By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
ALLENTOWN, Penn. (February 28, 2025) – The Bridgeport Islanders (12-35-3-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 5-2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (27-20-5-2) at PPL Center on Friday.
Isaiah George scored for the second straight contest and pushed his point streak to three games, while Eetu Liukas also converted for the third time in his last five.
Henrik Tikkanen (4-15-2) made 27 saves during his fourth consecutive start, but was beaten twice on the power play and twice by forward Jacob Gaucher. The Islanders dropped to 1-3-0-0 against Lehigh Valley this season, leading into tomorrow’s 7:05 p.m. rematch in Allentown.
The Phantoms outshot Bridgeport 16-5 in the first period and capitalized twice, jumping out to an early two-goal advantage. Brendan Furry polished off a 3-on-1 rush exactly 10 minutes into the contest, beating Tikkanen low, glove side, from the left circle. It was his eighth goal of the season and occurred at even strength, two seconds after Ethan Samson exited the box for tripping.
Gaucher made it 2-0 nearly eight minutes later with his first of two tallies on the night. He took Zayde Wisdom’s pass on the left side, cut through the circle, and filtered another wrist shot past Tikkanen’s blocker at the 17:59 mark.
While the Phantoms outplayed the Islanders in the first period, the second was quite different. Bridgeport led in shots, 10-5, during the middle frame and cut the deficit in half thanks to George’s third goal in 10 games since returning from the New York Islanders. Jack Randl found George at the left point, where George floated a fadeaway wrist shot through Cole Bardreau’s screen and past backup goaltender Keith Petruzzelli (3-2-0). Petruzzelli took over for starter Parker Gahagen (no decision) to begin the second period as Gahagen pulled himself due to a lower-body injury.
Olle Lycksell registered a power-play goal from the right circle at 2:17 of the third period to make it 3-1, converting on George’s delay of game penalty just 1:13 in. However, Eetu Liukas, cruising through the low slot, altered Wyatt Newpower’s lengthy wrister near the blue line to beat Petruzzelli’s glove at 15:46. Liukas’ sixth goal of the year was also assisted by Marshall Warren, which kept the Islanders close.
Gaucher and the Phantoms kept pushing, with Lehigh Valley’s leading goal scorer earning his second of the night just 28 seconds later to make it 4-2. Lycksell took Wisdom’s pass in the trapezoid and centered for an oncoming Gaucher, who pocketed his 18th goal in 53 games.
Alexis Gendron ended the 5-2 final with 1:38 to play, bouncing a shot off Sam Bolduc’s skate from below the goal line for his 16th strike.
The Islanders went 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. Lehigh Valley led in shots, 32-25.
Next Time Out: The Islanders and Phantoms face-off in a 7:05 p.m. rematch tomorrow night at PPL Center. 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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By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (February 26, 2025) – Isaiah George recorded his third goal in the AHL on Wednesday, but the Bridgeport Islanders (12-34-3-3), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, dropped a 5-1 final to the Providence Bruins (30-17-4-1) at Total Mortgage Arena.
Patrick Brown potted two power-play goals to earn first star honors. Vinni Lettieri and Tyler Pitlick both registered one goal and one assist. Georgii Merkulov and Ian Mitchell added two helpers, while Michael DiPietro (20-7-4) made 30 saves for his league-leading 20th win.
For the Islanders, George has registered a point in back-to-back games and has eight points (3g, 5a) in 13 AHL contests. He’s notched five points (2g, 3a) since returning from the New York Islanders.
After a scoreless first period, the Bruins exploded for four goals in a 7:51 span to take a commanding lead in the second. It started at the 3:24 mark after Wyatt Newpower was sent to the box for boarding. Lettieri received a pass in the left circle and fed it to Brown stationed on the right side of the crease. Brown nudged the puck into the back of the net for his first of two power-play goals.
Just 2:12 later, Marc McLaughlin swiped the puck away from Sam Bolduc and dumped it off to Lettieri, who looked off a pass back to McLaughlin, and instead roofed a backhand shot over Henrik Tikkanen’s (4-14-2) shoulder to make it 2-0.
Pitlick exited the box after serving a goaltender interference penalty and found John Farinacci in the Islanders’ zone, where he blasted home a one-timer from the left circle at the 9:04 mark.
