Recap: Bears 4, Islanders 1
Feb 3, 2023Chris Terry’s second shorthanded goal of the season was not enough to spark a comeback on Friday as the Bridgeport Islanders (19-18-6-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, fell to the Hershey Bears (29-10-4-1) in a 4-1 loss at Total Mortgage Arena.
Jakub Skarek (6-11-3) made 25 saves in his fourth consecutive appearance for the Islanders. Both teams saw at least four power-play opportunities, with only Hershey capitalizing. Bridgeport went 0-for-4 on the man advantage and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Islanders have rotated wins and losses through their last six games (3-3-0-0).
The Islanders were outshot 9-2 in the opening 20 minutes but a strong start from Skarek kept the game scoreless entering the first intermission. The Washington Capitals’ affiliate broke the stalemate with Riley Sutter’s third goal of the season just 25 seconds into the middle frame. Mason Morelli raced to the right circle and fired a shot off Skarek’s pads that angled to Sutter for the rebound goal.
The Bears increased their lead to 2-0 just over six minutes later when Connor McMichael redirected a chance under the arm of a fully extended Skarek for the eventual game winner at 6:52.
Terry cut the deficit to one with Bridgeport’s eighth shorthanded goal as a team this season, tied for most in the AHL. The veteran followed up Kyle MacLean’s breakaway after he picked McMichael’s pocket in the deep slot, and backhanded home his 14th goal of the season at 8:08. It was Terry’s team-leading 43rd point.
Hershey netted a power-play goal at 11:37 of the second when the AHL Rookie of the Month for January, Ethen Frank, snuck a wrist-shot through a set of screens from above the right circle. Beck Malenstyn capped the 4-1 final with just over 10 minutes remaining in the contest, deflecting Aaron Ness’ shot past Skarek for his fourth of the season.
The Islanders are now 1-2-2-0 in five meetings against the Bears this season. They will meet for the sixth and final time on Friday, Apr. 14th at Total Mortgage Arena.
Next time out: The Islanders head to Springfield, Mass. at 7:05 p.m. tomorrow night for their final game before the All-Star break. Bridgeport holds a 3-2-3-0 record against the St. Louis Blues’ affiliate through eight matchups this season. The game can be seen on AHLTV and heard via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network.