Islanders Drop Road Contest to Thunderbirds, 4-2
Published on January 2, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
Springfield, MA - Heading into the New Year, the Bridgeport Islanders tried to win consecutive games against a divisional opponent when they stepped onto the ice against the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Mass Mutual Center on Friday night. In the opening game of 2026, the Islanders went into the third period down by a goal but could muster a comeback and lost the road contest to Springfield 4-2.
In the opening period, it took nine seconds for the Islanders to score and make it 1-0 after Joey Larson fooled goaltender Gerogii Romanov for his 12th of the season. But the Thunderbirds struck on their first shot as well when Hunter Skinner put the puck through traffic and behind goalie Henrik Tikkanen to make it 1-1 at 1:17. The Thunderbirds scored a late powerplay goal at 18:23 when Marc-Andre Gaudet took the cross-crease pass and slammed the puck in putting Bridgeport down 2-1.
Liam Foudy scored to tie the game 35 seconds into the middle frame for his 6th of the season bringing the game to a 2-2 tie. Springfield Dylan Peterson regained a lead for Springfield at 3:54 taking advantage of a fortuitous bounce.
In the final period of regulation, Alex Kaskimaki added an empty net goal at 18:10 to put the Islanders down 4-2 and that's how the game ended with Bridgeport dropping the contest on the road.
The Islanders are back on the ice tomorrow night against the Hartford Wolf Pack at 5:00 PM inside Total Mortgage Arena. Great seats are still available. Visit www.bridgeportislanders.com for more information.
American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2026
- Bystedt Scores, But Barracuda Clipped by Condors - San Jose Barracuda
- Morrison Nets a Pair in Firebirds' Win over Gulls, 5-2 - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Gulls Taken Down by Firebirds, 5-2 - San Diego Gulls
- Jones' Return Lifts Condors to 4-1 Win over San Jose - Bakersfield Condors
- Logan Morrison Scores Twice in 5-2 Win over Gulls - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Manitoba Earns 4-1 Win Over Abbotsford - Manitoba Moose
- McCartney's Four-Point Night Powers Roadrunners Past Wranglers, 5-2 - Tucson Roadrunners
- Cossa Tallies Career-High 47 Saves in Griffins' Shootout Win over Wolves - Grand Rapids Griffins
- The Canucks Fell, 4-1, to the Manitoba Moose - Abbotsford Canucks
- Bojangles Game Preview: January 3 & 5 at Cleveland - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolves' Points Streak Hits 9 Games with 3-2 Shootout Loss to Griffins - Chicago Wolves
- Resilient T-Birds Push Past Isles to Win 3rd Straight - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Comets Open 2026 in Laval, Earn Point in 5-4 OT Loss - Utica Comets
- Islanders Drop Road Contest to Thunderbirds, 4-2 - Bridgeport Islanders
- DiPietro, Locmelis Put P-Bruins Past Wolf Pack - Providence Bruins
- Brennan Othmann Strikes, But Wolf Pack Fall 4-1 to Bruins - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Goaltender Ben Kraws Recalled from Idaho and Reassigned to Texas - Texas Stars
- IceHogs 15th Annual Autism Awareness Night Set for January 24 - Rockford IceHogs
- Belleville Sens Announce Plans for 2026 Indigenous Communities Night - Belleville Senators
- Grand Rapids' Sebastian Cossa Named AHL Goaltender of the Month - AHL
- Sebastian Cossa Wins Second Consecutive AHL Goaltender of the Month Award - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Series Preview- Tucson Roadrunners at Calgary Wranglers - Tucson Roadrunners
- World-Class Guests Headline Belleville Sens Women in Sports Panel - Belleville Senators
- Hutson Named Upper Deck/AHL Rookie of the Month - Bakersfield Condors
- Howard and Hutson Both Receive AHL Monthly Awards for December - Bakersfield Condors
- Bakersfield's Quinn Hutson Named Upper Deck AHL Rookie of the Month - AHL
- Howard Named Fortune Tires "Expect More" AHL Player of the Month - Bakersfield Condors
- Bakersfield's Isaac Howard Named Fortune Tires "Expect More" AHL Player of the Month - AHL
- Hartford Wolf Pack Ink F Brian Carrabes to PTO - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Golder Returned to Reading - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Game Preview: Condors vs. Barracuda, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Bye Bye Birdy - Calgary Wranglers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
