Islanders Top Thunderbirds, 5-1
February 2, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Cole Bardreau had three points and Henrik Tikkanen made an AHL career-high 37 saves to lead the Bridgeport Islanders (13-24-5-0), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 5-1 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds (20-19-3-2) at Total Mortgage Arena on Friday.
Bardreau scored two goals and added an assist, while Matt Maggio, Carsen Twarynski, and Eetu Liukas also lit the lamp. Twarynski and Bardreau both found the back of the net for the second straight game. Bardreau had five points in two games against the Thunderbirds this week. He and Liukas each recorded their second straight multi-point performance.
It was the Islanders' second straight win and their largest margin of victory this season. Bridgeport has back-to-back wins at home for the first time this year.
Both teams came out flying in a fast paced, high scoring, opening nine minutes of play. The Islanders' fourth line of Bardreau, Liukas and Jeff Kubiak continued their recent success, as Bardreau broke the ice just 2:39 into the game with his eighth goal of the season. The Bridgeport veteran redirected Liukas' shot from the point that squeaked under Colten Ellis' pad and into the net. Grant Hutton received the secondary assist on Bardreau's second goal in two games.
Maggio extended the Islanders' lead just under five minutes later, skating in from the blue line and beating Ellis, glove-side and low, with a hard wrist shot. Brian Pinho and Ruslan Iskhakov were credited with the assists at the 7:32 mark. It was Iskhakov's team-leading 21st assist and 34th point.
The Thunderbirds got on the board 8:56 into the first period with Hunter Skinner's second goal in three games. The Springfield defenseman let one fly from the right point that deflected off a Bridgeport player and past Tikkanen (4-3-1). Will Bitten and Hugh McGing were credited with the assists.
The Islanders continued their offensive push into the second period, scoring two goals in a span of 42 seconds to make it 4-1. The first goal was courtesy of a net-front deflection from Liukas. Travis Mitchell fired the shot from the left point that Liukas batted down to get through Ellis. Bardreau received the secondary assist.
Bridgeport's second goal of the period came on the next sequence when Twarynski shoveled home a rebound under Ellis' pad, just trickling past the goal line. Aidan Fulp's shot led to the rebound tally, providing the lone assist on the play.
Tikkanen continued to stand tall in the third period for the Islanders, highlighted by a spectacular right-to-left pad save on a Thunderbirds' two-on-one. Bardreau added an empty-net goal for his second of the game with 1:39 to play.
Springfield also had a power-play goal waived off due to goaltender interference in the closing minutes.
Bridgeport finished the game 0-for-2 on the man advantage and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. The Islanders improved to 5-2-2-0 against Springfield this season and 4-0-1-0 in those games at home.
Next Time Out: The Islanders play their final game before the 2024 AHL All-Star break tomorrow night, facing the Hershey Bears at Giant Center at 7 p.m. The game can be seen live on AHLTV.com or heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.
American Hockey League Stories from February 2, 2024
- Hardman Ties Game Late in Third Period, Falls in Shootout - Rockford IceHogs
- Amerks Drop First of Two in Laval - Rochester Americans
- Admirals Make It an Even Dozen - Milwaukee Admirals
- Phantoms Erupt in Third to Halt Hershey - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Brett Berard's Overtime Heroics Push Wolf Pack to Win 5-4 Overtime Victory Over Penguins - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Islanders Top Thunderbirds, 5-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Condors Hold off Stars to Win Weekend Opener - Texas Stars
- Providence Pulls Away in Third to Defeat Checkers 4-2 - Charlotte Checkers
- Wolves Maul Monsters 5-0 for Sixth Consecutive Road Win - Chicago Wolves
- Third Period Offense Lifts P-Bruins Past Checkers - Providence Bruins
- Skinner Scores, But T-Birds Stumble in Bridgeport - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Comets Shut Out By Marlies, 4-0 - Utica Comets
- Condors Shrug off Deficits, Mess with Texas - Bakersfield Condors
- Point Streak Snapped in 4-1 Bears Loss to Phantoms - Hershey Bears
- Pens Come Back to Force OT, Lose to Wolf Pack, 5-4 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Monsters Blanked 5-0 by Wolves - Cleveland Monsters
- Crunch Fall to Senators, 3-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- San Jose Barracuda Name Radim Simek as Team's Captain - San Jose Barracuda
- San Diego Gulls Reassign Anthony Costantini to Tulsa - San Diego Gulls
- The Abbotsford Shuttle: Taking Advantage of Alignment and Location to Win at the NHL and AHL Level - Abbotsford Canucks
- Morning Skate Report: February 2, 2024 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Josh Doan Added to the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic Roster - Tucson Roadrunners
- Kyle Capobianco Added to 2024 AHL All-Star Classic Presented by Tech CU - Manitoba Moose
- Doan, Capobianco Added to Rosters for 2024 AHL All-Star Classic Presented by Tech CU - AHL
- Four Theme Nights, Six Home Games Highlight Amerks Busy February Schedule - Rochester Americans
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Henderson Silver Knights - Iowa Wild
- Wolf Pack Welcome Penguins to Town with Eye Toward Revenge - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Hogs Host Griffins for Friday Night Action - Rockford IceHogs
- Bojangles Game Preview: February 2 vs. Providence - Charlotte Checkers
- T-Birds Recall D Marc-Andre Gaudet from Orlando - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Wranglers Foiled by Firebirds - Calgary Wranglers
- Game Preview: Bears at Phantom, 7:05 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Game Preview: Condors at Stars, 5 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Springfield for Second Time in Three Nights - Bridgeport Islanders
- Firebirds Extend Point Streak With 5-2 Win Over Wranglers - Coachella Valley Firebirds
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.
