Gonna take a miracle

Not a lot went right for the Sound Tigers tonight, apparently; I was pretty much completely otherwise occupied, apologies. DiPietro pulled after four goals on 19 shots. Dallas Jackson back in for Mike Keenan, and John Persson finally back in. Three fights make a team-record 96 for the season. That passes 2007-08. And it’s looking like they’ll probably have something else in common.

There are 10 games remaining. Hershey won and is eight points ahead. Bridgeport is actually a point closer to Hamilton, last overall with 58, than it is to the Bears. The Sound Tigers are 13th alone, two points clear of St. John’s in 14th, six out of ninth, four out of 10th, three out of 11th, one out of 12th (the team it faces twice this week and three times in eight days, so prescout). Things have moved well beyond the whole “getting late” thing.

Lines, from Jamie:

F: Diamond-Nelson-Niederreiter
Persson-Sundstrom-Kabanov
DeFazio-Campbell-Riley (A)
Hill-Watkins (C)-Backman
D: Donovan-Wishart (A)
Ness-McIver
Jackson-Landry
(Keenan-scratch)
G: DiPietro
Reiter

R: T. Koharski, Knorr. L: Emanatian, Lemay.

As noted Friday night, the junior seasons of Ryan Strome and Andrey Pedan are done. Strome could be reassigned to Bridgeport or recalled to the Islanders; Pedan is unsigned (the Islanders have his rights until June 1) and could sign, whether for real or an ATO/deal to start next year (the latter more likely). Two of the Islanders’ big college underclassmen are out too, Denver’s Scott Mayfield and Notre Dame’s Anders Lee.

And for crying out loud, there are six teams alive in the NCAA tournament, and three of them are from the ECAC, and two of them are a few miles apart in New Haven County. A crazy comeback for the Bobcats, who (a) were all over Canisius in the first period but led just 1-0; (b) played an almost devastatingly lackluster second and fell behind; (c) fell further behind in the third but rallied brilliantly behind big plays from some of their big players, capped by a fourth-line goal off a bad rebound, but a play executed well by the Bobcats. Awaiting tomorrow is Union, Islanders broadcast statistician Eric Hornick’s alma mater, who blew the doors off BC tonight.

Canisius and Niagara represented Atlantic Hockey quite well. “To the people who don’t know a lot about Atlantic Hockey, start putting us up there,” Griffs coach Dave Smith said. “If you don’t know enough about us, call me. We’ll talk about it all day long.”

Would imagine the Sound Tigers have the day off Sunday. Quinnipiac and Union do not. One of them will join Yale, for crying out loud, in Pittsburgh on April 11.

And RIP Bob Turley, Mike DeCicco and Phil Ramone.

Happy Easter.

Michael Fornabaio