Recap: Islanders 4, Wolf Pack 1
Apr 3, 2024Aidan Fulp’s first professional goal proved to be the game winner and Ken Appleby made 28 saves on Wednesday, backstopping the Bridgeport Islanders (24-35-6-1), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 4-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack (30-25-7-3) at XL Center.
Alex Jefferies, who recorded his first pro goal on Tuesday, lit the lamp for a second straight contest, joining William Dufour and Carsen Twarynski as the other scorers. Twarynski (one goal, one assist) and Brian Pinho (two assists) each had a multi-point performance.
Bridgeport has won four of its last five games and three in a row on the road for the second time this season. Appleby (10-9-0) has won four of his last five appearances.
Jefferies opened the scoring at 10:41 of the first period when he stuck with an opportunity in front and capitalized on his own rebound. Pinho made a tight turn behind the Hartford net and twisted a centering pass out front for Jefferies, who was denied by goaltender Dylan Garand at first, but converted on the follow-up try below the right circle.
The Islanders built their lead in the second period by adding two goals on 12 shots. Fulp made it 2-0 at the 1:57 mark, spinning between the circles and rifling home an unassisted goal - his first as a pro - up and over Garand’s glove. Dufour scored his 14th goal of the season at 17:29 when Paul LaDue’s wrist shot above the hash marks produced a rebound, opening space for Ruslan Iskhakov to find Dufour alone on the left side. It was Iskhakov’s team-leading 29th assist and 46th point.
Just before Dufour’s goal, Ryder Korczak beat Appleby’s glove on a wrist shot down the right side for Harford’s only tally on the night. Appleby was lights out in the third period and made 12 saves to put the game away. Twarynski helped out with an empty netter in the final two minutes, his fourth goal of the season assisted by Cole Bardreau and Pinho.
The Islanders finished the game 0-for-3 on the power play, but 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
Next Time Out: The Islanders return to Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday for a 5 p.m. matchup against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The first 2,500 fans will receive a free beach towel for Island Night. The game can be seen live via AHLTV.com or heard for free through the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown at 4:45 p.m.