By: Lauren McQuillan, Howlings
BRIDGEPORT, CT—The Bridgeport Islanders dropped both games of their season-opening weekend first on Saturday to the Providence Bruins, 3-2, before being blanked 3-0 by the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday.
On Saturday night, the Bruins scored the game-winner and the lone third-period goal. Just three seconds after killing off a tripping penalty, Jordan Oesterle netted a shot from the top of the circle to make it 3-2.
“As a group, I think we played a pretty solid game,” Islanders Assistant Captain Brian Pinho said afterward. “(We) made a couple of mistakes that ended up in our net, but it was a good atmosphere tonight, and hopefully we can win tomorrow.”
The Bruins struck early in the first period when forward Brett Harrison’s backhanded pass found Vinni Lettieri. The one-time Hartford Wolf Pack blasted away from the top of the slot and buried it in the top corner.
Islanders’ newcomer, Pierre Engvall, found the back of the net at 1:45 of the second period with a beautiful tip-in of an Alex Jefferies shot to knot the score.
Engvall is a veteran AHL’er, having spent four years with the Toronto Marlies before promotion to “The Show,” where he spent six years. The first four years Engvall spent with the Toronto Maple Leafs before his being traded in late February of 2023 to the New York Islanders for a 2024 third-round pick. Engvall played 92 games for the Islanders before being reassigned to AHL Bridgeport on October 7th.
It took only 7:22 after the Engvall goal to tie the score for the Bruins to find the go-ahead tally. Bruins defenseman Michael Callahan made a tape-to-tape pass from the defensive zone up to Jeffrey Viel. He went on 1-on-3 and found the top corner of the net to make it 2-1.
But the Islanders didn’t quit and fought back. They responded just 2:54 later with a short-handed goal from Pinho to tie the game again at 2. On the goal, Liam Foudy and Pinho entered the Bruins’ zone on a 2-on-1. Foudy made a pass around a Bruins defender, finding the open Pinho, who went low to the glove side goal to make it a 2-2 game.
The Islanders didn’t have much time to dwell on the outcome with a quick turnaround, playing the Charlotte Checkers the following afternoon.
On Sunday, Engvall’s line earned the start following their performance on Saturday.
Goaltender Ken Appleby debuted for the Charlotte Checkers against his former Islander teammates. Appleby played with Bridgeport from 2020-2021, when the team was known as the Sound Tigers, until 2024, when he was released from his PTO with the Florida Panthers in late September.
In the Sunday game, the first period was uneventful and scoreless, but the game picked up speed in the second period.
After the Islanders were assessed a minor minute penalty at 1:27, the Checkers took advantage after a Jaycob Megna shot was redirected to the corner. Checkers forward John Leonard gathered the puck and passed it to Aidan McDonough, stationed in the net front. McDonough got control and scored at 3:28 to give the Checkers a 1-0 lead.
The score stayed 1-0 until right around the 9-minute mark when the Islanders put a frenzy of shots on goal, but Appleby was up to the challenge, stopping them all. Engvall found Samuel Bolduc, whose slapshot from just inside the zone was deflected off the Checkers’ Hudson Fasching. The shot off the rebound hit the post.
The Checkers’ Rasmus Asplund scored a Power Play goal late in the third period on a 5-on-3, Asplund’s goal came from a quick move in front of the net following a pass, Asplund took the puck and netted a “catch and release” goal backdoor to make it 2-0.
Asplund’s second goal was a short-handed empty-net goal with only 8 seconds left in the game, securing a 3-0 win for the Checkers.
In the game, the two teams combined for 13 penalties, 8 of which came in the third period.
6-year Islanders veteran netminder Jakub Skarek was solid throughout the contest, making 35 saves and a .946 save percentage even with having surrendered two goals.
The Islanders continue to search for their first victory of the season. They have a 0-2 record and will take on the Hershey Bears.
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