Recap: Bears 3, Islanders 2 (OT)
Jan 4, 2022The Bridgeport Islanders (10-16-3-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, continued their first road trip of 2022 with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Hershey Bears (15-9-2-1) at the Giant Center on Sunday.
Erik Brown scored early in the third to tie the game up, pushing the Islanders past regulation for the second straight game, but Hershey’s Shane Gersich forced a turnover and scored on goaltender Ken Appleby to defeat Bridgeport.
Hershey struck first at 9:04 of the first period when Gersich snuck a shot past the blocker of Appleby, off of assists from Drake Rymsha and Mason Morelli.
Chris Terry didn't allow Hershey’s lead to last long, scoring less than 4 minutes later with a breakaway tally at 12:49 of the first period. Terry beat Hershey goaltender Zach Fucale with Bridgeport’s lone shot of the period past the right pad.
The second period was seemingly uneventful, with both teams trading shots until Garret Pilon forced a turnover and scored over the top of Appleby’s blocker for his ninth goal of the season to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
Erik Brown tied it up early in the third period off a quick feed from Felix Bibeau behind the net, at 2:15 into the final frame.
The 2-2 stalemate continued through the third frame, and pushed the game into overtime. Gersich knocked the puck away and beat the Islanders down the ice to gain the win at 2:13 in OT.
The Islanders finished 0-for-2 on the power play, and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Appleby (0-2-2) made 24 saves on 27 shots against.
Next Time Out: The Islanders head back home for a three-game homestand, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 5th against the Providence Bruins at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Yale New Haven Health Box Office or on Ticketmaster. Fans can also follow the action all season long via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHLTV.