Straight Loss - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Wolves' First Shootout of Season Goes Rockford's Way - Chicago Wolves
- Cousins' Hat Trick Ignites 5-1 Win over Binghamton - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Grigorenko Scores Twice in 5-3 Loss to Rampage - Rochester Americans
- Rampage Take Down Rochester 5-3 - San Antonio Rampage
- Barons Skate Past Stars, 5-2 - Oklahoma City Barons
- Comeback Falls Just Short as Flames Fall 4-3 to Admirals - Adirondack Flames
- Monsters Fall in Iowa, 4-1 - Cleveland Monsters
- Stars Split Weekend Set with Barons - Texas Stars
- 8,463 Sees Iowa Take Down Lake Erie 4-1 - Iowa Wild
- Courtnall, Persson Tally in Loss - Bridgeport Islanders
- Hartford Caps Season Series with Shutout Victory over Norfolk - Norfolk Admirals
- Wild Game Ends in Devils OT Loss - Albany Devils
- Skapski Blanks Admirals - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Galiev Strikes Twice to Propel Bears Past Devils - Hershey Bears
- Weal's OT Goal Beats Bruins, 2-1 - Manchester Monarchs
- Drewiske's Three Points Lead Dogs over Griffins 5-2 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Cousins, Phantoms Down B-Sens 5-1 - Binghamton Senators
- Crunch Blast Sound Tigers, 6-2 - Syracuse Crunch
- Penguins Shut out by Sharks, 4-0 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- P-Bruins Lose to the Manchester Monarchs 2-1 in Overtime - Providence Bruins
- Admirals Make It Lucky 7 with Win over Adirondack - Milwaukee Admirals
- Surging Sharks Sweep Homestand with 4-0 Shutout over Penguins - Worcester Sharks
- Deja Vu; Klingberg Repeats as OT Hero - St. John's IceCaps
- Monarchs Sign Joe Howe to PTO - Manchester Monarchs
- Kings Recall Goaltender J.F. Berube from Manchester - Manchester Monarchs
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
- Bulldogs Sign Sahir Gill to Pro Try out Contract - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Bulldogs Assign Makowski to Nailers, Release Bakker from Try Out - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Akeson Recalled by Flyers, Goumas Recalled by Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Jokipakka, McKenzie Recalled by Dallas - Texas Stars
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
