In the header for the liveblog, I typoed in an extra I. “CF101 VII.” Had that first goal held up for Wilkes-Barre, there might not have ever been a CF101 VII.
Dec. 17, 2003 – WBS 3, BPT 2 (5130)
The 20-game unbeaten streak ended. Ross Lupaschuk scored the winner after Bridgeport blew two leads. “It’s got to come to an end at some point. I just hated the way we did it. We had no sustained offense. Zero,” Greg Cronin said in a dead-quiet dressing room.
Dec. 1, 2004 – NOR 1, BPT 0 (5061)
Jason Morgan scored at 3:32 of the first. Michael Leighton made 21 saves. “We were flat. Lifeless. Really painful to watch,” Cronin said. “I feel bad for the kids who came here to cheer for a goal.”
Dec. 7, 2005 – HER 4, BPT 1 (3129)
Eric Fehr scored two goals in third. “Some guys think all we need to do is score goals, whether they’re a defenseman or a forward,” Dave Baseggio said.
Nov. 15, 2006 – WBS 3, BPT 2 (SO) (5102)
Bridgeport surrendered two leads, though Wade Dubielewicz made 29 saves. “(The morning game) seems to be the same every year,” Dubielewicz said. “The first period is pretty laid back. The second period, one team takes control. The third period, the other team comes with their best.”
March 28, 2007 – HFD 7, BPT 2 (at HFD)
Dubielewicz drove from Long Island about 13 hours after an Islanders game and gave up six goals in two periods. “They came out really strong. That’s what they always do,” Allan Rourke said. “We were supposed to be ready for it. We talked before the game. But they banged us all game long. They outplayed us (Wednesday). It’s a tough building to play in.”
Nov. 7, 2007 – WOR 4, BPT 2 (5753)
Bridgeport blew a third-period lead for the fourth time in 11 games. Some dude named Mike Iggulden had a goal and two assists in the third. “For two periods, we played a good hockey game,” Jack Capuano said. “If we take that many penalties (eight power plays), five-on-threes, it’s just not going to happen.”
Nov. 5, 2008 – BPT 3, WBS 2 (6709)
Well, that was different.
Speaking of differences, what comes to mind when I put these two lines down?
Bridgeport 32-17-9-4 77
Philadelphia 34-21-6-1 75
If you said, “Why, that’s the top of the AHL’s East Division standings — win-loss-tie-OTL — after the games of March 6, 2004, the night of that crazy Steve Valiquette scoreless tie,” well, yikes, I thought I was sick.
(Ahem.) The next day, Philadelphia came from 3-0 down to beat Albany 5-3, and Bridgeport (of all things) blew a 2-0, first-period lead to Binghamton and lost 4-3.
This late in a season — say, from November on — the Sound Tigers had not been in first place again until this afternoon.
So, yeah, that’s different, too.
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Held off on talking about the fourth line’s game, because, hey, I’ve got two off-day stories to write the next couple of days. But they had a couple of good shifts. Marcinko appeared to get robbed twice in the second period. And their shift in the first drew the first of the back-to-back penalties.
Capuano kind of smiled when asked about being more conservative in the third. “It’s a situation where they’d been stretching us out,” he said, that it was a response to the Pens’ speed and aggressiveness, dodging the odd-man rush. “We had to do it,” he said. So we’ll see what happens the next time.
The five-on-three was obviously huge. The broken stick is a bad break, so to speak.
Lots of screaming kids. My eardrums are returning to normal.
New pads for Nathan Lawson, just arrived today. Much bluer (and orangeyer).
Hershey’s coming in Sunday. Mink, Sloan, Arsene: maybe not so much, Tim Leone reports from the Land of Chocolate.
David Desharnais got himself an NHL deal.
And RIP, Michael Crichton.