Sound Tigers Tie Franchise Record in 8-5 Win
Nov 4, 2018Josh Ho-Sang notched a career-high four assists, while Michael Dal Colle and Kieffer Bellows each scored twice on Sunday to guide the Bridgeport Islanders (6-5-1-0), proud AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders, to an 8-5 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (6-4-0-1) at Webster Bank Arena.
It was just the second time Bridgeport had ever scored eight goals in a single outing, which tied a franchise record. It was also the first time the team had put up eight tallies since Feb. 11, 2012.
In all, 13 different players collected at least one point for the Sound Tigers, while Zach Aston-Reese scored a hat trick for the Penguins. Ho-Sang's four-assist game was the first from a Bridgeport player since Tony Romano on Mar. 27, 2012 and also tied a team record.
In addition, it was Bridgeport's fourth straight win on home ice and the club's fifth straight home game with at least one point (4-0-1-0).
The Sound Tigers' offense exploded for four goals from four separate skaters in the opening frame, including three goals before the 10-minute mark.
First at 2:23, Devon Toews rifled a wrist shot over the glove of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's starting goalie Anthony Peters for his third of the season and a three-game point streak. Less than 90 seconds later, the Sound Tigers doubled their advantage when Steve Bernier entered the zone on the right wing and centered a pass to Bellows in the slot, who caught it and snapped a spectacular shot in one motion to beat Peters high-blocker side at 3:46.
The Sound Tigers increased their lead to 3-0 at 9:57 when Dal Colle netted his first of the game as he tracked a blocked shot and then backhanded it into the net for his fifth of the season.
The Penguins got one back later in the period when Connor Jones took a holding penalty to give Wilkes-Barre/Scranton its first power play of the night. On the man advantage, Ethan Prow hammered a point shot that hit a cluster of bodies in front before the puck popped out to Aston-Reese, who made no mistake putting it into the net to cut his team's deficit to 3-1 at 14:41.
However, Bridgeport regained its three-goal lead at 17:49 of the first via Otto Koivula's marvelous individual effort. He gained possession in the neutral zone and evaded Penguins defenseman Kevin Czuczman in a one-on-one situation using shifty stickhandling in the slot. Koivula turned at the hash marks and fired a wrist shot below Peters' glove for his AHL goal.
Bridgeport led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 10-8 in shots at the end of the period, but both Dal Colle and Bellows hit respective pipes in the first as well. Tristan Jarry also took over netminding duties for the Penguins to start the second period after Peters was pulled.
The second period opened with an evenly-matched fight between Kyle Burroughs and Garrett Wilson after Wilson was assessed a match penalty for hitting Bernier from behind just 32 seconds in.
The goal scoring continued at 7:17 of the middle frame when Dal Colle potted his team-leading sixth goal of the season on the power play. After catching a cross-ice pass from Ho-Sang, Travis St. Denis made a quick pass to Dal Colle in the middle of the right circle before he turned around and wristed a hot shot under Jarry's blocker to give the Sound Tigers a 5-1 lead. It was the first time Dal Colle scored two goals in a pro game.
Bridgeport added its sixth goal of the night when Fritz found Chris Bourque open at the top of the slot, who faked a slap shot, waited, and then fired a shot off the post and in for his second goal of the season at the 13:21 mark.
The Sound Tigers kept the ball rolling early in the third period when Wotherspoon scored his second of the season at 2:09, in which he caught a backhand feed from Ho-Sang, froze Jarry with a fake slap shot, and then blistered a wrist shot into the high-blocker side of the net. Later in the period, the floodgates stayed wide open when both teams combined for three goals in exactly one minute.
The Penguins made it a 7-2 game when Aston-Reese tallied his second goal of the night at the 8:13 mark after he and Prow combined for another power-play tally. However, the Sound Tigers brought the game back to a six-goal margin when Bellows wristed home his second of the night directly off a faceoff 37 seconds later. Then at 9:13, Wilson was the beneficiary of a loose puck in front of Gibson, as his backhander found twine to make it an 8-3 game.
Wilson added his second of the night at 17:05 to cut Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's deficit to 8-4 and Aston-Reese completed the hat trick with 34 seconds left to bring the game to an 8-5 final.
The Sound Tigers went 1-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-7 on the penalty kill, while Chris Gibson (4-3-0) made 21 saves in his fourth win of the 2018-19 campaign.
Next time Out: The Sound Tigers host the Binghamton Devils at 10:30 a.m. this Wednesday at Webster Bank Arena to continue a five-game homestand. It's the annual Cool Fun 101 school-day game presented by IBEW Local 488. Fans can follow all of the live action via AHLTV and the Sound Tigers Radio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 10:15 a.m.
Packed Promotional Lineup: The Sound Tigers will boast one of their most extensive and wide-ranging promotional schedules ever for the 2018-19 season. The fan-friendly calendar includes the return of popular themes like Hockey and Hops (Nov. 23 and Mar. 17), Military Appreciation (Jan. 12), Star Wars Night (Jan. 19) and Princess Night (Mar. 30). Regional hockey fans will be elated for the addition of Hockey Weekend in Connecticut (Feb. 23-24), while other new headliners include Holiday Gift Weekend (Dec. 15-16) and a revamped Teddy Bear Toss (Nov. 23).
For additional details or to reserve a group outing for any giveaway or theme night, please call the Sound Tigers' front office at (203) 345-2300 ext 7.
About the Bridgeport Islanders
Founded in 2001, the Bridgeport Islanders Hockey Club is the top minor league affiliate of the New York Islanders. Don't miss your chance to take part in the family fun entertainment happening every home game at Webster Bank Arena. For further information on ticket or sponsorship opportunities, call our office at (203) 345-2300 or e-mail info@soundtigers.com.