AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Depleted Sound Tigers Lose Tough One In Philadelphia

Published on March 26, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


PHILEDALPHIA, PA - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, lost 2-1 on the road to the Philadelphia Phantoms Friday. The teams entered the game tied for first place in the East Division with 85 points apiece.

The Sound Tigers started the game without Eric Manlow, Justin Mapletoft, Brandon Smith and Mike Souza due to injuries then lost Defenseman Cole Jarrett mid-way through the game. They also played without Tomi Pettinen, Steve Webb and All-Star Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz who are with the Islanders, as well as Ryan Kraft who is at home with his ailing father.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 10-5 shots on goal advantage, but the Sound Tigers closed the gap to 10-9. However, the Phantoms took charge again during the final half-minute of the first period and grabbed a 1-0 lead on B.J. Abel's sixth goal of the season off assists from Mike Peluso and Joey Hope with 16.5 seconds left in the opening frame.

The Sound Tigers took the play to Philadelphia early in the second period and tied the score at 1-1 on Derek Bekar's 21st goal of the year off assists from Cail MacLean and Vince Macri. The point was the first of Macri's professional career in his first AHL game after signing a tryout contract with the Sound Tigers earlier in the day.

A trio of penalties put the teams at less than five-on-five strength from late in the middle period until early in the third, the Phantoms took the lead for good with eight seconds left on the final of the overlapping power plays as Peter White scored his 11th goal of the season off assists from Peluso and Freddy Meyer at the 5:14 mark.

The Sound Tigers pulled Goaltender Dieter Kochan in favor of an extra attacker with 48 seconds left to play but had to replace him when they iced the puck with 22 ticks remaining. They called timeout and pulled Kochan again after winning the ensuing face-off but could not tie the game.

White was the first star of the game. Philadelphia Netminder Antero Niittymaki was the second star with 23 saves, including a trio of huge stops on Bekar, Luke Curtin and Graham Belak in the third period. Hope was the third star. Kochan made 22 saves in a losing effort as the shots on goal were tied at 24-24. The Phantoms were 1 for 5 on the power play while the Sound Tigers were 0 for 5, including 3:51 of a major early in the third period.

The Sound Tigers will play the final two games of seven straight on the road when they visit Norfolk Admirals tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. Both games will be web cast live at www.soundtigers.com and are also scheduled to be broadcast live on 600 WICC-AM. The Sound Tigers' next home game will be on Wednesday, March 31st when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7:05 p.m.

Sound Tigers individual-game tickets are on sale at the Harbor Yard box office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on all game days, as well as on-line at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 203-368-1000.

Information regarding Sound Tigers season tickets, partial plans, flex packs, group discounts, birthday parties, suite packages and sponsorship opportunities is available by calling 203-334-GOAL or logging on to www.soundtigers.com.

Groups, organizations, companies, etc. that are interested in having a member of the Sound Tigers appear at an event are also invited to call 203-334-GOAL or email info@soundtigers.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 26, 2004


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