By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (December 28, 2024) – Matt Maggio scored twice and recorded a career-high four points on the road Saturday night, lifting the Bridgeport Islanders (7-19-2-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 7-5 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds (13-13-2-1) in their final game of 2024.
The Islanders set new season highs in goals (7) and shots (42) to earn their second straight win on the road. Liam Foudy lit the lamp twice, and Gemel Smith recorded two assists in a spirited, back-and-forth affair that saw Bridgeport earn its first comeback victory of the season.
Marc Gatcomb had two points (one goal, one assist), and Henrik Tikkanen (1-5-0) made 31 saves. Maggio ended the night with a career-high +4 rating.
Foudy opened the scoring 7:36 into the contest with his seventh goal of the season, which came at even strength. Maggio tested goaltender Will Cranley (0-1-0) with a lengthy shot from the right point that was turned aside, but Smith chopped the rebound to an oncoming Foudy, who capitalized in tight. The line of Maggio-Foudy-Smith combined for eight points (four goals, four assists) and a +9 rating on the night.
The Thunderbirds answered with each of the following two goals to take a 2-1 advantage before the first intermission. Matthew Peca scored a shorthanded marker at 13:30 for his team-leading 12th goal of the season, and Matt Luff rifled home his 10th of the year – from Peca – just 5:04 later. Peca had one goal and one assist for the T-Birds, while Luff scored twice, and Alek Kaskimaki recorded a game-high three assists.
Tyce Thompson scored his second goal in as many nights when he dropped to a knee between the circles and blew Jack Randl’s feed past Cranley early in the second. It was Thompson’s fourth goal of the season and Randl’s first career AHL point, which made it 2-2 at the 3:15 mark.
The Atlantic Division rivals traded four of the following five goals in a chaotic but entertaining tilt at MassMutual Center. Luff notched his second goal of the contest at 5:24 of the second before Maggio converted on a distant wrist shot above the left circle, floating a chance through traffic and past Cranley’s waiving glove at 14:20. It was his first goal since Nov. 15th at Hershey and his second of the season.
Foudy gave the Islanders their second contest lead less than five minutes later when he cleaned up a brilliant sequence of tic-tac-toe passes between Smith and Maggio. The linemates worked through the T-Birds’ zone precisely, passing back and forth before Smith slipped a cross-crease feed to Foudy at the back door. Foudy tapped in his eighth goal of the season with less than 54 seconds to play in the period. He has three goals in his last three games.
Marcus Sylvegard tied things at 4-4 with a power-play tally midway through the third, but the Islanders answered right back with Maggio’s second goal and fourth point of the night at the 16:20 mark. Aidan Fulp advanced the puck to Maggio at center, who accelerated to the right circle and placed a dart over Cranley’s blocker to make it 5-4 Islanders.
Cole Bardreau and Gatcomb each tallied an empty netter in the final 1:15, while Hunter Skinner tallied the Thunderbirds’ final goal during a 6-on-5 attack with 26 seconds to play. Bardreau’s goal came in his 500th AHL game.
The Islanders improved to 2-1-1-0 against Springfield this season despite going 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Bridgeport outshot its rival, 42-36. All seven of its wins this season have come when outshooting the opponent.
Next Time Out: The Islanders face the Rochester Americans in their first game of 2025, dropping the puck at 7 p.m. inside Total Mortgage Arena next Saturday, Jan. 4th. 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.
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