AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Sound Tigers Beat Bruins 3-2 in Shootout

Published on January 8, 2012 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


PROVIDENCE, RI (Jan. 8, 2012) - Sound Tigers forwards Sean Backman, Tony Romano, Kael Mouillierat and Scott Howes all scored in succession in the shootout, and goaltender Kevin Poulin earned his fourth straight win this week as Bridgeport defeated the Providence Bruins 3-2 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Sunday evening. The Sound Tigers improve to 16-17-3-1 with their fourth consecutive victory to open the 2012 calendar year. Providence falls to 16-18-1-3.

Kevin Poulin entered the game with a personal shutout streak of 198 minutes and 17 seconds and kept it going through the first period, turning aside all nine shots he faced from the Bruins. Sound Tigers defenseman Calvin de Haan had the best scoring chance of the period, one-timing a blast off the post during a 5-on-3 power play. However, Providence netminder Anton Khudobin matched Poulin and stopped all 12 Sound Tigers shots in the opening 20 minutes as the two sides ended the first period scoreless.

The Sound Tigers broke onto the scoreboard 2:42 into the second period. Howes battled to control the puck deep in the left corner of the Bruins zone and sent the puck on net towards Khudobin. The puck slipped through his pads and sat loose in the crease where Romano banged the puck home from behind the far post for his fifth goal of the season to give the Sound Tigers a 1-0 lead.

Providence finally ended the Sound Tigers shutout streak at 3:37 of the second period. Calle Ridderwall took a pass along the right side of the Sound Tigers zone, skated towards Poulin and snapped the puck through his pads to tie the game at one. Poulin's personal shutout streak ends at 221 minutes and 54 seconds, approximately 30 minutes shy of the all-time AHL record.

The score remained 1-1 until the 12:03 mark of the final period when Casey Cizikas put the Sound Tigers in front. Cizikas skated in along the left side of the Providence zone and fired a slapshot through a Bruins defenseman and past Khudobin to give the Sound Tigers a 2-1 lead. Ridderwall would respond for the Bruins, finding a loose puck in traffic in front of Poulin and knocking it home for his second goal of the game to tie the score at two with 3:03 left in regulation.

Khudobin was stellar in overtime to send the game to a shootout, making multiple saves in close during the extra session. However, the Sound Tigers had Khudobin's number in the bonus round, as Backman and Romano both lifted backhand shots over his blocker in the first two rounds. Mouillierat fired over Khudobin's blocker in the first part of the third round to put the Sound Tigers up 3-0, however Josh Hennessy scored in the bottom half to keep the shootout going. That set the stage for Howes, who skated in and deked multiple times in front of Khudobin before flipping the puck over his glove to earn the extra point for the Sound Tigers.

The Sound Tigers will return to action next Friday, Jan. 13 when they travel to Manchester to face the Monarchs at the Verizon Wireless Arena at 7:00 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 8, 2012


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