AHL Bridgeport Islanders

First Place Sound Tigers Finish 2002, Open 2003 With Record Crowd

Published on January 6, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


The Sound Tigers said good-bye to 2002 and opened 2003 with three games last week including Saturday's finale to "Pride In America Weekend" which drew a franchise-record, sellout crowd of 8,183 to Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard. They lost 4-2 on the road to the Manitoba Moose Tuesday, tied the Hershey Bears 2-2 at home Friday and lost 4-3 at home to the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday. The Sound Tigers finished the week in first place in the East Division with 45 points and an 18-12-8-1 record including 11-5-3-0 at home and 7-7-5-1 on the road.

TUE DEC 31st at MTB, 4-2 L: JEREMY ADDUONO and RAFFI TORRES opened the scoring early in the first period, but Manitoba netted two power-play goals and a shorthanded marker in a four-goal comeback. STEVE VALIQUETTE made 16 saves in the starting role, and DAVID ST. GERMAIN had 19 in relief in his first appearance of the season. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 5 on the power play while the Moose were 2 for 4 and had a 39-33 shots on goal advantage.

FRI JAN 3rd vs. HER, 2-2 T: JEREMY ADDUONO opened the scoring again, and BRANDON SMITH scored as the Sound Tigers built their second early, first-period 2-0 lead, but Hershey tallied mid-way through the first and second periods. RICK DiPIETRO made 17 saves before being pulled in favor of STEVE VALIQUETTE who made 21 saves to earn the number one star of the game in relief. The Sound Tigers were 0 for 4 on the power play, 3 for 3 on the penalty kill and were outshot 40-34.

SAT JAN 4th vs. HFD, 4-3 L: Playing in front of the largest home crowd in team history, a sellout of 8,183, the Sound Tigers again built an early, first-period 2-0 lead on goals by JUSTIN MAPLETOFT and SVEN BUTENSCHON, his first with the team, and regained the lead at 3-2 on a JEREMY ADDUONO score but fell in the third period. They were 1 for 9 on the power play, 1 for 1 on the penalty kill and were outshot 26-21. RICK DiPIETRO made 22 saves in a losing effort.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK – LW JEREMY ADDUONO

Adduono scored the first goal of the game Tuesday and Friday and added another marker Saturday for a three-goal-in-three-game week. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native is on a three-game goal and point streak and now has four goals, one assist, five points and four penalty minutes in 15 games with the Sound Tigers this season.

THIS WEEK – Sound Tigers Head Out Of Town For Seven Straight Games The Sound Tigers will play their next seven games on the road starting with three games this week. They will visit the Philadelphia Phantoms Wednesday, the Norfolk Admirals Friday and the Hershey Bears Saturday.

WED JAN 8th at PHI, 7:05 p.m.: This is the fourth and final meeting this regular season. The Sound Tigers are 3-4 all-time, 1-2 overall and 0-1 on the road this season, versus Philadelphia who enters this week in fourth place in the South Division with 33 points and a 15-16-1-2 record including 11-7-0-0 at home. The Phantoms have won four straight home games which is the second-longest active streak in the League. Philadelphia also ranks third in the AHL averaging 28 penalty minutes per game. The Phantoms do not play again until Wednesday.

FRI JAN 10th at NOR, 7:30 p.m.: This is the second and final meeting this regular season, but the first-ever in Norfolk. The Sound Tigers are 0-1 this season and all-time versus the Admirals who enter this week in first place in the South Division with 49 points and a 22-12-2-3 record including 8-7-1-2 at home. Norfolk is winless, 0-5-1, in its last six home games and winless in regulation, 1-5-1-1 with an overtime win, in its last seven home games. However, the Admirals have won four straight games overall, tied for the second-longest active streak in the AHL, and four road games in a row, the second-longest active streak in the League. Norfolk will host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wednesday.

