Sound Tigers Spoil Wolf Pack's Finale With Improbable 4-3 Shootout Win
Published on November 26, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release
BRIDGEPORT, Conn - The Sound Tigers scored three times in the final 6:42 regulation and Jeremy Colliton completed an improbable comeback with the game-winner in the shootout, as Bridgeport beat the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-3 in their final game as the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday in Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers improve to 9-11-1-0 with the thrilling win. Hartford falls to 6-11-2-3.
Similar to the Sound Tigers game Wednesday night against Providence, neither team was able to get many offensive chances in the opening period of Friday's game. Only 12 shots were registered between the two teams, all of them by different shooters.
Hartford would score twice in the second period to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Dale Weise fed Mats Zuccarello from the left corner of the Sound Tigers zone, and Zuccarello fired a one-timer past Mikko Koskinen to put Hartford ahead 1-0 midway through the second. With just 1:50 left in the middle frame, the Wolf Pack increased its lead to two. Just as Jeremy Williams exited the penalty box, Hartford skated in on a three-on-two and Chad Kolarik snuck his eighth goal of the season past Koskinen to give Hartford a 2-0 lead. The Wolf Pack extended their advantage to three goals when Williams scored his 12th of the season on a one-timer just 1:36 into the third period.
The start of the Sound Tigers comeback came from the unlikeliest of sources. With the teams skating four-on-four, defenseman Wes O'Neill was taken down on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. O'Neill skated in on Chad Johnson and fired it below his blocker to put the Sound Tigers on the board with 6:42 left in the third. Just 21 seconds later, Rhett Rakhshani made it a one-goal game with his sixth of the season on a shot from the slot. The score remained 3-2 with 65 seconds left in the third when Josh Bailey's gorgeous cross-ice pass to the near circle found O'Neill, who buried it for his second goal of the game to tie the score at three.
Hartford outshot the Sound Tigers 3-1 in the extra session but Koskinen stopped them all and the two teams went to a shootout. Both goaltenders did their jobs in the shootout as Koskinen and Johnson stopped 12 combined shooters through six rounds. Evgeny Grachev was denied by Koskinen to start the seventh round, which turned out to be the last save he would need to make. With a chance to win the game, Jeremy Colliton skated in on Johnson and slid the puck through his legs to complete the thrilling comeback, a 4-3 shootout win over the Wolf Pack in their final game ever.
Mikko Koskinen made 29 saves to earn the win over Hartford. Chad Johnson made 24 saves in the loss.
The Sound Tigers return to action tomorrow night when they travel to Hartford to play the Connecticut Whale in their first ever game. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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