Matt Maggio was accessed a hooking penalty nearly two minutes later to put the Bruins on their second man advantage. They capitalized 12 seconds later when Brown sniped his second power-play goal of the period from the right circle at 11:15.
Bridgeport got one back at the 15:52 mark courtesy of George. William Dufour settled the puck off the right boards and tried to find Cole Bardreau with a backhand feed. The pass went high and past Bardreau but found the rookie defenseman, who launched a shot from the left faceoff dot past DiPietro to make it 4-1.
Pitlick recorded his 16th goal of the season and second point of the night (one goal, one assist) to cap the 5-1 final at 9:17 of the third.
The Islanders’ power play went 0-for-5, while the penalty kill went 0-for-2. It was Bridgeport’s third straight setback (0-2-1).
Next Time Out: The Islanders open a three-game road trip on Friday with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at PPL Center. 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.
Connect with the Bridgeport Islanders
Keep up with the latest Islanders news and connect with other fans on Facebook (@AHLIslanders), Twitter (@AHLIslanders) and Instagram (@AHLIslanders).
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By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (February 22, 2025) – Dennis Cholowski potted a goal in his AHL season debut and Chris Terry notched his second straight multi-point performance (1g, 1a), but the Bridgeport Islanders (12-33-3-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, suffered a 4-2 loss to the Utica Comets (19-24-4-2) at Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday.
Xavier Parent recorded the game-winning goal early in the third period and added an assist for a two-point night. He’s tallied five points (1g, 4a) in the last five games. Nathan Legare also logged a goal and an assist for Utica, while Isaac Poulter (11-9-5) made 23 saves.
Terry’s two-point effort gives him a team-leading 48 points and moves him into a tie for second place among all AHL scorers. It’s the 14th time this season that Terry has registered two or more points in a game. Henrik Tikkanen (4-13-1) turned aside 22 shots in his fourth straight appearance.
Brian Halonen put the Comets ahead just 1:43 into the game. Parent floated a backhand shot past Tikkanen that rang off the left post and rolled out to Halonen, stationed directly at the crease.
At the 13:42 mark, the Islanders turned the puck over in their zone and Joe Gambardella received Legare’s pass near the goal line. He found Max Willman on the left side, who fired a backdoor shot behind Tikkanen to make it 2-0.
The Islanders struck back in the second period, tallying two goals in a 3:09 span. At 8:39, Brian Pinho tried to find Terry near the goal, however, the pass was just out of Terry’s reach and went off the back wall. Terry quickly gathered it and sent a pass out to Cholowski, who sniped a shot into the top left corner of the cage. It was his first game in the AHL this season after he was assigned to Bridgeport by the New York Islanders this morning.
Shortly after, Terry received Gemel Smith’s pass in the slot, drifted to the left circle, and sent a wrist shot over Poulter’s shoulder for his 16th goal of the season, which knotted the contest at 2-2.
Utica took the lead for good early in the third period when Tikkanen moved outside the crease to play the puck and attempted to pass it out to Sam Bolduc. However, Parent intercepted the pass and launched a quick shot into the wide-open net to put Utica back on top, 3-2, at the 1:44 mark.
Legare secured the 4-2 final with a shorthanded, empty-net goal with 1:06 left to play. It came while Tikkanen was on the bench for an extra attacker.
Bridgeport’s power play was unable to convert on its loan man advantage, but the penalty kill prevented Utica from capitalizing on its only advantage. The Comets led in shots, 26-25.
The Islanders ended their season series 0-2-0-0 against the Comets.
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By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (February 16, 2025) – Tyce Thompson broke a 2-2 tie late in the third period and Henrik Tikkanen was perfect on 22 shots in relief on Sunday, boosting the Bridgeport Islanders (12-32-3-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, to a 4-2 win against the Providence Bruins (27-16-4-1) at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Brian Pinho scored his team-best 19th goal of the season and added one assist, while Chris Terry chipped in two assists for his team-leading 13th multi-point game. Terry exits the weekend with the second most points in the AHL (46) and tied for second in assists (31).
Eetu Liukas and Marshall Warren also scored to help the Islanders defeat the Bruins for the first time this season. Nine of the club’s 12 wins have come on the road.
