Sound Tigers Face T-Birds, Wolf Pack this Weekend
March 30, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The Bridgeport Sound Tigers (33-26-5-3), proud AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, make their final trips to MassMutual Center and XL Center this weekend to face the Springfield Thunderbirds (28-33-5-2) and Hartford Wolf Pack (31-30-5-3) for the last time this season. The action kicks off tonight with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff against the Thunderbirds.
The Sound Tigers enter the weekend seven points outside of a playoff spot with nine games left, trailing only the fourth-place Charlotte Checkers who are in Rochester tonight. Bridgeport also has one game in hand on Charlotte with a magic number of "12." Last time out, John Stevens scored twice and added one assist in a 6-4 win against the Hershey Bears on Wednesday. His three points were a career high, while Ryan Hitchcock, Steve Bernier, Andre Benoit and Josh Ho-Sang also found the back of the net. Travis St. Denis and Casey Bailey chipped in two assists each as the Sound Tigers scored six goals for the second straight game.
RADIO: www.bit.ly/BSTRadio
ONLINE VIDEO: www.ahllive.com
TIGERS VS. T-BIRDS
Tonight's game is the 10th and final meeting between the Sound Tigers and Thunderbirds this season, and the fifth of five matchups in Massachusetts. Bridgeport is 4-5-0-0 against Springfield, but the club is winless in its last five trips to MassMutual Center (0-5-0-0) dating back to April 14, 2017. Bridgeport is 0-4-0-0 on the road this season, but has beaten Springfield in four of five games at Webster Bank Arena, including a 5-4 victory in their last tilt on March 11. Ryan Bourque and Casey Bailey each scored once and added an assist that afternoon to help the Sound Tigers bounce back from a 4-0 deficit with five unanswered goals. Josh Ho-Sang added two helpers and now has five points (two goals, three assists) in seven contests against the T-Birds, while Anthony Greco leads all scorers in the series with seven goals and 11 points.
VIEW FROM SPRINGFIELD
The Thunderbirds are winless in their last seven games (0-5-1-1) and continue to occupy the basement of the Atlantic Division standings. Geordie Kinnear's club has been eliminated from playoff contention and enters tonight's contest following a 4-3 shootout loss to Hartford on Wednesday. Chase Balisy, Dryden Hunt and Joel Lowry all scored that night, while Harri Sateri made 29 saves on 32 shots in 65 minutes. Anthony Greco was held without a point for the fourth straight game, but the former Sound Tiger continues to lead Springfield with 26 goals, including a league-best six shorthanded.
TIGERS VS. WOLF PACK
Saturday's 7 p.m. matchup will mark the 10th and final meeting between the Sound Tigers and Wolf Pack this season, and the fifth of five games at the XL Center. Bridgeport is 6-1-1-1 against Hartford, including a 4-0 shutout victory on Feb. 18 at Webster Bank Arena, in which Travis St. Denis scored two of his team-leading 22 goals this season. Parker Wotherspoon and Steve Bernier also found the back of the cage that afternoon. The Sound Tigers are 3-0-1-0 at the XL Center this season and 6-1-1-0 over the last two years combined.
VIEW FROM HARTFORD
Keith McCambridge's club has won back-to-back games entering the weekend and continues to rank sixth in the Atlantic Division standings, four points behind Bridgeport, but with two more games played. Last time out, Hartford grinded out a 4-3 shootout win over Springfield on Sunday, in which Vinni Letteri scored his team-best 21st goal of the season and Brandon Crawley and Adam Tambellini each added a third-period tally. Scott Kosmachuk netted the only goal of a three-round shootout, while rookie goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves in 65 minutes and stopped all three shootout chances for his team-leading 13th win of the season. The Wolf Pack conclude a three-game homestand against Bridgeport on Saturday and five of their final seven games will take place at XL Center. However, Hartford enters the weekend with an elimination number of "three" - points missed out on or that Charlotte collects.
POWER UP
Casey Bailey has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his last 11 games and all but two of those have come on the power play. He scored Bridgeport's lone tally in last Friday's 4-1 loss to Syracuse with a one-time blast from the left circle and added a power-play assist on Sunday, giving the fourth-year forward a team-best 19 points on the man advantage (eight goals, 11 assists). In addition, Bailey has helped the club score at least one power-play goal in eight of its last 11 games and go 13-for-45 over that span (28.9%).
