The Bridgeport Sound Tigers broke a two-game scoring drought with a

4-0 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday.

(photo by Bob Phillips)

By Bob Phillips





BRIDGEPORT –Bridgeport goaltender Christopher Gibson turned in his second straight gem

between the pipes, and the Sound Tigers scored two second-period goals, which ultimately proved to be all they would need, as the Tigers topped the Hartford Wolf Pack, 4-0, before 5,001 fans at the Webster Bank Arena on Sunday afternoon. It was the ninth and final regular-season meeting between the in-state archrivals. The Sound Tigers are 6-1-1-1 in those games.

The Sound Tigers were in desperate need of some offensive production, coming off two shutout losses this past week—5-0 to Lehigh Valley at the WBA on Tuesday, and a 1-0 shootout loss to the Providence Bruins in Providence on Friday. In fact, over the last four games, the Sound Tigers had found the back of the net just three times, and were 0-3-0-1 in those games. Indeed, Bridgeport had been able to generate just two wins in their past nine outings.





The two teams played a as even a period could be played in the first, with plenty of good checking and neither team finding the back of the net. Bridgeport held a slim shots-on-goal advantage, 8-7. Each team was penalized just once—a two-minute minor called for tripping on Bridgeport’s Ryan Bourque midway through the period (10:06), and Hartford’s Hubert Labrie went off for two minutes for cross-checking at the 19:22. That put Bridgeport on the power play to end the first period and to start the second, but the home team was unable to capitalize.





Coming off back-to-back shutout losses, the Sound Tigers finally broke their scoring drought early into the second stanza when defenseman Parker Wotherspoon slipped between two Wolf Pack players in front of the crease and backhanded one past Hartford netminder Brandon Halverson’s glove 2:44 into the period. Casey Bailey and Ben Holstrom picked up helpers on Wotherspoon’s third goal of the season.





Bridgeport doubled its lead a little more than 10 minutes later when Kane Lafranchise slid a pass from the just above the right circle to Travis St. Denis who snapped it past Halverson at the 13:33 mark. Bourque, son of Boston Bruins’ legend Ray Bourque, also picked up an assist on St. Denis’s 12th marker of the campaign. Hartford’s Vinni Lettieri picked up the only penalty of the middle frame, a two-minute minor for high sticking at 8:44, but once again, the home team could capitalize on the man advantage.





The Sound Tigers took control of the game in the middle frame, outshooting the visitors 17-8, to take an overall 25-15 shots-on-goal advantage. Bridgeport added an insurance goal late in the third period when Steve Bernier took a pass off the near half-wall from defenseman Andre Benoit, then raced in uncontested and ripped one past Halverson to give Bridgeport a commanding 3-0 lead with 8:08 remaining in regulation.





Bridgeport added an exclamation point when Bernier sent one over to St. Denis who snapped one past Halverson to stake Bridgeport to an insurmountable 4-0 lead about three and a half minutes remaining in the contest.





“I thought we had a good first period,” Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge said after the game. “Both teams exchanged chances back and forth. We were able to get a few chances generated in the offensive zone, but then we had a couple breakdowns with puck decisions, and it’s in the back of our net. When you come in here having to travel, getting in late, you still have to find ways to recognize what’s going on in the game, and try to get the win.”





McCambridge was referring to the fact that his team was recovering from an all-night bus ride from Allentown, Pa., where the Wolf Pack defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 3-2, in a shootout.





Not surprisingly, Bridgeport swept all three stars of the game, with netminder Gibson named the game’s first star after stopping all 22 shots he faced. St Denis was named the second star, and Bernier was tabbed the third star of the game.





With the win the Sound Tigers improved to 24-20-5-3, while the Pack fell to 25-23-4-3. Both teams face a significant challenge to reach the postseason, with Bridgeport in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with 56 points and Hartford in sixth (57 points). Both trail the fourth place Charlotte Checkers (30-21-0-3, 63 points) in the Atlantic Division race rounding the homestretch in the regular season. Bridgeport has 23 games remaining in the 2017-18 campaign; 10 at the Webster Bank Arena. Hartford has 21 contests remaining, 12 at the XL Center. The top four teams in each of the AHL’s four divisions qualify for the playoffs.





Both teams are now off until next weekend when each engages in a signature brutal AHL three games in three days. The Wolf Pack have back-to-back home games on Friday and Saturday against Hershey and Providence, respectively, before heading to Providence to challenge the P-Bruin on Sunday. The Sound Tigers travel to Providence to take on the P-Bruins on Friday night, and return to the Webster Bank Arena to host the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.





For Wolf Pack ticket information, call 855-762-6451, k or click HERE . Tickets for ids 12 and under are $10 in all sections except black-level seating (the first rows off the ice). Seniors receive a $3 discount in all sections except black-level seating, while current and former members of the military receive a $3 discount in the blue-level seats. All Friday night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Dave & Buster’s. night Wolf Pack home games feature $1 hot dogs and $2 beers through the start of the second period, presented by Dave & Buster’s.





For Sound Tigers information, call 203-345-2300, or click HERE Sunday, Feb. 25, is Brock Nelson Bobblehead ay with the first 2,500 fans through the turnstiles receiving a complimentary bobblehead of the popular current Islander and former Sound Tigers star.





Goaltender Christoper Gibson has been recalled by the New York

Islanders. Eamon McAdam has been reassigned to Bridgeport from

the Isle's ECHL team in Worcester in a corresponding move.

Islanders Recall Gibson





The New York Islanders, parent team of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers announced on Monday that goaltender Christopher Gibson has been recalled from the Sound Tigers. The 25-year-0old netminder posted back-to-back shutouts last weekend, and now ranks third in the AHL with a career-best four shutouts this season. The fifth-year pro is also sixth in the league in both wins (18) and goals-against-average (2.31). Gibson's stellar play was rewarded with a selection to the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic last month.





A native of Karkkila, Finland, Gibson is 72-45-12 with eight shutouts in 139 career AHL games with the Sound Tigers and Toronto Marlies. He is currently fifth on Bridgeport's all-time wins list with 43, and sixth in games played among netminders (82). In addition, Gibson played four NHL games with the Islanders during the 2015-16 season. Gibson made 29 saves vs. the Washington Capitals in his first NHL start on Apr. 5, 2016, as the Islanders came back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime, which clinched a spot in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Gibson was selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.





To fill the roster spot vacated by Gibson, the Islanders have reassigned goaltender Eamon McAdam from the team's ECHL affiliate, the Worcester Railers, to the Sound Tigers. The 23-year-old netminder has played 29 games for Worcester this season with a 12-10-4 record and 2.4 goals-against average. A native of Perkasie, Pa., McAdam posted a 15-8-0record in 26 games with the Sound Tigers last season.