Recap: Bears 4, Islanders 3 (OT)
Apr 5, 2022The Bridgeport Islanders (27-27-7-4, .500), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, collected one point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Hershey Bears (31-26-5-4, .538) in front of 6,186 fans at Total Mortgage Arena on Tuesday.
Nine different Islanders recorded a point, including Kyle MacLean, Jeff Kubiak, and Chris Terry who all scored. Cory Schneider (10-10-4) made 37 saves in his return from New York. Both teams led in a back-and-forth game that ended the six-game season series. Four of the six matchups went to overtime and Bridgeport finished 1-2-3-0 against the Bears.
Kody Clark scored two goals for Hershey including the game-winner at 2:13 of overtime.
The Bears struck first just 1:38 into the contest when Clark drove to the slot and fired a low shot through Drake Rymsha’s screen and past Schneider on the short side. It was Clark’s eighth goal of the season and the only tally of the first period.
Bridgeport pulled back even and then took the lead with two goals on seven shots in the second period. MacLean tied the game with his eighth goal of the season, finishing off a tic-tac-toe sequence from Erik Brown and Collin Adams at the 10:28 mark. Less than six minutes later, Kubiak made it 2-1 with a power move to the doorstep and beat Hershey goaltender Pheonix Copley between the pads. Kubiak’s eighth goal of the season came at 16:13 of the second following a give-and-go with Michael Dal Colle.
The Bears bounced right back and took a 3-2 lead in the third period courtesy of Ed Wittchow and Brett Leason. Wittchow settled Marcus Vela’s pass during a three-on-two rush and snapped home a left-wing wrist shot at 4:28. Leason restored Hershey’s advantage at the 9:57 mark when he entered the zone and wired a heavy shot past Schneider’s glove.
Terry came to the Islanders’ rescue with another clutch tally in the final five minutes, his team-leading 25th goal and 51st point of the season. He camped out below the goal line and banked a shot off Copley - a play that was reviewed, and confirmed, to make it 3-3.
In overtime, Clark beat Schneider with a backhand shot near the bottom of the left circle for the 4-3 final.
The Islanders went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and did not have a power play for just the second time all season. Bridgeport was outshot 41-28.
Next Time Out: The Islanders open a three-in-three series on Friday with a 7 p.m. puck drop against the Providence Bruins (31-19-4-6, .600) at Total Mortgage Arena. The game can be heard online through the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, or seen via AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45 p.m.