The Bridgeport Report: Week 1
Oct 19, 2022
By Dalton Rice | Bridgeport Islanders
The Bridgeport Islanders (1-1-0-0) kicked off their 2022-23 regular season with a two-game split against the Providence Bruins (2-0-0-0) and Springfield Thunderbirds (0-2-0-0) on the road last weekend. Bridgeport dropped the first game by a 3-1 final in Rhode Island but bounced back to beat the Thunderbirds, 3-2.
The Islanders’ offense was spread out between both contests, with seven players finding their way onto the score sheet. Ruslan Iskhakov, Otto Koivula, Jeff Kubiak, and Chris Terry found the back of the net while Cole Bardreau, Hudson Fasching, and Kyle MacLean each earned one assist.
On Friday night, the Islanders fired 42 shots on net against the Boston Bruins’ affiliate in Providence, but only scored once on a rebound that Kubiak sent past Bruins goaltender Keith Kinkaid. Jakub Skarek started for Bridgeport, recording 28 saves on 31 shots.
The Islanders traveled to the MassMutual Center in Springfield on Saturday to take on the St. Louis Blues’ affiliate, where Bridgeport earned its first victory of the season. Koivula started the scoring at the 12:06 mark, followed by Iskhakov just over four minutes later. Terry struck 16 seconds into the middle frame to up the lead to 3-0. Bridgeport survived a second-period surge by the Thunderbirds, retaining a 3-2 lead before neither team scored in the third.
Bridgeport will have a busy weekend ahead, with three games in three days starting Friday on the road against Providence. The Islanders will finally play host on Saturday against the Laval Rocket (0-1-1-0) at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday against the Hartford Wolf Pack (0-1-1-0) at 3 p.m. Tickets are available here and fans can also follow along on the Bridgeport Islanders Radio Network and AHL TV.
The Week Ahead:
Friday, Oct. 21 at Providence (7:05 p.m.): The Islanders return to Amica Mutual Pavilion for the second time in as many weekends to play the Providence Bruins this Friday. It will be the second of 12 games against Boston’s affiliate.
Saturday, Oct. 22 vs. Laval (7 p.m.): Bridgeport begins the home portion of its schedule this Saturday with the 2022-23 home opener against the Laval Rocket at Total Mortgage Arena. The celebration begins with a pre-game fan fest on the plaza at 5 p.m. featuring live music, food trucks, street hockey and more! In addition, the first 2,500 fans will receive a magnet schedule when doors open at 6 p.m. Great seats are still available!
Sunday, Oct. 23 vs. Hartford (3 p.m.): The Islanders face their in-state rival for the first time this season when the Hartford Wolf Pack visit Total Mortgage Arena on Sunday. It’s the first of 12 meetings between the two teams and the first of six at home. Bridgeport went 3-7-0-0 against the Rangers’ affiliate in 2021-22. The first 2,500 fans will take home a rally towel when doors open at 2 p.m. Get your tickets today!
Ice Chips
Century Marks: On Friday, forward Arnaud Durandeau skated in his 100th career AHL game (all with Bridgeport). Twenty-four hours later, forward Jeff Kubiak reached 200 career AHL games (all with Bridgeport) and became the 22nd player in franchise history to do so. Kubiak scored Bridgeport’s first goal of the season on Friday after recording a career-high eight goals in 2021-22.
Terry Continues Trend: After leading the Islanders with 30 goals last season, Chris Terry continued to find the back of the net early in 2022-23, recording his first of the year in Saturday’s game against the Thunderbirds. His tally in that contest was No. 264 of his AHL career, placing him in sole possession of 33rd place all time.
Breaking the Brick Wall: The Islanders registered 42 shots on goal Friday yet only found the back of the net once. The last time Bridgeport registered more than 40 shots on goal in a loss came on January 9th against the Charlotte Checkers in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Rookie Report: New York Islanders draft picks William Dufour (2020) and Ruslan Iskhakov (2018) made their North American pro debuts on Friday in Providence. Dufour registered seven shots-on-goal in the first two games and Iskhakov netted a goal on his only shot while finishing with an even plus/minus. Aatu Räty, who played two regular-season games with Bridgeport before the playoff run last season, rifled four shots on net.
Across the Sound: The New York Islanders (2-1-0) started their 2022-23 regular season with a 3-1 loss against the Florida Panthers last Thursday, but bounced back with a 7-1 victory at UBS Arena versus the Anaheim Ducks. Former Bridgeport defensemen Robin Salo and Scott Mayfield each scored twice against the Ducks. The Isles followed that effort with a 5-2 win against the San Jose Sharks last night at home, led by Oliver Wahlstrom’s third career two-goal game. It’s only the second time in the last 32 years that the Islanders have scored 13 goals through their first three games.