Recap: Phantoms 5, Islanders 3
Mar 1, 2025Brian Pinho scored twice, his team-leading 20th and 21st goals of the season, but the Bridgeport Islanders (12-36-3-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 5-3 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (28-20-5-2) at PPL Center on Saturday.
Pinho set a new career high in goals with a 5-on-3 power-play tally in the final two minutes, while Matt Maggio also found the back of the net. Tristan Lennox (0-1-0) made 17 saves in his AHL debut.
Jacob Gaucher recorded his team-leading 19th goal to put the Phantoms ahead early, which came shorthanded just 2:10 into the game. AHL All-Star Olle Lycksell sprung Gaucher towards Lennox, and Gaucher filtered a backhand shot under the Islanders rookie goaltender.
Louie Belpedio made it 2-0 at the 14:35 mark before Lycksell scored his 16th goal of the season, unassisted, at 1:18 of the second.
Down 3-0, the Islanders regrouped and posted the next two goals to move back within striking distance. Maggio received some puck luck at 4:24 of the second period, dragging and shooting a heavy wrist shot from the middle of the ice, which goaltender Cal Petersen (11-11-3) blocked up into the air. The puck landed behind Petersen and bounced into the net for Maggio’s seventh goal of the year and first since Feb. 12.
Pinho followed at the 17:11 mark, scoring his 20th goal of the season to match his career high. Petersen denied Chris Terry from an angle, but the rebound slid right up the slot for Pinho, who walked into a one-time slap shot. Isaiah George was also credited with an assist, extending his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists).
Bridgeport kept pressing but couldn’t draw back even. Instead, Lycksell scored his second goal of the game and third of the weekend just 45 seconds later.
Anthony Richard beat Lennox from the right circle to make it 5-2 early in the third. It was a power-play goal that came with Alex Jefferies in the box for interference at the 4:51 mark. The Islanders outshot Lehigh Valley 10-3 in the third period and had to navigate an extremely choppy frame that included four different 10-minute misconducts. Saturday’s game featured 70 combined penalty minutes overall.
The final strike came from the Islanders at 5-on-3 with two minutes to play. Pinho polished off a long sequence of rebounds amidst a flurry in front of Petersen, scoring his 21st goal of the season. Terry and Sam Bolduc recorded the assists. Terry exits the night with 34 assists and 50 points on the season, sharing first and third among all AHL players, respectively.
The Islanders went 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Bridgeport’s winless streak moved to five games (0-4-0-1).
Next Time Out: The Islanders face the Hartford Wolf Pack at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to conclude a three-game road trip. The game can be heard for free via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network or seen live on AHLTV on FloHockey, beginning with the Connecticut Lottery Pregame Countdown at 6:45 p.m.