CANTLON: (SAT) SOUND TIGERS MAKE THEIR LAST VISIT OF THE SEASON TO THE XL CENTER
CANTLON: (SAT) Sound Tigers MAKE THEIR Last Visit of the Season to the XL Center
VERSUS 
BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Sebastien Aho had three assists. Connor Jones had a goal and an assist and the visiting Bridgeport Sound Tigers got some strong goaltending from Eamon MacAdam (32 saves) to earn a decisive 5-1 win Saturday night before 4,513 at the XL Center.
Aho and Jones helped the Sound Tigers get key goals and with a game in hand on the Charlotte Checkers kept their statistically very slim playoff hopes alive. The Sound Tigers are in fifth place in the Atlantic division with a record of 34-27-5-3 for 76 points.
In the last meeting of the season, the Sound Tigers won the season series, 6-3-1. The Wolf Pack record drops back to the .500 mark at 31-31-6-3.
Keith McCambridge, despite the score, wasn’t unhappy. “When I look at the game at the chances we generated compared to Bridgeport, we gave ourselves a real good chance to win that game. The goals they got were tips and screens and going to the net and they found their way to the back of the net. There was a lot I liked about our game tonight. The score wasn’t a true indication of how we played.”
A mental lapse in their own zone cost The Pack early in the third period.
While playing on the man-advantage, Jones was able to slip around Scott Kosmachuk and get to the net. Despite a strong left pad save off Marek Mazanec, the puck came to Ben Holmstrom who backhanded his tenth of the year for a shorthanded goal.
“The beginning shorthanded we’re trying a breakout. The ice was still wet from the Zamboni, and the puck stuck to the ice. I can’t fault Bigras for that. He’s taking the puck up the ice as he should on the breakout. The ice was still wet. He takes his eyes off the puck for a second. Those are intangibles you can’t control,” McCambridge stated.
The Sound Tigers used the power-play to up their lead to 5-1 at 3:55. A porous defensive coverage down low cost them. Steve Bernier was in front of the net for what seemed like an eternity and screened Mazanec. A shot came off the stick of Chase Bailey and Mazanec made the save, but the rebound was right there for an untouched Bernier who swept into the back of the net.
That was all for Mazanec and Alex Georgiev was inserted in goal.
“I don’t fault the energy. I thought the effort was there. The work ethic was there. It was just one of those games you’re going to have in a season that is a little bit frustrating. When you get a lot of really good looks at the goaltender and you’re not able to finish on it, and the handful they get, go in the back of your net,” McCambridge lamented.
Bridgeport wasted little time building a two-goal lead early in the second period.
The key was a clean faceoff win by Jones over Steven Fogarty. The puck got back to Aho at the left point. Aho moved to the center. Jones made a bee-line for the front of the net and got behind Brendan Kotyk. Mazanec was again screened and Aho’s shot was tipped by Jones. It was his eighth goal and came at 34 seconds.
Boo Nieves had a strong turnaround bid as the period ended and got clipped with an uncalled high stick.
“Boo played had a really good game. I think Bo has been playing some really good hockey. He had a strong game last night and again this evening. He was on the puck, generated some Grade-A scoring chances with his speed and he played a heavy game,” McCambridge said of one of the few bright spots of the night.
The Sound Tigers scored the game’s first goal as they’ve done all season long to the Pack.
Just 2:55 in Aho was at the left point. Mazanec again was screened out by Brendan Crawley. He had no chance as Kyle Schempp was at the left side and won the position in the battle with Crawley. He redirected the shot in for his third of the season.
The Wolf Pack did tie things up.
On the power play, Kosmachuk rifled a shot that was stopped by goalie Eamon MacAdam, but Nieves was right in front and easily put in the rebound for his seventh of the season at 10:03.
The Wolf Pack had 15 shots for the period.
In a three-on-one sequence, Crawley, Schneider, and Bigras all got stopped by MacAdam from in close. MacAdam stopped another by Schneider on an open break in on the left wing.
“We had some chances we weren’t able to execute that extra pass or get the shot to go the back of the net. We played with lots of speed. The chances we created were Grade-A chances. When you have the goalie on the ropes you gotta finish it.” said McCambridge
NOTES:
The Pack is off until Friday in Providence. They host the league’s best. The playoff-bound Lehigh Valley at the XL Center.
Two lineup changes.
Rookie Drew Melanson, who was wearing #23, was inserted into the lineup and Brendan Kotyk was in for Simon Denis.
“I thought he (Melanson) did well. He had some penalty kill time, created some plays and skated well.”
SCRATCHES:
Brendan Smith (broken hand week to week)
Dan Catenacci (vet rule)
Dan DeSalvo
LINES:
Nieves-Kosmachuk-Tambellini
Fontaine-Lettieri-Schneider
Fogarty-Gropp-Beleskey
Albert-Leedahl-Drew Melanson
Crawley-Bigras
Labrie-Lindgren
Kotyk-Pedrie
Wolf Pack fan jerseys of the game. There was quite a nice selection:
#32 Dave LeNeveu is now part owner/President/goalie coach for Nanaimo (BCHL)
#28 Lauri Korpikoski is now playing with ZSC Zurich (Switzerland-LNA)
#30 Matt Zaba is the goalie coach with Tri-City (USHL)
#44 Mike Ouelette is out of hockey.
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