Got one: Hartford postgame

That’s not playoff hockey, you know. The 60 minutes before it had its moments — the first two periods were totally Sunday-afternoon hockey, shots on goal 13-10 and whatnot, but still — and then it comes to four-on-four, and David Leggio, who’d given up one from 90 feet a period earlier, makes some big saves. And then it comes to three-on-three.

Vaughan breakaway, wide. Mouillierat, two-on-one, wide. Conacher, post.

Mouillierat. Ballgame.

“I’m not necessarily a big fan of three-on-three hockey,” Thompson said. (We know.) He chuckled. “Tonight I am.” (We gathered.) They have the weapons, and he ran through the list of guys who played in overtime tonight. But “it’s glorified pond hockey. … Puck possession, puck-side position — the big thing is puck possession.”

At three-on-three, they pretty much possessed. Mouillierat and Conacher had been on with Ness (a force all afternoon), then with Graham for those chances.

“It’s pretty wild out there,” Mouillierat said. “We had those other couple of two-on-ones right before the goal.”

It’s the seventh time Bridgeport got that far in overtime. They’d been 0-2, giving up a goal here to Mat Bodie and one at Manchester to Nic Dowd the night after Thanksgiving.

In general, probably two points they’d earned. They limited Hartford scoring chances; two Wolf Pack goals came on things you’d not typically call scoring chances, one a pinball at the front of the net, the other one of those things, a goal from center ice. Leggio came back with some saves.

“After they got that third goal, we could’ve folded our tent,” Thompson said.

Meanwhile, Bridgeport got one short-handed in the second (“That was Scooter,” Ness said. “His speed is incredible. He was able to beat two guys up ice and put it in front of the net. I just slapped at it.”) and got another on John Persson’s goal. The Pack got one back, then tied it, but Bridgeport killed penalties and found a way.

“We played a pretty good 60 minutes,” Ness said. “That’s what we’ve been preaching all year.”

64:45, no less.
……..

Collberg’s just a day-to-day thing he woke up with, Thompson said. Thompson implied that at least one other player wasn’t a given to play today but toughed it out.

They’re off tomorrow, though a few things may be worth keeping an eye on. We’ll see.

Thompson thought Albany was more desperate Saturday. How’d tonight compare? “The difference between a win and loss is not in the structure, necessarily, but the details,” Thompson said: shot-blocking, willingness to battle. More of that today.

Prescout. Back to the Dunk on Friday.

And RIP, Anita Ekberg and Taylor Negron.

Michael Fornabaio