Last Ride In: Albany liveblog

We knew this day would come: Finally, seeing Albany every other game is winding down. This is the last game between the teams that’s in an AHL arena. (There’s one more Jan. 21 in Newark.)

(Albany’s role in Bridgeport’s schedule will be played from now on by Syracuse: The Crunch and Sound Tigers begin an eight-games-in-three-months season series next weekend.)

Keeping our streak of not showing up in the Capital District intact, we’ll be listening to Josh at AHL Live. Follow Paul, Pete and the Devils among others.

RIP, Roy Tarpley.

More in a bit.

–Proof that time hurries on and whatnot:

–Poulin again for Bridgeport; Maxime Clermont, who won last Saturday in Bridgeport, for Albany, comes word from up there.

Bill Cain has Bridgeport with last night’s 20 plus Griffin Reinhart on for warmup.

–I was never able to pick out the A’s on screen last night. The box said a couple of different things. I’d assumed they’d keep them where they’ve been on the whites, on 13 and 21, but maybe today will be clearer. (Hopefully tomorrow will be, if there aren’t rails and posts in the way. Can ask a little more easily.)

–Reinhart plays, Vaughan moves back to forward and Brett Gallant is scratched, Paul reports. Likely, then:

BRIDGEPORT
F: Collberg-Mouillierat (A)-McDonald (A)
Zolnierczyk-Quine-Conacher
Persson-Sundstrom-Gillies
Courtnall-Langkow-Vaughan
(Gallant-scratch)
D: Ness (C)-Reinhart
Pelech-Mayfield
Czuczman-Graham
G: Poulin
Leggio

ALBANY from the team
F: Whitney-K. Zajac-Thompson
Boucher-D. Zajac-Sislo
Matteau-Wohlberg-Thomson
McKelvie-Pelley-Janssen
D: Kelly-Scarlett
Burlon-Faust
Keenan-McPherson
G: Clermont
Wedgewood

R: Hanson. L: F.Murphy, Trempe.

–Hamilton says Jarred Tinordi, knocked out by Andrey Pedan last night, has head and facial injuries and no timetable for a return. You may see it called graphic. It kind of is, so proceed with self-awareness.

–Wohlberg scores on a rebound 1:34 in with Matteau at the top of the crease. 1-0 Albany.

–Mouillierat buries a Collberg rebound soon after to tie it. Good shift, including a play at the blue line earlier on the shift by Adam Pelech, who’d changed by the time the goal went in. Meanwhile I went from having Josh about two seconds early to not having Josh at all. Curious. WAIT: Now I’ve got Josh like six seconds ahead of the play. Fun.

–Now I’ve got Josh in an echo chamber.

–Boucher nearly scored on a rebound; Josh thought it went just wide. At the other end Conacher takes a hit from Darcy Zajac for the game’s first penalty.

–Vaughan back at the point again with Ness on the top unit. Reinhart’s back in his spot on the second unit; looked as if Conacher might’ve been back there at least once last night.

–Back at even strength, Vaughan stopped on a partial breakaway, then after the clear, a Reinhart turnover turns into a Whitney setup to one of the Zajacs — Kelly, I’ll assume circumstantially — for a big save by Poulin.

–It’s 1-1 after one. Shots merely 7-6 Albany.

–Mayfield, on his first shift of the second, was hurting after blocking a shot; he finished his shift but limped to the bench. Sundstrom called for a cross-check on the next shift.

–Mayfield’s on to start the penalty kill, so guess he survived.

–Whitney scores on the power play as Thompson draws two men on the left wing but hands it to Whitney to walk to the high slot. 2-1 Albany at 2:27.

–Quine just can’t get all of a rebound at the right post as a Boucher penalty expires. Four of five Sound Tigers were on the ice for the full two minutes of that.

–Moments later, Clermont stops McDonald’s snapper on a three-on-one.

–Second period was better at even strength for Bridgeport, but the special-teams race went to the Devils that period with Whitney’s PPG. 2-1 Albany.

–Vaughan gave Ness some room with about 3:45 to go, but the shot went wide. Devils have kept Bridgeport from too many big scoring chances here in the third.

–Sislo knocks it away from Conacher in the neutral zone, Pelley comes in on a three-on-none, puts it off the post; Matteau cleans it up. 3-1 Albany with about a minute left. Matteau’s first goal since opening night.

Albany 3, Bridgeport 1, final.

–Did I ev… no, guess not. Here’s the box…. and prescout, under way in Springfield.

–Came down to desperation, to Brent Thompson. “They’d lost two in a row. We’d won two in a row,” he said. He thought they had some decent time in the Albany zone but didn’t get enough presence at the front of the net. “A lot of our shots were from the perimeter,” he said. “You’re not going to score too many that way.”

Off to Hartford.

Michael Fornabaio