(Keepin’ it short… Have to churn out the advance and be at St. Joseph in a frighteningly short period of time…)
The biggest difference between Saturday and tonight, from up here, was that Saturday, it felt that they might have a chance to come back. Tonight, it seemed likely. Blame a vintage Frederic Cassivi for that not happening.
The defense jumped up into the play a few times. Dustin Kohn and Andrew MacDonald did pretty good jobs in a little more regular shifts than they’d been getting since Rullier’s arrival, after Fata’s back tightened up after the bus ride.
They stuck up for each other. They battled. That desperation Jack Capuano kept talking about was a lot more evident.
But for Frederic Cassivi and a couple of shake-yer-head saves in the last 125 seconds, they might have even earned two points instead of busing home empty-handed.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Tambellini (A)-Walter-Bates
Bentivoglio-Nielsen-Regier
Comeau-Colliton-Bootland
Johnson/Morency
D: (Fata-scratch)-Spiller (A)
A.MacDonald-Rullier
Fraser-Wotton (C)
Kohn
HERSHEY
F: Bourque-Wilson-Klepis
Motzko-Morgan-Barney
Laing (C)-Beagle-Clymer (A)
Potulny-(Joudrey-scratch)-Maxwell
D: Sloan (A)-McNeill
Boumedienne-Lepisto
Pokulok-Hunt
Kohn dropped right into Fata’s spot with Spiller.
Pick a clock: First period, and Steve Regier gets upset over Jason Morgan’s hit on Dustin Kohn, and he goes after him; Regier gets four minutes, and Morgan gets two at 8:23. At 10:23, there’s a Hershey penalty — but Regier’s extra two minutes still has one second on the clock. The attendants first let Morgan out (it’s two minutes on the game clock, and he doesn’t have time himself on the penalty clock), but Chris Ciamaga puts him back in (there’s time left on a two-minute penalty at the same time as his).
Ciamaga tossed a few fans from behind the Sound Tigers’ bench in the first period, but they were let back a few minutes later. Didn’t ask what had happened.
No Al Montoya in Hartford tonight; the Pack recalled Miika Wiikman, and he got in for almost seven minutes. We’ll see what’s up there.
Happy Thanksgiving. And if you’re going to Trumbull-St. Joe’s, say hi. Or throw stuff at me if I appear to be groggy after this travel day.