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 Bridgeport Islanders

Five Goal Second Period Lifts Sound Tigers Over Falcons, 6-2

December 11, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


SPRINGFIELD, MA - Sean Bentivoglio scored two goals and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers tallied five unanswered goals in the second period en route to a 6-2 win over the Springfield Falcons Friday night at the MassMutual Center.

Goaltender Rick DiPietro made his second rehab start for the Sound Tigers and stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced through two periods.

"I thought Rick looked strong tonight," Sound Tigers Head Coach Jack Capuano said. "He had some tough shots and he handled them well."

"I felt good out there tonight, DiPietro said. "In the first game I had some nerves but I felt in control tonight."

A high-intensity first period saw both teams exchange scoring chances early. With 3:52 left in the period, the Falcons Jake Taylor was called for covering the puck in the crease and Bridgeport was awarded a penalty shot. Trevor Smith took the chance and snapped the puck through Andrew Perugini's legs to give the Sound Tigers the lead after one period.

Colton Fretter evened the score for Springfield at the 4:29 mark of the second period. Chris Linglet faked a shot from the left side and hit Fretter in the slot who snapped a one-timer past DiPietro for his 12th goal of the year. The tie was short-lived, however, as Trevor Gillies gave the Sound Tigers the lead back just 1:16 later as he fired a shot through Perugini's legs to tally his first goal as a Sound Tiger.

Bentivoglio scored both his goals in a three minute window midway through the middle period. The first came at the 9:03 mark when Tyler Haskins sent a cross-ice pass to Bentivoglio on the right side and he fired a shot into the open corner of the net. With 7:39 left in the period, Mark Wotton sent a perfect pass from the point into Bentivoglio waiting in the slot and he put a shot through Periguini's pads.

"We've been able to get a lot of pucks to the net in the last few games and I think that's been the biggest key to our increased offensive output," Capuano said.

A fortunate bounce gave the Sound Tigers a 5-1 lead with 6:53 left in the second. Pascal Morency threw the puck from deep in the corner into the slot and it bounced off Taylor's skate in the crease and trickled past Perugini. Three minutes later, James Sixsmith scored his second goal of the season, slamming home a rebound off a Dustin Kohn shot to make it 6-1.

Fretter netted his second goal of the year 57 seconds into the third period. With the Falcons on the power-play, Fretter put a shot into the top of the net, past Scott Munroe who replaced DiPietro in the final period.

The Sound Tigers out-shot the Falcons 22-20 for the game. The Falcons were just 1-for-6 on the power-play, including wasting a five minute power-play and a 5-on-3 advantage late in the third period.

The Sound Tigers are back in action Saturday night when they visit the Hartford Wolf Pack at 7:00 pm at the XL Center. The Sound Tigers return home Tuesday night when they host the Portland Pirates at 7:00 pm at the Arena at Harbor Yard. For tickets, please call TicketMaster at 1-800-745-3000.


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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.

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