AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Morgan's hat-trick in the third helps Bears to a 6-3 victory

Published on April 5, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


Jeff Tambellini recorded his team-leading 35th and 36th tallies of the season but the Hershey Bears would use Jason Morgan's third period hat-trick to defeat the Sound Tigers 6-3.

Tambellini opened the scoring with his team-leading 35th goal. Blake Comeau, joining the top power-play unit for the Sound Tigers tonight, dished the puck to Tambellini at the top of the point where he blasted a slap-shot past the shoulder of Hershey starting net-minder Daren Machesney for the 1-0 lead. Ben Walter also assisted on the goal coming 7:20 into the opening period. Alexandre Giroux would tie the score at 1-1 when he hopped out of the penalty box after taking a two-minute high sticking minor and put a backhand shot past Sound Tigers' starting goalie Joey MacDonald. Chris Bourque and Machesney had the assists on Giroux's 30th of the season. The Sound Tigers would go back on the man-advantage nearly a minute past the half-way mark of the period and capitalized on their opportunity. Comeau fed a slow pass to Scott Ford at the point where the Sound Tiger defenseman one-timed a shot on goal that Kyle Okposo redirected past Machesney. The tally was Okposo's ninth of the season coming at 13:18, regaining the lead for the Sound Tigers, 2-1. Giroux would tie the score at two when he was awarded a penalty-shot by referee Kyle Rehman when he was hooked on a breakaway by Steve Regier. Giroux came in on MacDonald and snapped his 31st marker of the season past MacDonald's blocker to make the score 2-2 entering the second period.

It only took 26 seconds into the middle frame for the Sound Tigers to take a 3-2 lead. Ben Walter took a face-off in the right circle and won it cleanly back to Tambellini who was positioned at the top of the circle. Tambellini quickly reached for the puck and wristed it over the glove of Machesney for his 36th tally this season, his sixth in the last three games.

Hershey would tie the score at three, 1:21 into the third period when Jason Morgan scored his 16th tally of the season. Morgan put a wrap-around past MacDonald with assists going to Shawn Collymore and Sami Lepisto. Nearly five minutes later, Morgan would score his second of the period to steal the lead for the Bears. Collymore skated behind the Sound Tigers' goal and blindly threw the puck in front to Lepisto at the right point. Lepisto wristed a shot that Morgan redirected under MacDonald for the 4-3 lead.

The Sound Tigers would pull MacDonald in favor of the extra attacker but the Bears would put two pucks into the open net with the first coming from Bourque, his 26th of the season, at 18:56 on assists from Giroux and Morgan. Morgan would complete his hat-trick, the 18th of the season for him, with 39 seconds remaining. Giroux sent a cross ice pass to Morgan at the left point where he floated his third of the game into the yawning Sound Tiger net. Lepisto collected his third assist of the game on Morgan's goal.

MacDonald finished the game with 20 saves on 24 shots while Machesney had 25 saves on 28 shots. The Sound Tigers finished 2-for-6 on the man-advantage and were 2-for-2 on the penalty-kill. Hershey held a 28-26 shots on goal advantage.

The Sound Tigers will travel to Philadelphia tonight for an early evening match-up with the Phantoms who clinched a playoff spot Friday night in the Sound Tigers' 6-5 overtime victory. Face-off is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. from the Wachovia Spectrum.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2008


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