Philosophy, chemistry, mathematical elimination: Springfield postgame

Addenda to the Spring Fun 102 workbook:

Preschool: Count to 60.

Fifth grade math: 144:57+58:18=?

Ninth grade math: Using CapGeek contract data, an AHL minimum salary of $41,500 ($32,500 for PTOs), this year’s AHL per diem of $67 and a 209-day AHL regular season, estimate what today’s lineup cost.

Tenth grade history: Discuss the causes and contributing factors to Bridgeport’s recent dearth of playoff appearances. What contributed to the exception?

Twelfth grade physics: Water freezes at… you know, never mind.

…..

“You try to put guys in spots to succeed,” Scott Pellerin said. “You’ve got to push some guys to the point where they might fail, but you’ve got to put them back in. I was reading a great article today about the Portland Pirates, Ray Edwards, in a very similar scenario to this. He was talking about … developing and winning and the fine line in between. It’s frustrating, because we all want to win. The people here want to see us win. The organization wants us to win. On the other side, we’ve got to develop.”

He said Eric Boguniecki had said something, that the outcome was one thing, but “we want to work, compete, do all the things you can make a decision on. That’s how you’re going to be evaluated. It’s going to give us the best chance to win.”

There’s no sheltering these kids: “It’s not like you can put them on a line with two established AHL guys,” Pellerin said. “You’re putting them (with guys on) a similar level and try to find a way to get it done.”

It’s a young group, an inexperienced group (and it lost another semiveteran PTO guy in Joel Broda, released back to Bakersfield after the game), right down to three guys playing their first AHL games, two of them their first pro games, and both of those jumping right onto the power play.

Brant Harris was finishing up at UConn a couple of weeks ago and setting its D-I all-time scoring record. Tuesday, he started on Bridgeport’s top line.

“Coming in (to Storrs), the year before the team had seven wins,” Harris said. “Our class came and had a string of winning seasons. As I left, they’re going to Hockey East. We definitely left the program in a better place.”

Burroughs got a regular shift with Joe Finley, which helped, he said; great communication with the big guy.

“I’m happy with the way Harris played. He made some good plays with the puck,” Pellerin said. “It’s obviously a big adjustment for him. Burroughs, you could see why he’s a good defenseman. His positioning was good. His decisions were good. He kept the game simple, but he was able to make good first passes.”

Ben Rosen’s first AHL point, the second assist on Andrey Pedan’s goal. The scoreless streak ended at 203:15, third-longest in team history; early in the lockout year they went 215:58 without a goal (and that remains the only time the team has been shut out three games in a row), then went 203:38 without a goal in January of that season. (Just 23 seconds away.) They now have this streak plus the 178:48 within just a couple of weeks.

Ice was rough. Brad Larsen called it the worst he’s ever seen. Puck was skittering; once, behind the visitors’ net, it appeared to leap about three feet in the air. Larsen said that’s what happened to Joudrey in the first, a groin injury. Not sure what it is about that cut, but the Sound Tigers almost lost two huge-crowd games in three years to it. (Well, it’s another three years before we have to worry about it. East Regional’s in Providence and Albany the next two years.)

North Branford’s Adam Erne signed his ELC and will finish up in Syracuse.

And “How I Met Your Mother” ended last night, and I’m closer to the Sepinwall sentiment than the Donna Bowman sentiment. (SPOILER) I thought that ending would’ve been fine at different points in the series, but not now. Though I see where they laid the seeds to justify it along the way this year. (Had a feeling they were telegraphing that ending, but I was hoping it was one last misdirect. Ah well.) (/SPOILER) Bowman wrote a little more earlier on the series as a whole that’s a long read but worth it.

Michael Fornabaio