Sports stats



AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Produce Festivus Miracle, Stunning Islanders in OT

December 23, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- The Springfield Thunderbirds (15-9-2-1) completed an improbable comeback from down 3-0 after 40 minutes to stun the Bridgeport Islanders (8-16-2-0) with a 4-3 overtime win inside the MassMutual Center on Saturday night.

Malcolm Subban got the nod in the crease for the T-Birds and battled to make 24 saves on the night for his sixth win. In the opposite crease, Jakub Skarek got the start for the Islanders, stopping 36 of 40 shots he faced.

The first period did not bring much action for the first 10-plus minutes, with both teams dead even with six shots on goal. The period brought many more trips to the penalty box than it did scoring, as the teams combined for three abbreviated power plays over a two-minute span.

Although neither team was able to capitalize on their respective power plays, it was the Islanders who found the back of the net first at 5-on-5. William Dufour one-touched a Ruslan Iskhakov pass across the crease to Otto Koivula, who tapped it past Subban to give Bridgeport a 1-0 lead at 14:52 of the first.

The best scoring chance in the first for the T-Birds came with just over a minute left in the period. Peca chipped a pass over to Adam Gaudette, who flew into the Bridgeport zone. Gaudette made a spin move to escape his defender, managing to get a backhander on net, but Skarek made the save. The teams marched to their dressing rooms for the intermission with the score still 1-0 Bridgeport.

The second goal of the game came from the stick of Jeff Kubiak. Cole Bardreau went one-on-one against Springfield's Dylan Coghlan as he broke toward the goal. Despite Coghlan playing his man well, Bardreau found some space and slid a pass to a streaking Kubiak, who lifted the puck past Subban's blocker, adding to his team's lead to make it 2-0 Bridgeport at 12:26 of the second. The Islanders were able to add to their lead further with 2:59 remaining in the period, as Sevigny blasted a slap shot from the left point past Subban to make it 3-0.

Springfield almost cut the deficit to two late in the second period. Joseph Duszak found Will Bitten behind the Bridgeport defense and hit him with a perfect pass, springing the speedy winger on a breakaway, but Skarek got a piece of the five-hole attempt, and the T-Birds faced a daunting three-goal hole heading into the third.

However, the tide would change quickly, as it only took 19 seconds for the home team to strike in the third period. After Nathan Walker fired a shot on goal and got his rebound, he sent a pass to Gaudette, who had found some open space behind the goal line. The T-Birds' leading goal-scorer got the puck and quickly turned towards the Bridgeport goal, spinning and shooting a backhander past Skarek for his 16th goal of the year.

After the scuffling Springfield power play could not strike on two separate chances, and with less than five minutes to play, the T-Birds' hard work at even strength finally paid off. Zach Bolduc took the puck into the offensive zone and cut back at the right-wing wall toward Coghlan. The winger slid the puck to him, and Coghlan made no mistake blasting a slap shot through Skarek. With the goal, Coghlan became the first AHL defenseman to reach 10 goals on the year and cut the Bridgeport lead once more to 3-2 with just 4:15 to play.

The T-Birds' no-quit mentality brought the roof off the Thunderdome in the waning seconds of regulation. With Subban pulled, the team went to work with a 6-on-5. Coghlan collected the puck at the blue line and fired a shot on goal. Although Skarek made the initial save, there was a huge scramble around his crease. The puck found its way to Peca, and the Springfield captain calmly settled the puck and wristed it home from deep in the right circle to tie the game up, sending the home crowd into a frenzy with just nine seconds left in regulation time. For the second time in two nights, the T-Birds had come from 3-0 down to force the overtime period against a divisional opponent.

The home team controlled most of the overtime period, and after a bench minor was called on the Islanders for too many men, the power play finally broke its slump on the ensuing 4-on-3. Jakub Vrana was the hero, as he accepted a pass from Coghlan at the top of the right circle and hammered a one-timer past Skarek glove-side, giving the T-Birds a 4-3 win in miraculous fashion at 2:14 of the extra period.

After the Christmas holiday, the T-Birds return home for another Winning Wednesday game on December 27th to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack, with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m. at the Thunderdome.

Fans can reserve seats to be a part of the Thunderbirds' hockey action for the 2023-24 season by calling (413)-739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

-- SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS -

Check out the Springfield Thunderbirds Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from December 23, 2023


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