Bears Claw Past Sound Tigers 3-2
Published on February 27, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Feb. 27, 2011) ¬" Maxime Lacroix broke a 2-2 tie with 11:56 remaining in regulation, the Sound Tigers hit a post, a crossbar but couldn't find the back of the net, and the Hershey Bears eked out a 3-2 win over Bridgeport at Webster Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Hershey improves to 38-19-1-3. The Sound Tigers fall to 21-32-3-4.
Each team entered today's game playing its fourth game in five days which may have led to a relatively slow start. The Sound Tigers and Bears combined for just nine shots in the first period, but the closest either team came to scoring didn't count as a shot on goal. With the Sound Tigers on a five-on-four power play, David Ullstrom fired a slap shot from the point that caromed off the crossbar and down into the crease just outside of the Hershey goal.
The Bears broke onto the scoreboard with a power play goal 1:43 into the second period. Just as their four-on-three advantage was expiring, Kyle Greentree took a feed from Keith Aucoin in the slot and snapped the puck into the top left corner of the net above Joel Martin's blocker to give Hershey a 1-0 lead. Dmitri Kugryshev pushed the Bears lead to two with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle 2:55 later.
The Sound Tigers cut the deficit to one with 2:13 remaining in the middle frame, following a roughing penalty to Hershey's Andrew Carroll, Jesse Joensuu collected the puck deep in right corner of the Hershey zone. Joensuu turned towards the Bears net to find Rhett Rakhshani waiting on the backdoor of the crease, and the Sound Tigers All-Star forward banged the puck past Todd Ford to make the score 2-1 Hershey headed to the third period despite the Sound Tigers leading the shot totals 18-9.
Justin DiBenedetto would eliminate the deficit with a power play goal of his own early in the third period. After Sheldon Souray put a hard cross-check into DiBenedetto to put the Sound Tigers on a five-on-three power play, DiBenedetto parked himself of Todd Ford and one-timed David Ullstrom's feed past the Hershey netminder for his 15th of the season to make the score 2-2 5:24 into the third. However, the Bears retook the lead for good 2:40 later. Martin came out of his net to stop Hershey on a partial breakaway, but Lacroix found the loose puck with Martin still outside the crease and put it home for his third goal of the year to give the Bears a 3-2 lead. Jason Pitton hit the crossbar a few minutes later and Rob Hisey hit the right post in the final minutes, but the Sound Tigers were unable to find the equalizer and Hershey escaped with a 3-2 win.
Todd Ford stopped 28 shots to earn the win. Joel Martin made 11 saves in the loss.
The Sound Tigers return to action next weekend when they travel to Portland to face the Pirates on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
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