Bridgeport bows to Phantoms
March 18, 2007 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
PHILADELPHIA - Six different players scored and seven had multiple-point games as the Philadelphia Phantoms stormed to a 7-4 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday evening at the Wachovia Spectrum. The Phantoms gained ground in the East Division playoff race with the win, and now sit six points behind the fifth-place Sound Tigers and seven behind fourth-place Albany. Bridgeport was first to score, finding the net when Tomas Malec mailed a pass to the back door for Frans Nielsen. Nielsen redirected the puck past Scott Munroe for the 1-0 lead at 12:41 of the first period. Less than a minute later, the Phantoms drew even. Bridgeport was trying to clear the puck from the left corner around behind the net, but the attempt hit the leg of Mark Cullen and came out to Boyd Kane in the left circle. Kane made contact with the puck while it was on end, and the result was a shot that knuckled and appeared to actually curve as it eluded the glove of goaltender Billy Thompson before settling in the upper right corner. The goal at 13:38 made it a 1-1 game. But the Sound Tigers jumped back ahead with just 1:52 remaining in the period. Jamie Johnson finished off a series of back-and-forth passes with Masi Marjamaki and fired the puck through a screen and between Munroe's pads. It made for a 2-1 Bridgeport advantage at the first intermission. At 14:36 of the second period, Jonathan Matsumoto tied the score with his first professional goal. He was coming down the left wing when Darren Reid fired a slapshot from the right circle. Thompson stopped that offering but Matsumoto was on hand to clean up the rebound, making it a 2-2 game. Just 24 seconds later, however, Bridgeport pulled ahead again. The Phantoms were trying to settle the puck behind their net for a clear, but it wriggled free and came out to Gregg Johnson in the slot. Johnson was able to beat Munroe to give the Sound Tigers a 3-2 advantage. Philadelphia, however, charged forth for the next three. Don Morrison drew the team even when he put home the rebound of a Matt Ellison shot from the right side. The tally came at 8:45 and made it a 3-3 game. The Phantoms earned their first lead of the night at 10:19 on a magnificent effort by Pete Zingoni. The speedy forward took a headman pass from Cullen and turned on the afterburners down the right wing. He was able to turn the corner on his defender and pull the puck across the top of the crease before flipping it past Thompson for the 4-3 advantage. Just over two minutes before the intermission, Philadelphia cultivated their lead to two goals. Ellison had the puck on the left wing and was joined by Jared Ross, freshly off the bench, to create a 2-on-1. Ross took the pass and then played it back to Ellison before running out of real estate, and Ellison forced it past Thompson to make it a 5-3 game at the second intermission. Bridgeport regained a goal 1:29 into the third period. Jamie Fraser took a shot from the left side that went through a puck-sized hole in Munroe's armor and dribbled to the right post, where Marjamaki quickly arrived to knock it home. But Philadelphia jumped back out to a two-goal lead on a 2-on-1 featuring Kane and Cullen. Kane touched the puck last, tucking it into an open net after Thompson bit on Cullen's head fake to make the score 6-4 just over a minute later, at 2:32. The lead became 7-4 with 7:37 remaining in the third. Ross threw the puck from the right corner out to the center point for Rosario Ruggeri, who fired a quick wrist shot. Thompson blocked it, but dispatched a rebound right to a crashing Ross, who lifted it just beneath the crossbar to close out the scoring. Matsumoto earned the first star of the game to go along with his first points as a professional, while Cullen was named second star for his three assists and Kane third for his two goals. Ryan Potulny grabbed two assists, as did Reid, while Ellison, Ross and Matsumoto each had a goal and an assist. Munroe took the win with 19 saves on 23 shots, while Thompson was assessed the loss with 27 saves on 34 Philadelphia shots.
American Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2007
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- Admirals Get by Grand Rapids 3-2 - Milwaukee Admirals
- Wild third propel Stars to victory - Iowa Chops
- Bridgeport bows to Phantoms - Adirondack Phantoms
- Amerks best Aeros 3-1 - Houston Aeros
- P-Bruins Shutout Monarchs 5-0 - Providence Bruins
- Griffins Fall to Admirals in OT, 3-2 - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Devils Continue to Roll, 2-0 over Hartford - Albany Devils
- Rivermen Blanked by Manitoba 4-0 at Home - Peoria Rivermen
- Phantoms Beat Sound Tigers 7-4 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wilson scores three in a row, Bears crush Sens 6-1 - Hershey Bears
- Monarchs Shutout By Bruins; Remain In First Place - Manchester Monarchs
- Moose to Honor Israel Idonije Tuesday night vs. Aeros - Manitoba Moose
- 'Dogs edged at Bell Centre - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Crunch Announce Details of Full Throttle Energy Drink - Syracuse Crunch
- Canucks Recall Alex Edler - Manitoba Moose
- Kings Extend Ivanans Contract - Manchester Monarchs
- Bears sign new Caps prospect Sean Collins - Hershey Bears
- Capitals sign Steve Pinizzotto to an entry level contract - Hershey Bears
- Bears and Senators square off Sunday - Hershey Bears
- Labatt's Celebrity Bartending Series Concludes at Tully's Good Times - Syracuse Crunch
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- Aeros Gameday - Houston Aeros
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