Sports stats



AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Stevens scores twice, adds one assist to help Bridgeport get to within seven points of a playoff spot

March 28, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - John Stevens scored twice and added an assist on Wednesday, helping the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (33-26-5-3), proud AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, collect six goals for the second straight game in a 6-4 victory over the Hershey Bears (28-32-4-5) at Webster Bank Arena.

It was the first three-point effort of Stevens' young career, while Ryan Hitchcock, Andre Benoit, Steve Bernier and Josh Ho-Sang also found the back of the net. In goal, Kristers Gudlevskis (12-14-5) made 36 saves on 40 shots. The win moved Bridgeport to within seven points of a playoff spot with nine games remaining. The Sound Tigers also have one game in hand on the fourth-place Charlotte Checkers.

The Sound Tigers led nearly wire-to-wire as Stevens opened the scoring just 29 seconds in. Before most fans could get comfortable, former Bear Ryan Bourque gathered the puck in the natural zone and filtered a nifty lead pass over the stipe, where Stevens raced onto it and fired a wrist shot past Vitek Vanecek's blocker from the left circle.

Hitchcock made it 2-0 less than four minutes later when he scored his second goal in as many games, and the second of his pro career. Casey Bailey entered Hershey's zone along the right boards to set up a 3-on-2 rush before he issued a cross-ice pass to Stevens above the left circle. Stevens hammered a low shot on goal that Vanecek kicked away, but Hitchcock got his stick on the rebound and forced it home at 4:19.

The Bears got one back at the 15:48 mark following a five-minute major and game misconduct to Kyle Burroughs for kneeing. The hit, which occurred just inside the neutral zone, knocked Tyler Graovac out of the game and led to Hershey's first goal of the contest courtesy of former Bridgeport forward Joe Whitney. Travis Boyd guided the puck to Aaron Ness, who took a slap shot from the point that ricocheted to the left of Gudlevskis. It skipped to the right circle where Whitney deposited his 14th goal of the season to make it 2-1.

Benoit converted on a long wrist shot for his first goal with the Sound Tigers at 7:44 of the second period to make it 3-1. Following Kyle Schempp's faceoff win, Benoit walked the blue line and sailed a shot through traffic, which beat Vanecek's glove.

The Sound Tigers continued their dominant second period with two more tallies in the final 88 seconds to boost their lead to four. Stevens cashed in on a 3-on-1 rush to bury his second goal of the night at the 18:42 mark, assisted by Mitch Vande Sompel. The rookie defenseman, who was a career-best plus-four in the contest, sped down the right wing and wristed a shot from the circle that was answered by Vanecek's pad, but angled right to Stevens. Bernier added his 17th goal of the season just 35 seconds later when he camped out at the doorstep and redirected Sebastian Aho's shot from the right wing. It caught a piece of Vanecek's blocker and trickled across the goal line.

Vanecek was lifted to begin the third period and Troy Mann's club came to life with backup netminder Adam Carlson taking over. The Bears scored three of the four goals in the final frame, but ultimately came up short despite a career-best three points (two goals, one assist) for Anthony Peluso. The ninth-year forward made it 5-2 at the 6:13 mark when he followed up Zach Sill's shot to convert on the rebound for his fifth of the season. It was his first multi-point game since Nov. 23, 2012.

Bridgeport's only tally in the third period came 1:21 later when Ho-Sang capitalized on a 2-on-1 rush. Travis St. Denis created the opportunity down the left wing and set up a sequence of back-and-forth passes before Ho-Sang nudged home his eighth goal of the season from the doorstep at 7:34.

The Bears got to within two goals before the final horn sounded, receiving another contribution from Peluso and one from Hampus Gustafsson. The latter made it 6-3 at the 11:22 mark when he finished a long rebound from Peluso's slapper in the high slot for his second AHL goal - both against the Sound Tigers. Peluso capped the scoring in the final half-minute with a drive from the left circle at 19:31.

The Sound Tigers finished the game 0-for-1 on the power play and 5-for-6 on the penalty kill. Hershey outshot Bridgeport 40-28, while Vanecek (11-10-2) made 14 saves on 19 shots in 39:54. Adam Carlson recorded eight saves on nine shots in 20:00 of relief.

Next Time Out: The Sound Tigers are back on the ice this Friday with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Springfield Thunderbirds at MassMutual Center. Fans can follow all of the live action from Springfield, Mass. on the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHL Live, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.

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!

Check out the Bridgeport Islanders Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2018


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.

Other Recent Bridgeport Islanders Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central