T-Birds Upended Late by Islanders in Shootout Defeat
AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Upended Late by Islanders in Shootout Defeat

Published on November 29, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds forward Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (right)
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (right)
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (5-10-2-2) caught an unfortunate break on a late game-tying goal in regulation before falling, 3-2, in a shootout to the Bridgeport Islanders (7-10-1-1) before a sellout crowd inside the MassMutual Center on Saturday night.

For a second straight night, the Islanders' first period excellence came to the forefront, and the visitors picked up the lone goal in the first on a weird and painful sequence. Forward Eetu Liukas was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a Sean Day point shot struck him under the visor, forcing him down to the ice injured. As Liukas lay near the crease, Liam Foudy arrived at the loose puck and fired it off the post behind Georgi Romanov. However, Liukas turned out to be in the right place as the puck glanced off the iron, then off his leg, before finding its way across the line at 13:16 for the first goal of the game.

Henrik Tikkanen made his season debut in the Bridgeport goal crease and proved to be tough to beat through the first half of the game, but Springfield's shorthanded group finally solved the tall Finn at 9;49 of the second as Hugh McGing moved down the left wing and fired a sneaky, short-side shot past the netminder, tying the game, 1-1, on the T-Birds' second shorthanded goal in as many days.

Romanov kept his game elevated throughout a busy second period, as he successfully turned away all 14 Bridgeport shot attempts to keep his team deadlocked heading into the final period. The tight checking continued in the final period, with Springfield's forecheck continuing to work over the Islander defense. Eventually, they broke through at 9:55 of the third with Juraj Pekarcik finding his way to the low slot and firing a shot upstairs past Tikkanen, giving Springfield the 2-1 advantage.

The T-Birds' power play missed a chance to add insurance, and the one-goal margin carried into the final two minutes. With Tikkanen on his way to the bench for an extra attacker, Luke Rowe uncorked a blistering slapper from the left point that glanced off the underside of the crossbar, beating Romanov to tie the game, 2-2, at 18:11. For the second time this month, the division rivals went to overtime.

Springfield carried much of the play in overtime, but Tikkanen answered with five stops, and the T-Birds failed to strike on a 4-on-3 advantage in the last 1:31 of overtime after Rowe committed a tripping infraction.

With the game coming down to a shootout, Matt Luff got Springfield off on the right foot, beating Tikkanen to begin the festivities, but Chris Terry and Matt Maggio both connected against Romanov, while Matthew Peca and Nikita Alexandrov could not solve Tikkanen. Springfield, despite the bitter defeat, extended its point streak to five straight games, going 3-0-1-1 over that stretch.

The T-Birds are back in action next Friday in Hartford for another meeting with the Wolf Pack inside PeoplesBank Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. to begin the three-game weekend.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

Check out the Springfield Thunderbirds Statistics

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Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds forward Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (right)
Springfield Thunderbirds forward Aleksanteri Kaskimäki (right)
   



American Hockey League Stories from November 29, 2025


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