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Bridgeport Islanders

The Sound Tigers Report: Week 19

February 21, 2017 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, Conn.- The white-hot Bridgeport Sound Tigers (33-16-1-1) continued on their path as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference by breaking out their brooms for the second straight weekend. Bridgeport has won seven consecutive games and 15 of its last 16 overall, improving to third place in the Atlantic Division standings.

Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle headlined the week as the Sound Tigers defeated the Rochester Americans, Albany Devils and Hershey Bears. Ho-Sang logged an impressive eight points (three goals, five assists) in three games, while Dal Colle added five points (one goal, four assists).

Both rookies enjoyed career nights on Friday as the Sound Tigers defeated Rochester, 5-2, in their first trip to Blue Cross Arena this season. Ho-Sang was electric with a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) and Dal Colle chipped in a career-best three points (one goal, two assists). Kellen Jones, Josh Winquist and Carter Verhaeghe also found the back of the net. Between the pipes, Jaroslav Halak made 26 saves en route to his 11th straight victory, the first time he's won that many games consecutively since setting a New York Islanders franchise record in 2014.

Less than 16 hours later, the Sound Tigers scored twice in the second period and held on late for a 3-2 win over Albany at the Times Union Center on Saturday afternoon. Ho-Sang, Verhaeghe and Jon Landry all scored even-strength goals as Bridgeport won its fifth straight contest on the road. In net, Eamon McAdam made 31 saves in his return to the lineup since a 43-day stint with the Missouri Mavericks (ECHL).

The Sound Tigers capped their weekend sweep on Sunday with a 5-1 victory over Hershey at Webster Bank Arena. Halak (13-1-2) extended his personal win streak to 12 games, while Ho-Sang and Verhaeghe each scored for the third straight day. Travis St. Denis, Bracken Kearns and Kyle Burroughs also beat goaltender Vitek Vanecek in the victory. The Sound Tigers have now won 10 of their last 11 games at Webster Bank Arena.

Bridgeport begins its third consecutive three-game series on Friday with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop at Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. It will be the seventh meeting this season between the Sound Tigers and Bruins (Bridgeport leads 5-1-0-0). From there, the series shifts back home for a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader against Providence and Hershey respectively. The Sound Tigers are 8-3-0-0 against those teams combined this season. Follow all of the live action via the team's online broadcast at www.ahllive.com, beginning with the pre-game show 15 minutes before puck drop.

The week ahead:

Bridgeport at Providence Bruins (30-14-5-4) - Friday, Feb. 24 at 7:05 p.m.

*Bridgeport vs. Providence Bruins (26-16-8-3) - Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

**Bridgeport vs. Hershey Bears (26-16-8-3) - Sunday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m.

News and Notes:

High "Five": Bridgeport's offense has ignited over the last two weeks, scoring five goals in four of its last five games. In addition, the Sound Tigers have outscored opponents 23-13 over that span, including 13-5 last weekend alone. Bridgeport has recorded five or more goals (in a game) 14 times this season. The club's season-high was a six-goal effort on Dec. 14, an 8-6 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center.

First Round Phenoms: Josh Ho-Sang, the Islanders' 28th overall pick in 2014, is coming off the best weekend of his professional career. He amassed eight points (three goals, five assists) in three games and has climbed to second on the Sound Tigers' roster in scoring with 33 points this season. He is also tied with rookie Devon Toews for the team-lead in assists (24), which is tied for third among all AHL rookies. In addition, the Islanders' fifth overall pick that year, Michael Dal Colle, is currently on a career-best six-game point streak (two goals, six assists) dating back to Feb. 10.

Leading the Way: Veteran forward Bracken Kearns recorded his team-leading 18th goal of the season on Sunday when he redirected a Ryan Pulock slap shot from the blue line. That tally stood as the game-winner against Hershey, giving Bridgeport's alternate captain a team-best five game-winning goals as well. In addition, Kearns leads the Sound Tigers in points (40) and is just two assists (22) off the team lead. The 35-year-old center currently sits at 497 pro points overall.

From the Start: The Sound Tigers have scored first in nine straight games - every contest during the month of February. Bridgeport is 24-4-0-0 when logging the first goal this season and 8-1-0-0 in February contests.

Quick Hits : Carter Verhaeghe is on a five-game goal-scoring streak (six goals total during that span), the longest active streak in the AHL... With nine points (three goals, six assists) in his last six games, Tanner Fritz has moved into a tie for third on the Sound Tigers' roster.

Affiliate Report

The New York Islanders (27-21-10) split a home-and-home series against the New Jersey Devils last weekend and also earned a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers at Barclays Center on Thursday. Former Sound Tigers Ryan Strome (two goals, one assist), Stephen Gionta (two assists) and Anders Lee (one goal, one assist) all notched at least two points on the week. Meanwhile, Jean-Francois Berube made 26 saves for the victory in Sunday's win over New Jersey. The Islanders are just one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference as the club begins a nine-game road trip tonight against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 p.m.

The ECHL's Missouri Mavericks (24-20-2-5) went 1-1-0-0 in a pair of home games last weekend against the Quad City Mallards and Toledo Walleye. On Saturday, the Mavericks scored twice in the first period and never looked back in a 4-1 win over Quad City, before falling to Toledo, 2-1, on Sunday. Former Sound Tigers goaltender Stephon Williams saw action in both games (8:04 of relief on Saturday), suffering the loss with 30 saves on Sunday. Missouri concludes a four-game homestand this weekend with a Friday-Saturday doubleheader against the Idaho Steelheads, before traveling to Tulsa, Okla. on Sunday afternoon.

*Frozen Night: This Saturday, Feb. 25 will prove to be a magical night as the popular Frozen characters visit Webster Bank Arena. Enjoy a meet-and-greet on the concourse and all fans are encouraged to come to the game dressed as his or her favorite character. In addition, a $25 Frozen package is available which includes one (1) game ticket, one (1) hot dog/soft drink combo voucher and your choice of a Tiara with a wand or crown. Call 203.345.2300 Option 7 to order or ORDER ONLINE NOW (use promo code LETITGO) . Limited packages are available for this special offer. Doors open at 6 p.m.

**Ben Holmstrom Bobblehead Giveaway: The first 2,000 fans through the doors on Sunday, Mar. 26 will receive a free bobblehead of Sound Tigers' captain Ben Holmstrom, courtesy of Newtown Savings Bank. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the puck drops at 7 p.m.

For additional details or to reserve seats for any of the 2016-17 giveaway and theme nights, please call the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300.

Executive suites and premium seat packages are also available by calling the team's front office at (203) 345-4841. If you are interested in group outings with your friends, family, co-workers, or clients an unforgettable experience at a discounted rate, call the group sales hotline at (203) 345-2300 Ext. 7.

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