AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Sound Tigers Open Playoffs With OT Win

Published on April 15, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, CT - The American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, opened the 2004 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 5-4 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at home Thursday and lead the best-of-seven East Division Semifinal one game to none. Derek Bekar opened the scoring just 57 seconds into the first period and notched the game-winner on the Sound Tigers' only shot of the extra session.

Bekar's first goal of the game was set up by Rob Collins and Jay Leach.

Jeff Hamilton, who led the League and set a single-season franchise record with 43 goals this year, upped the lead to 2-0 with his first of the postseason off an assist by Captain Alan Letang at the 8:07 mark, and the lead held up into the first intermission.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored the first of several odd-bounce goals with 5:44 left in the middle frame as Captain Tom Kostopoulos banked a shot off a defenseman and past Sound Tigers Goaltender Dieter Kochan for his first goal of the playoffs off assists from Matt Murley and Eric Meloche to make it 2-1.

Letang, who scored just one regular-season goal, made it 3-1 Sound Tigers with his first of the postseason 9:43 into the third period off assists from Collins and Mike Souza, but the Penguins pulled back to within 3-2 26 seconds later when Meloche lasered a shot a wrist shot past Kochan off an assist from Konstantin Koltsov and Toby Petersen.

Murley was credited with his first marker 2:52 later when a clearing attempt found its way into the Sound Tigers' net tying the score at 3-3. Ross Lupaschuk and Kris Beech assisted on the equalizer.

Hamilton, who also set an AHL single-season record with 15 game-winning goals this year, put the Sound Tigers back on top at 4-3 with his second of the night off an assist from Luke Curtin with 4:39 left to play, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tied the score again with 1:23 to go as Petersen tapped home a rebound after it trickled behind Kochan and into the crease. Koltsov and Brooks Orpik assist on that equalizer, which was Petersen's first goal of the playoffs.

The Penguins dominated the overtime jumping out to a 6-0 shots on goal advantage, but Bekar made the Sound Tigers' only opportunity count as he cut towards the high slot from the left wing while on a two-on-one with Cail MacLean and fired a low wrist shot past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Netminder Sebastien Caron at the 11:11 mark.

Bekar was the first star of the game, Hamilton the second, and Murley the third. Kochan turned in his third straight 37-save performance as the Penguins had a 41-31 shots on goal advantage. Caron made 26 saves. Both teams were 0 for 5 on the power play.

The Sound Tigers are now 3-4 all-time in playoff overtime games snapping a four-game skid in the extra session that dates back to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is now 3-6 all-time in postseason overtime games.

The series will resume with game two at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard this Saturday at 7:05 p.m. before shifting to the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania for game three this Sunday at 5:05 p.m. and game four this coming Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. All games are web cast live at www.soundtigers.com.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 15, 2004


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