HITCHED
Long Island native Ryan Hitchcock signed an amateur tryout (ATO) with Bridgeport on March 8 and he's been on fire ever since. The 21-year-old forward has scored in back-to-back games, including his first pro goal last Sunday in Wilkes-Barre, and he currently has seven points (two goals, five assists) in seven pro games. Three of those contests have featured multi-point performances. Prior to turning pro, Hitchcock recorded a career-best 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 31 games as Yale University's captain earlier this season.
QUICK HITS
Travis St. Denis has 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in his last 12 games... Josh Ho-Sang has eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last 10 outings... Casey Bailey is seventh in the AHL with 185 shots... Seth Helgeson is fourth among AHL defensemen with 113 penalty minutes... The Sound Tigers have outscored opponents 9-1 at 4-on-4 play this season (excluding empty-netters)... Each of the last nine games will take place against Atlantic Division opponents... Mitch Vande Sompel was a career-best plus-four on Wednesday.
AFFILIATE REPORT
NHL: New York Islanders (32-35-10): Next vs. Toronto Maple Leafs - Tonight, 7 p.m. ET
ECHL: Worcester Railers (32-26-4-4): Next vs. Brampton Beast - Tonight, 7:05 p.m. ET
Don't Go It Alone: Whether it's a corporate outing, a fundraiser, or just friends getting together, a group outing with the Sound Tigers will guarantee an unforgettable experience filled with fast-paced action on the ice, great music, promotions and contests at an affordable price. The Sound Tigers have a variety of packages and promotional events to offer. Please call the team's front office at 203-345-2300 ext. 7 for more information on the benefits of bringing your group to a future game!
American Hockey League Stories from March 30, 2018
- San Antonio Lands Crucial 5-3 Victory over Stockton - San Antonio Rampage
- Admirals Earn Big Two Points in Win over Stars - Milwaukee Admirals
- Nowick's Two-Point Night Not Enough to Get Heat Past San Antonio - Stockton Heat
- Iowa Bested by Tucson 6-4 - Iowa Wild
- Blackwell's Big Night Sends Amerks Past Checkers in Overtime - Rochester Americans
- Griffins' Point Streak at Six After 3-2 Shootout Win - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Barracuda Earn Point in 3-2 Shootout Loss at Grand Rapids - San Jose Barracuda
- Bridgeport guides 39 shots on goal, but can't solve Harri Sateri - Bridgeport Islanders
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Tops Pack Late in OT - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Alexis D'Aoust Scores Twice as Comets Kiss Hershey Goodbye - Utica Comets
- Phantoms Post 4th March Shutout in 2-0 Win over Providence - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Crunch Roll Past Senators, 4-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Thunderbirds Shut out Sound Tigers to Sweep Home Series with Bridgeport - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Crunch Beat Sens in Final Match-Up of Season - Belleville Senators
- Bears Fall in Lone Visit to Utica, 3-1 - Hershey Bears
- Checkers Pick up One Point But Fall in OT to Amerks - Charlotte Checkers
- Penguins Earn 40th Win with 4-3 Victory at Hartford - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Devils Come Back in 3-2 Win over Rocket - Binghamton Devils
- Lehigh Valley Too Much for P-Bruins in 2-0 Defeat - Providence Bruins
- San Diego Gulls to Host Blood Drive at The Rinks - Poway Ice on Monday, April 2 - San Diego Gulls
- Canucks Recall Goaltender Thatcher Demko from the Comets Under Emergency Conditions - Utica Comets
- Comets Sign Forward Lukas Jasek to Amateur Tryout Contract - Utica Comets
- Wolf Pack Sign Forward Drew Melanson to ATO - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game #62 Preview: Tucson at Iowa - Tucson Roadrunners
- Marlies Meet Moose in Manitoba - Toronto Marlies
- Amerks Partner with Gilda's Club Rochester for Fourth Annual "Pink the Rink" Night April 7 - Rochester Americans
- Syracuse Crunch to Host Eighth Annual Pucks for Paws Presented by Bankers Healthcare Group April 7 - Syracuse Crunch
- American Hockey League Announces Suspensions - AHL
- Dziurzynski Comes Full Circle with Sens Organization - Belleville Senators
- Iowa Wild Signs Defenseman Mark Auk to ATO - Iowa Wild
- Wolf Pack to Take Part in Make-A-Wish Celebration - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Bears Make First Visit to Utica Since 2016 - Hershey Bears
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators at Crunch, March 30 - Belleville Senators
- Sabres Recall Wilcox from Rochester - Rochester Americans
- Sound Tigers Face T-Birds, Wolf Pack this Weekend - Bridgeport Islanders
- T-Birds Return Home for Two Weekend Games - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Berube Recalled by Blackhawks - Rockford IceHogs
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.
