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AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

Isles Top T-Birds on Sold out Sensory-Friendly Sunday

March 3, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds forward Ryan Suzuki in front of the Bridgeport Islanders' goal
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Ryan Suzuki in front of the Bridgeport Islanders' goal
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Springfield Thunderbirds (25-24-3-2) could not overcome a 3-0 hole in the opening period as the Bridgeport Islanders (18-29-6-1) skated off as 4-1 winners at the MassMutual Center on Sunday before a seventh straight sellout crowd of 6,793.

Not even a minute into the festivities, both Sam Bitten & Will Bitten got the Thunderdome engaged in the game with a pair of fighting majors in bouts against Seth Helgeson and Eetu Liukas respectively. However, the Islanders held a sizable edge in offensive zone time, and that translated into an early lead for the visitors.

At the 9:10 mark, Ruslan Iskhakov artfully slipped the puck to Matt Maggio in the left-wing circle, where the rookie swiftly moved the puck from backhand to forehand and uncorked a perfect wrist shot under the crossbar past Colten Ellis to make it 1-0 for Bridgeport.

The penalty parade continued as two separate Springfield players were whistled for penalties just 45 seconds apart, opening the door for Bridgeport's power play. On the ensuing two-man advantage, Ellis made a save on an initial try by William Dufour, but Carsen Twarynski was positioned perfectly to slide the rebound home to make it a 2-0 score at 11:18.

In the final minute of the period, Brian Pinho further bolstered the Islander lead when he sidestepped a hit attempt before beating Ellis between the legs with a snapper at 19:23.

After being outshot 18-5 in the first, the T-Birds responded with some pushback in the second, but rookie Bridgeport goalie Henrik Tikkanen was steady in the crease. Mikhail Abramov finally dented the young goaltender at 12:11 when he deposited a loose puck in the blue paint after a Jakub Vrana slapper squeaked through Tikkanen's equipment. Abramov's second goal in as many days cut the margin to 3-1.

The T-Birds' best chance to get closer came in the middle portions of the third period, when back-to-back Bridgeport penalties handed Springfield a 5-on-3 advantage. However, Tikkanen and the gutsy Isles' PK unit stood up to the challenge, and a Springfield penalty would then nullify the advantage.

Karson Kuhlman put the game away at 16:48 with an empty-net goal to seal the visitors' seventh win in 11 tries this season against the T-Birds.

The T-Birds and Islanders complete their season series on Friday night for one final installment between the rivals inside the MassMutual Center. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Thunderdome.

Fans can reserve seats for Thunderbirds hockey action throughout the 2023-24 season by calling (413)-739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

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Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds forward Ryan Suzuki in front of the Bridgeport Islanders' goal
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Ryan Suzuki in front of the Bridgeport Islanders' goal
   



American Hockey League Stories from March 3, 2024


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