SAT JAN 11th at HER, 7 p.m.: This will be the third of four meetings, the final in Hershey, between the teams this season. The Sound Tigers are 0-2-2 all-time versus the Bears including a pair of ties this season. Hershey enters this week in second place in the South Division with 44 points and an 18-11-7-1 record including 9-5-5-0 at home. Bears G PHIL SAUVE, who enters this week ranked third among AHL netminders with a 2.12 goals against average, has been named the starting goaltender for the PlanetUSA Team for next month's AHL All-Star Game in Portland, Maine. Hershey will host the Syracuse Crunch Wednesday and visit the Binghamton Senators Friday.

SOUND TIGERS TEAM LEADERS (more than one game for goaltenders)

Goals – ERIC MANLOW & MATT HIGGINS, 10
Penalty Minutes – RAFFI TORRES & ALAIN NASREDDINE, 52
Assists – ALAN LETANG, 15
Wins – RICK DiPIETRO, 10
Points – ERIC MANLOW,
22 Goals Against Average – RICK DiPIETRO, 2.29
Plus / Minus – TOMI PETTINEN, +8
Save Percentage – RICK DiPIETRO, .919

SOUND TIGERS SPECIAL TEAMS

Power Play – 31 for 220, 14.1%; 22nd Shorthanded Goals Against – 9

Penalty Kill – 184 for 209, 88.0%; 4th Shorthanded Goal For – 4

SOUND TIGERS STREAKS

LW JEREMY ADDUONO is on a three-game goal streak including a pair of first goals. The Sound Tigers are winless in their last four games, 0-3-1, and in their last five on the road, 0-3-2. They will play their next seven games on the road then return home for four straight and six of seven in Bridgeport.

CLAW MARKS

Hershey, Norfolk, the San Antonio Rampage and Manitoba Moose are the only AHL teams the Sound Tigers have played but never beaten during the regular season. The Sound Tigers are 1-3-2-0, including 0-1-1-0 on the road, versus South Division opponents this season. They are 3-5-4-0, including 2-3-2-0 on the road, versus Western Conference opponents this season. The Sound Tigers are in a stretch in which they play 15 of 19 games on the road.

SOUND TIGERS TRANSACTIONS

D RADEK MARTINEK and RW MATTIAS WEINHANDL remain on recall to the Islanders. RW ERIC GODARD was recalled, and G RICK DiPIETRO was reassigned by the Islanders last Monday. G DAVID ST. GERMAIN was reassigned to the East Coast Hockey League's Trenton Titans Wednesday. RW TRENT HUNTER was recalled by the Islanders while D DANIEL TETRAULT was recalled from Trenton Friday.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & PROMOTIONAL NEWS

STORM will visit Redding Elementary School Tuesday and join other AHL mascots in Texas Friday and Saturday for the seventh birthday celebration for Houston Aeros' mascot CHILLY. Vice President TODD BOE will visit the Stamford Kiwanis Club Wednesday. STORM will visit Marvin Elementary School in Norwalk while Sound Tigers players will appear at an autograph session at the Darien Sports Shop next Monday, January 13th. D ALAIN NASREDDINE will be the guest for the return of "The Sound Tigers Report" on "The ZONE" 1300 AM next Tuesday, January 14th. Saturday, January 25th will be "Milford Appreciation Night" at Arena at Harbor Yard with discounted tickets for Milford residents.

SOUND TIGERS ON THE AIR

All games are broadcast live on "The ZONE" FOX Sports Radio 1300 and at www.soundtigers.com. WSTC/WNLK 1400/1350 also broadcasts road games. Fans can email questions and comments by clicking on "Ask The Broadcaster" at www.soundtigers.com, and Voice of the Sound Tigers BILL McLAUGHLIN will respond live on the air.

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE

The Sound Tigers will practice at the Milford Ice Pavilion at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday before leaving for the road trip. The team will practice in Philadelphia Wednesday at 11 a.m. and in Norfolk Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and Friday at 11:15 a.m. Saturday's schedule is to be determined. Call 203-334-4625 to confirm practice times and locations.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 6, 2003


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