Bridgeport loses first game in regulation in over a month
February 21, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers had their 11 game point streak snapped with a 5-2 loss to the Albany Devils on Sunday night at Webster Bank Arena.
Goaltender Christopher Gibson made 21 saves while Mike Halmo scored his fourth goal in as many games against the Devils this season. Tanner Fritz also made his AHL debut and immediately made an impact with an assist.
The scoring started early when less than three minutes into the game Fritz won the faceoff right to Ryan Pulock who blasted a slap shot for his eighth of the season to put the Sound Tigers up 1-0 at 2:24. It marks Fritz's first AHL point on his first AHL shift.
The momentum quickly changed when the Albany Devils knocked in a rebound.
Less than five minutes after Pulock's goal, Raman Hrabarenka scored off of All-Star Mike Sislo's shot.
The Sound Tigers had a huge opportunity with two back-to-back power plays midway throughout the first period with Jim O'Brien in the box for holding at 8:59 and when Dan Kelly went off for interference at 11:01. Many close shots occurred but the closest was Pulock when he almost netted another powerful slap shot, but the attempt hit the post.
The first half of the second period was relatively uneventful with only 13 total shots on goal and no close opportunities for either team.
At 8:29 into the second frame, Paul Thompson gave the Devils the lead when he tipped the puck in right over the left pad of Gibson for his ninth of the season.
The Sound Tigers looked as they were about to start a comeback when Halmo got a breakaway and dropped it to Jesse Graham who then crossed it back to Halmo who found an opening stick side to tie the game at two at 16:27. This marks Halmo's fifth point in the past three games.
The goals kept coming when Gibson made the initial save on a Corey Tropp shot but the puck popped off Gibson and remained loose. Graham Black got his stick behind Gibson and put the puck in for the 3-2 lead with 20 seconds left in the second period. The officials were not sure about the play so it went under review but it was deemed a good goal.
The Devils momentum continued less than three minutes into the final period when Bridgeport failed to clear the puck and Albany capitalized on the error when Ryan Kujawinski scooped up the puck and ripped it five-hole past Gibson to further the away team's lead 4-2.
Albany continued their success when Sislo went on a shorthanded breakaway and wristed in his AHL-leading 25th goal of the season unassisted for a 5-2 lead at 13:12.
No further scoring occurred and Bridgeport lost their first regulation game since January 17. Bridgeport went 0-for-5 on the power play while Albany went 0-for-6.
The Sound Tigers look to bounce back next Friday when they take on the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
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