Schilkey scores lone goal in Bridgeport's first loss to Springfield in five games
December 20, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (11-16-3-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, jumped out to an early lead on Friday, but couldn't hold on in a 3-1 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds (16-14-1-0) at MassMutual Center.
Nick Schilkey scored his fourth goal in seven games within the first five minutes, but the Thunderbirds responded with three unanswered for their first win against Bridgeport since Oct. 25. The Sound Tigers had won four straight games in the season series prior to Friday.
Bridgeport is 4-3-0-0 against Springfield in 2019-20.
Sebastian Aho set up Schilkey at 4:53 of the first period to give Bridgeport a 1-0 advantage. The third-year defenseman danced through traffic while skating over the Thunderbirds' blue line and handed the puck to Schilkey, who put a shot off the post and in for his seventh goal of the season. It beat the blocker of goaltender Phillippe Desrosiers.
T-Birds captain Paul Thompson brought the contest back to square one with his seventh of the year just 5:04 into the middle frame. He collected a loose puck in the Sound Tigers' zone and hustled in transition to begin a 2-on-1 rush. Thompson looked off the pass and buried a short-side wrist shot past Jared Coreau's glove to make it 1-1.
Stamford, Conn. native Ryan Haggerty, in his Springfield debut, scored the eventual game-winner at 12:34 of the third period from a sharp angle. Anthony Greco and Ethan Prow both pressured the Sound Tigers back line, including Prow's wrist shot that was blocked by Grant Hutton. Prow gathered his own rebound and circled the net before finding Haggerty below the left circle, where he filtered home his first goal since being traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization earlier in the week.
Greco sealed Springfield's win with an empty-net tally at 19:09, his 10th goal of the season.
Both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play and Bridgeport outshot Springfield 33-32. Coreau (4-8-1) made 29 saves, while Desrosiers stopped 32.
Next Time Out: The Sound Tigers return to Webster Bank Arena tomorrow night for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Great seats are on sale now and Santa Claus will be in attendance! Fans can also follow all of the live action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.
Sound Tigers season tickets and flex plans are on sale now for the 2019-20 campaign, offering the greatest savings and ultimate flexibility of all ticket packages. Pick between a full-season, 20-game, or 10-game plan and you'll also be entitled to exclusive benefits, including the ticket holder exchange policy. Lock in your seats today by contacting Brad Dworin at 203-345-4813 or via brad.dworin@harboryardse.com.
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