Casey Bailey’s first goal of the season held up as the game-winner on Saturday as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (5-5-0-0), proud AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, edged the Springfield Thunderbirds (2-9-1-0) in a 3-2 final at Webster Bank Arena.
Josh Ho-Sang and Tanner Fritz (one goal, one assist) also found the back of the net, while Christopher Gibson (3-3-0) made 24 saves en route to his third consecutive win. In addition, Bridgeport’s penalty kill played a major role in the team’s second straight victory, going 7-for-7 on the night.
Ho-Sang opened the scoring on a delayed penalty just 3:25 into the first period with his second tally of the season. Michael Dal Colle rushed across the blue line and was hooked from behind, but still created the chance with a cross-ice pass to Fritz that was immediately fed back in front for a redirection from Ho-Sang. Springfield netminder Harri Sateri moved laterally in the crease in an attempt to make the save, but couldn’t get there in time.
The Sound Tigers doubled their advantage at 10:19 of the middle frame when Fritz hammered a slap shot over Sateri’s glove from the left wing. The third-year forward skated to the half wall and received a pass from Seth Helgeson before beating Sateri inside the right post.
Less than six minutes later, Bailey made it 3-0 when he capitalized on an odd-man rush into the Thunderbirds’ zone. Kane Lafranchise curled the puck nearly halfway around the boards from his own left corner before Scott Eansor raced onto it in the neutral zone. The rookie forward proceed to dart across the blue line and through the left circle, where he centered a pass for a hard-charging Bailey. It was Bailey’s first goal with the Sound Tigers.
The Thunderbirds made things interesting with a pair of goals separated by just 1:18 midway through the third period. Former Sound Tiger Anthony Greco made it 3-1 at the 9:54 mark with his fourth goal of the season. Denis Malgin danced his way free from a pair of Sound Tigers in the left circle and slipped a pass to the slot where Greco fired it low on Gibson.
Alexander Grenier cut Springfield’s deficit to one at 11:12 of the final frame when Chase Balisy guided a pass to the slot where Grenier buried a one-timer for his second tally of the season, which gave Springfield life in the final nine minutes. Still down by a one with 24 seconds left and Ben Holmstrom in the box for cross-checking, the visitors elected to pull Sateri for a two-man advantage, but couldn’t even the score.
The Sound Tigers outshot the Thunderbirds 31-26, but went 0-for-3 on the power play. Sateri (0-4-0) made 28 saves in Springfield’s loss.
Next Time Out: The Sound Tigers conclude a three-game weekend series tomorrow afternoon with a 3:05 p.m. puck drop against the Providence Bruins at Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Fans can also follow all of the live action on the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHL Live, beginning with the pre-game show at 2:45 p.m.
Hottest Tickets in Town: The Sound Tigers will boast one of their most extensive and exciting promotional lineups in team history this season. This year’s calendar will feature the return of Star Wars Night (Dec. 2), meet-and-greets with the Justice League (Nov. 11) and Marvel (Jan. 27) superheroes, and all-new promotions like a camouflage baseball cap (Jan. 13) and a kid’s lunch box giveaway (Feb. 11). Click here to tickets.
Guarantee Your Seats: Season tickets and flex plans are on sale now for the 2017-18 campaign, offering the greatest savings and ultimate flexibility of all ticket packages. Pick between a full-season, 20-game, 15-game or 10-game plan and you’ll also be entitled to exclusive benefits, including the ticket holder exchange policy, which means any unused tickets can be traded for future games. Seating options are broken down into six different pricing sections, giving you the flexibility to fit Sound Tigers’ hockey into any kind of budget. Please contact Brad Dworin at 203-345-4813 or via [email protected] with questions or to guarantee your seats.
About the Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Founded in 2001, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Hockey Club is the top minor league affiliate of the New York Islanders. Don’t miss your chance to take part in the family fun that occurs during home games at Webster Bank Arena. For further information on ticket or sponsorship opportunities, call our office at (203) 345-2300 or e-mail [email protected]. For more team information, log on to soundtigers.com.