Recap: Thunderbirds 4, Islanders 3 (SO)
Oct 17, 2021Anatolii Golyshev scored his first goal in North America and Michael Dal Colle found the back of the net in his season debut, but the Bridgeport Islanders (0-1-0-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds (2-0-0-0) at MassMutual Center on Sunday.
Chris Terry also scored his second goal in as many games and added an assist, while Austin Czarnik notched his first two points with Bridgeport (two assists). Both of his assists came on the power play as the Islanders went 2-for-3 on the man advantage.
Jakub Skarek (0-1-1) made 29 saves.
The Thunderbirds also scored twice on the power play, with their only even-strength goal coming at 6:16 to give Springfield a 1-0 lead. Tanner Kaspick beat Skarek from the right circle following a rebound that Tyler Tucker created from the left point. Skarek’s initial save on Tucker’s lengthy try was left for Hugh McGing, who spun and set up Kaspick for his first goal of the season.
Terry answered at the 11:53 mark when he punished Springfield for Dakota Joshua’s high-sticking penalty just seconds prior. Andy Andreoff settled Czarnik’s pass at the goal line and immediately fed Terry at the back post for a one-time finish.
Springfield grabbed a 2-1 lead late in the first period when Nikita Alexandrov scored his second goal of the season on the power play.
Dal Colle responded just 3:21 into the second period with a tally in his first AHL game since Mar. 3, 2019. Following a tripping minor assessed to Tommy Cross, Czarnik and Dal Colle teamed up for a give-and-go in transition and Dal Colle, getting behind the defense, placed a forehand shot past goaltender Charlie Lindgren’s glove.
The Thunderbirds pulled ahead for a third time at 14:37 of the second period following Logan Brown’s first goal of the season. Scott Perunovich corralled the puck behind Bridgeport’s net and centered a pass for Brown, who converted on the backhand.
The Islanders battled back to tie the game once again at 12:03 of the third on a brilliant setup by Otto Koivula. The fourth-year forward charged onto a loose puck and circled behind Springfield’s net before guiding a pass to the slot for an oncoming Golyshev.
Bridgeport outshot Springfield 4-0 in overtime, but Lindgren remained strong and added four more saves in a four-round shootout. Springfield’s McGing was the lone skater to find the back of the net, propelling the Thunderbirds to the 4-3 final.
The Islanders went 2-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill, while Springfield outshot Bridgeport 33-27.
The contest also included one fight when Andreoff and Tucker dropped the gloves at 19:18 of the second period.
Next Time Out: The Islanders conclude a four-game road trip to open the season next Friday, Oct. 22nd with a 7:05 p.m. rematch against the Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center. It will be the second of 12 meetings between the Islanders and St. Louis Blues’ top affiliate. Fans can follow the action all season long via the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show 20 minutes prior to puck drop.