AHL Bridgeport Islanders

Tigers defeat Portland Pirates

Published on March 8, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Bridgeport Islanders News Release


Steve Regier tallied his team-leading 19th goal of the season with only 38 seconds remaining in the third period to steal a point in the Sound Tigers' 5-4 shootout defeat to the Portland Pirates.

The Sound Tigers were able to weather the offensive storm that hit them last night in the first ten minutes but the Pirates kept coming and got on the board first at 16:49 of the opening period. Bruno St. Jacques sent a shot from the point, almost identical to his goal last night, whistling past Sound Tigers' starting goalie Joey MacDonald for the 1-0 lead. The goal was St. Jacques' sixth of the season, coming on the power-play and was assisted on by Jason King and Joe Callahan.

Sean Bentivoglio would tie the score at one, 6:31 into the second period. The tally was set up by call-ups from the Sound Tigers' ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies. Andy Sertich started the play in the neutral sending the puck ahead to Tyler Haskins. Haskins beat a Portland defender to the puck in the right circle and put a behind the back pass to Bentivoglio in the slot where Bentivoglio snapped a shot under Pirates' starting net-minder, Mike McKenna, for his eighth goal of the season. Portland would waste little time regaining the lead, 24 seconds later. Andrew Ebbett ripped a slap-shot from the near circle over MacDonald for the 2-1 lead. Brendan Mikkelson and Darryl Bootland had the assists on the marker.

The Sound Tigers would go on the power-play about half-way through regulation when Bootland took a two-minute roughing penalty. With Steve Regier digging for the puck low in the right corner, the puck squirted out to Ben Walter where the center-man grabbed the puck and fed a pass to Sertich. Pinching in from the point, Sertich took the feed and wristed the puck past McKenna, tying the score at 2-2 with his third goal of the season. The Pirates would answer with their own goal on the man-advantage, 12:43 into the middle frame. With Portland cycling the puck, Stephen Dixon dropped a pass to Petteri Wirtanen who fed a pass high to the right point where Salcido cranked a slap-shot through MacDonald for his ninth tally of the season, taking the 3-2 lead for the Pirates.

In the third period, Dixon would add to the Portland lead with his 14th goal of the season. Jay Leach and Ryan Dingle had the assists on Dixon's goal coming a minute and 35 seconds into the period. The Sound Tigers would answer with their own offensive punch when Kyle Okposo jammed his eighth goal of the season through McKenna. Scott Ford sent a pass deep into the right corner where Micheal Haley sent a pass to the front of the net. The puck was bouncing in front where Okposo pushed it in 12:05 into the final period. Regier would tie the score at four with only 38 seconds remaining in regulation. Drew Fata fired a slap-shot on net that McKenna stopped but Regier pounced on the rebound sending the game into overtime with his team leading 19th tally of the season.

Nothing was settled in overtime so the game went to the shootout where Andrew Ebbett scored the game-winner in the sixth round.

MacDonald finished the game 40 saves on 44 shots while his counterpart McKenna had 32 saves on the 36 shots he faced. The Sound Tigers were 1-for-3 on the power-play and went 1-for-3 on the penalty-kill.

The Sound Tigers will return home tonight and have the day off tomorrow to rest for their game on Wednesday at home against the Binghamton Senators at 7:30 p.m. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will come into town on Friday to face-off against the Sound Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the division leading Philadelphia Phantoms will pay a visit to the Sound Tigers with the puck scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 8, 2008


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