Warren opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the left circle just 7:56 into the game. Pinho found Terry over the Bruins’ blue line, who directed a cross-ice pass to Warren moving ahead. The rookie defenseman beat Michael DiPietro (17-7-4) short side for his second professional goal, both coming against DiPietro in Providence. DiPietro entered the game 6-0-0 against the Islanders this season, and first among all AHL netminders in save percentage (.930) and GAA (1.96).
The Bruins responded with two goals less than a minute apart against starter Hunter Miska (no decision). John Farinacci scored his seventh goal of the season and extended his point streak to five games at the 13:20 mark, before Jeffrey Viel put Providence ahead, 2-1, at 14:13. Viel’s goal came on a nasty rebound occurring when Billy Sweezey’s blue-line shot redirected off Patrick Brown’s stick and into Miska’s neck, injuring the Bridgeport goaltender and ending his day.
With Tikkanen (4-12-1) backstopping the rest of the afternoon, the Islanders scored three unanswered goals for the comeback win. Pinho made it 2-2 at 17:35 of the second period, beating DiPietro on a rebound in tight after Terry’s initial shot was kicked back.
Sunday’s game remained knotted into the final six minutes thanks to Tikkanen and a strong penalty kill during a hectic sequence early in the third. Fabian Lysell pulled ahead on a breakaway at the 5:33 mark, in which Cam McDonald hooked and slashed the Bruins forward, and both penalties were accessed. Tikkanen denied Lysell on a penalty shot (due to the hooking call), and then Bridgeport’s kill erased a two-minute Providence power play (due to the slashing minor).
That put some momentum behind the Islanders offense, which broke through courtesy of Thompson in the final 5:13. William Dufour danced around defenseman Mason Millman and fed a pass to Thompson on the left side, where he scored his sixth goal of the season, second against the Bruins, and first game winner.
Eetu Liukas sealed the 4-2 final with an empty netter in the final 54 seconds.
The Islanders went 0-for-3 on the power play, but 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. Providence led in shots, 33-29.
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By: Alan Fuehring, Bridgeport Islanders
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (February 15, 2025) – The Bridgeport Islanders (11-32-3-2), American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, were blanked for the sixth time this season, this time at the hands of the Providence Bruins (27-15-4-1) in a 5-0 final at Total Mortgage Arena on Saturday.
The Islanders couldn’t get the better of goaltender Brandon Bussi (10-9-1), who notched his fourth shutout of the season with 27 saves. It tied him with Michael DiPietro (17-6-4) for the Bruins’ team lead, and second overall in the AHL, in shutouts.
Fabian Lysell recorded his seventh multi-point performance of the season with a goal and an assist, while Riley Tufte had a Gordie Howe hat trick, collecting one goal, one assist, and a fight against Travis Mitchell. John Farinacci logged two helpers.
Despite both sides going on the man advantage during the first period, neither team gained the upper hand. Henrik Tikkanen (3-12-1) was perfect against the eight shots he faced, while Bussi stopped 12.
Providence ended the scoreless stalemate early in the second, potting two goals in 57 seconds. Just 1:06 in, Tufte corralled the puck off the end boards and passed it out to Mason Millman, who blasted a slap shot from the blue line for his second goal in as many nights. Millman’s fifth goal of the season also stood as his second consecutive game winner.
At 2:03, Ryan Mast brought the puck into the Islanders’ zone and dumped it off to Matt Poitras, who skated to the left circle and snapped a one-timer past Tikkanen, extending the Bruins’ lead to 2-0.
The Bruins started the third red hot, registering two more goals in the first six minutes. At 2:41, Marc McLaughlin forced a turnover and gathered the puck below the goal line, where he passed it out to Farinacci, positioned at the top of the crease. Farinacci slid the puck over to Lysell who scored his ninth goal of the season. Just 2:34 later, Tufte received a pass from Farinacci down the left side and beat Tikkanen in transition.
Patrick Brown, the Bruins captain, completed the scoring with his 11th goal of the year at the 12:12 mark.
The Islanders’ power play went 0-for-2, but the penalty kill was 2-for-2. The Bruins led in shots, 35-27.
Next Time Out: The Islanders and Bruins meet in a 3:05 p.m. rematch tomorrow afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion. 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 2:45 p.m.
Connect with the Bridgeport Islanders
Keep up with the latest Islanders news and connect with other fans on Facebook (@AHLIslanders), Twitter (@AHLIslanders) and Instagram (@AHLIslanders).
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