AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Sound Tigers Surge Past Falcons 5-3

Published on December 8, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, Conn (Dec. 8, 2010) ‚¬" The Sound Tigers came from behind three times and Josh Bailey scored the game-winner with just over three minutes left in regulation as Bridgeport defeated the Springfield Falcons 5-3 at the Arena at Harbor Yard on Wednesday night. With the win, the Sound Tigers reach the .500 mark for the first time since opening weekend and are currently 12-12-1-1 overall. Springfield drops to 12-13-1-1.

Mike Blunden gave Springfield a 1-0 lead at the 9:07 of the first period. Tom Sestito forced a turnover behind the Sound Tigers net and fed Blunden in the slot who fired past an outstretched Kevin Poulin for his 11th goal of the season. The Sound Tigers would respond just 1:14 later. Tomas Marcinko and Robin Figren skated in on a 2-on-1 and Marcinko did all of the work himself, holding the puck and lifting it over David LeNeveu to tie the game 1-1 midway through the first. It looked like the two teams would head to the dressing rooms tied at one, but Springfield retook the lead just before the horn sounded. Jonathan Sigalet's shot from the point made its way through a screen and beat Poulin with just 1.3 seconds left in the period to give Springfield a 2-1 lead after the first 20 minutes of play.

The Sound Tigers tied the game with their fourth power play goal in three games 5:16 into the second period. Nick Holden's cross-check gave the Sound Tigers a man-advantage and after Jeremy Colliton's rebound attempt was stopped, Rhett Rakhshani found the puck and buried it for his ninth goal of the season to tie the game at two. The seesaw battle continued as Springfield took the lead again less than two minutes later. Dane Byers deflected Nick Holden's shot from the point past Poulin for his sixth goal of the season and Springfield held a 3-2 lead which continued into the third period.

Trent Campbell evened the score once more with eight minutes to go. Wes O'Neill's poke check created a 2-on-1 for Campbell and Olivier Labelle. Labelle fed Campbell in the slot and the first-year Sound Tiger roofed the puck over LeNeveu for his first of the season to even the score at three. With just over three minutes to go, the Sound Tigers took advantage of a fortuitous bounce. Dylan Reese's shot from the point was deflected in the slot by a Springfield defenseman and landed right on the stick of Josh Bailey. Bailey fired from the right-wing circle for his third goal of the season to put the Sound Tigers in front for good 4-3. Tomas Marcinko would score his second goal of the game and season on an empty netter and the Sound Tigers skated away with a hard-fought 5-3 win over the =46alcons.

Kevin Poulin made 21 saves to earn his seventh win of the season and improves to 7-2-1 overall. David LeNeveu stopped 27 shots in the loss. Rhett Rakhshani recorded multiple points for the third straight game and has two goals and four assists over that span. Dylan Reese also notched two assists in his first game back with the Sound Tigers since being returned by the New York Islanders. The win continues the Sound Tigers impressive start at home as their record now stands at 10-3-1-0 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

The Sound Tigers return to action Saturday night when they make their only trip of the season to Syracuse to take on the Crunch at 7:30 p.m.

Check out the Bridgeport Islanders Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from December 8, 2010


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.

OurSports Central