The Bridgeport Report: Week 7
Mar 24, 2021
The Bridgeport Islanders, American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders, gained two points in two games last week including an overtime win against the Hartford Wolf Pack at Webster Bank Arena on Thursday.
Otto Koivula’s first goal of the season came 29 seconds into the extra frame, propelling the Sound Tigers (3-7-0-0) to a 4-3 win and their second straight victory against Hartford. Koivula skated to the doorstep and tapped home Mitch Vande Sompel’s backhand centering pass to cap a come-from-behind win and snap Bridgeport’s three-game slide. Other Islanders draft picks Simon Holmstrom, Cole Coskey and Samuel Bolduc also found the back of the net, and Ken Appleby (1-0-0) made 20 saves in his Sound Tigers debut.
Bridgeport also faced the Providence Bruins on Monday, Mar. 15th and dropped a 5-2 result in Marlborough, Mass. Tom Kuhnhackl and Cole Bardreau each scored a goal late in the third period, but Brady Lyle notched three points for the Bruins (one goal, two assists) and Simsbury, Conn. native Tommy Cross had two goals.
After eight consecutive days without a game, the Sound Tigers return to action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup against the Hartford Wolf Pack (3-6-1-0) at the XL Center. Fans can follow all of the live action via AHLTV or the Sound Tigers Radio Network, beginning with the pre-game show at 12:45 p.m.
The Week Ahead
Saturday, Mar. 27 at Hartford Wolf Pack (1 p.m.): The Sound Tigers try for their third straight win against the Wolf Pack as they travel to Hartford for the first time since Feb. 7th. Bridgeport leads the season series 2-1-0-0 and has won back-to-back games by a combined 9-5 margin. Samuel Bolduc has a series-high five points (three goals, two assists) and has scored a goal in all three matchups thus far.
Tiger Bites
Otto-Matic in Overtime: Otto Koivula’s first goal, point and multi-point performance of the season helped the Sound Tigers capture in the win in their first game past 60 minutes. It was Koivula’s sixth career game-winning goal and his second in overtime, assisted by Mitch Vande Sompel and Dmytro Timashov. Ten of Bridgeport’s 16 skaters registered at least one point in the 4-3 victory.
Bolduc’s Big Start: Not only has Samuel Bolduc scored a goal in all three games against Hartford this season, but five of his team-leading seven points have come against the New York Rangers’ affiliate, including his drive from the deep slot 65 seconds into the third period last Thursday that gave Bridgeport its first lead. Bolduc is tied for the team lead in goals (three) and assists (four), and is the outright leader in points (seven), plus-minus (+1) and shots (24). No defenseman has ever finished the season leading the Sound Tigers in scoring.
Milestone Watch: Sound Tigers captain Seth Helgeson played his 223rd game with Bridgeport last Thursday, tying Scott Mayfield (2012-17) for 11th place on the team’s all-time list and moving within three games of Sean Bentivoglio (2007-10) for 10th. Helgeson also closed within nine games of his 500th professional appearance, while fellow defenseman Parker Wotherspoon is four games shy of his 200th pro appearance.
Golyshev Agrees to Terms: The Islanders announced Friday that Anatolii Golyshev, their fourth-round draft pick in 2016, has agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season. Golyshev notched 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 53 games with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) earlier this season and ranked fifth on team in scoring. The Perm, Russia native had 208 points (103 goals, 105 assists) in 366 career games with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg over parts of eight seasons in the KHL. He is a two-time KHL All-Star (2015-16, 2016-17) and was also named KHL Forward of the Month twice.
Quick Hits: Tanner Fritz collected one assist in Thursday’s win, tying him for fourth place on the team’s all-time list (89) with Steven Regier (2004-08)… Fritz is 11 assists behind Aaron Ness (2010-15) for third place and also three points behind Trent Hunter (2001-03) for eighth place on the team’s all-time scoring list… Dmytro Timashov notched two assists on Thursday and now has three helpers in his last two games… Timashov has recorded two points in 23 different AHL regular-season games, but has never had a three-point performance… All three of Bridgeport’s wins this season have occurred in come-from-behind fashion… The Sound Tigers are tied for first in the Eastern Conference with three shorthanded goals.
Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (21-8-4, 1st place) won their second straight game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, coming from behind to earn a 2-1 victory in overtime. Former Sound Tigers forward Oliver Wahlstrom scored his fourth goal in the last six games to tie it in the third period, while Anthony Beauvillier won it at 3:41 of overtime. Ilya Sorokin kept New York in the game from start to finish with a season-high 36 saves. The Isles are back in first place by points (two ahead of the Washington Captains) in the MassMutual East Division as they prepare for a matchup against the Boston Bruins tomorrow night.