Sound Tigers Steal Wild One
Published on February 9, 2014 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
The Adirondack Phantoms culminated play before the All-Star Break with a wild, back-and-forth game at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday afternoon. When all the smoke had cleared, Bridgeport emerged with a 5-4 win in the high-octane offensive affair.
The Phantoms initially led 1-0 and 2-1 before Bridgeport overcame a strong Adirondack push that nearly extended the lead. The Sound Tigers then rallied for a 3-2 lead. With the score tied 3-3, the Sound Tigers would score back-to-back goals just 29 seconds apart in the opening minute of the third period for the decisive goals. The Phantoms closed the gap to 5-4 and almost tied the game a few different times including with just three seconds remaining, but the Sound Tigers were able to hang on.
John Persson scored two goals and one assist for Bridgeport and Ryan Strome also had a three-point game with one goal and two helpers. Phantoms goals came from the sticks of Kris Newbury (13th), Tye McGinn (14th), Oliver Lauridsen (1st) and Petr Straka (7th). The Adirondack offense provided plenty of support in this one but it ended up not being enough in the team's first regulation loss of the season when scoring four or more goals. Adirondack's record now stands at 7-1-1 in such games.
Newbury started the scoring just 23 seconds into the game with the team's fastest goal of the season. Petr Straka started the quick transition from the Phantoms end connecting cross-ice onto the the tape of Jason Akeson who nicely moved the puck from the neutral-zone right-wing boards up to Kris Newbury dashing up the middle into the Bridgeport end. Newbury converted on his breakaway going five-hole on Anders Nilsson for the early 1-0 lead.
Ryan Strome evened the score for the Sound Tigers with his 11th of the year snapping a perfectly placed drive high-glove on Cal Heeter to rattle it around the top of the cage.
Tye McGinn pushed the Phantoms back in front 12:32 into the first period with his 14th of the season on a deflection of a Bruno Gervais shot from the right point. McGinn now has seven goals in his last eight games and has scored 9-4-13 in his last 13 games since January 4. Adirondack led 2-1 at the first intermission. Chris VandeVelde also assisted on the play and his check in the corner while moving the puck back to Gervais was a key for the score.
The Phantoms were dominating play for the opening minutes of the second period and had the Sound Tigers on their heels with a number of extended possessions and cycles in the Bridgeport zone. Nilsson was barely hanging on. Adirondack had a couple of stretches in which the Sound Tigers could hardly get a hold of the puck at all while the Phantoms kept blasting away and building and building.
Jason Akeson broke free on a breakaway shortly after those long pushes in the zone and was slashed while being denied by Nilsson. But Akeson was unable to convert on the team's first penalty shot attempt in over a year and the 14th all-time for the Adirondack Phantoms. Nilsson denied Akeson's drive with the left leg to keep the Phantoms' lead at 2-1. Adirondack's last penalty shot had come on January 25, 2013 when Harry Zolnierczyk missed against Keith Kinkaid at Albany. The Phantoms last successful penalty-shot goal was October 26, 2012 when Zac Rinaldo scored Jeff Frazee at Albany.
Adirondack still had the pressure on the Sound Tigers and induced another penalty with an opportunity to go on the power play. But a costly turnover in the Phantoms zone led to an interception and a shorthanded goal by Mike Halmo at 8:17 of the frame tied the score at 2-2. And just two minutes later, Dallas Jackson's shot from the left-wing boards would be deflected through Cal Heeter by John Persson to give the Sound Tigers the first lead of the game.
The Phantoms were able to storm back with a shorthanded goal of their own later in the period with Jason Akeson carrying the puck into the Bridgeport zone and eventually starting the cycle around to Oliver Lauridsen whose drive from the left-point snuck through for his first of the season. Akeson created a screen in front of Nilsson to help on the score. Lauridsen's first of the season was also the team's second shorthanded goal of the year. Both have been scored in Bridgeport and on the second-period attacking end of the ice for the visitors. Chris VandeVelde had converted on his breakaway against Kenny Reiter on November 10th at Webster Bank Arena in the team's only other shortie of the season so far.
A 3-3 tie entering the final period would not stay that way for long. Matt Donovan would strike just 28 seconds into the period and then John Persson's second of the afternoon came a mere 29 seconds after that on an odd-man rush and suddenly the Phantoms were facing a 5-3 deficit.
Petr Straka was able to redeem one of them back for the Phantoms with 9:28 remaining with his backdoor conversion of an Akeson centering-feed from the right-wing boards. But from there, Bridgeport was able to cling to their 5-4 lead and hang on for the win.
The Phantoms enter the All-Star Break with a record of 22-23-2. Adirondack falls to 0-3-0 against Bridgeport while the Sound Tigers improve to 20-24-5 overall. Adirondack and Bridgeport will meet five more times in the regular season with the Phantoms next opportunity for revenge coming on February 22 in Philadelphia.
The team is off during the upcoming week for the AHL All-Star Break. Many players will head home for a couple of days to visit with family and friends while there are no practices allowed.
The Phantoms return to action for a Valentine's Day encounter against the Portland Pirates on Friday, February 14 at 7:00 at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Adirondack is also at home on Friday, February 21 featuring Olympic themed jerseys. The spectacular red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes uniforms will be auctioned to the fans immediately after the game. Contact the Phantoms in advance to save on tickets: 518-480-3355.
American Hockey League Stories from February 9, 2014
- Heat Fall 7-2 to Stars - Abbotsford Heat
- Stars Avenge Shootout Loss, Thrash Heat 7-2 - Texas Stars
- Brotherly Love, Broadhursts Lift Hogs - Rockford IceHogs
- Jensen's Trick Foiled by Rockford in Overtime - Utica Comets
- Pens Pick up Point in Overtime Loss to Bears - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Fraser Clears Waivers; Assigned to Manchester - Manchester Monarchs
- Devils Go Down in Manchester - Manchester Monarchs
- Rampage Reassign Luciani to ECHL Cincinnati - San Antonio Rampage
- Bulldogs Edge Marlies 4-3 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Sound Tigers Steal Wild One - Adirondack Phantoms
- Marlies Fall 4-3 against Hamilton - Toronto Marlies
- Sound Tigers Edge Adirondack 5- - Bridgeport Islanders
- P-Bruins Defeat Falcons 3-1 - Providence Bruins
- Falcons Drop Sunday Matinee in Providence - Springfield Falcons
- Sharks Steal 4-2 Win over IceCaps - St. John's IceCaps
- Devils Blanked By Monarchs - Albany Devils
- Wolves Rally for 4-3 Shootout Win - Chicago Wolves
- Checkers Tie Barons Late, Fall in OT - Charlotte Checkers
- Sharks Hit Break with 4-2 Win at St. John's - Worcester Sharks
- Barons Beat Checkers in Overtime, 4-3 - Oklahoma City Barons
- Iowa Releases Tyler Murovich from PTO - Iowa Wild
- Mackenzie Assigned to Alaska - Abbotsford Heat
- Coyotes Assign Kennedy and Murphy to Portland - Portland Pirates
- Capitals Re-Assign Brouillette, Wellman and Wey to Hershey - Hershey Bears
- Foursome Heads Back to Utica - Utica Comets
- Gameday: Comets at Rockford - Utica Comets
- Lightning Reassign F Namestnikov, G Gudlevskis to Syracuse - Syracuse Crunch
- Canadiens Assign Beaulieu to Bulldogs - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Heat Beat Stars 3-2 in a Shootout - Abbotsford Heat
- Heat Slip by Stars 3-2 in a Shootout - Texas Stars
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