Time flies, seasons change: Syracuse liveblog

(One last request: Fake Team Awards balloting ends tonight.)

Today is the fifth anniversary of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers’ last playoff win (and 12th of its last series win). Mikko Koskinen beat Braden Holtby in that last victory, Andrew MacDonald scored two power-play goals, Robin Figren had a goal and an assist: Bridgeport beat Hershey 4-1 to stave off a four-game sweep.

Three days later, Bridgeport took seven shots in 60 minutes. Two years later, it lost three in a row to Hartford. And that’s the extent of the playoff history since.

It will not be augmented this year, either. Bridgeport’s at Syracuse tonight on the second-to-last day (Mark Louis’ 28th birthday).

We’ll be following Lindsay Kramer and Paul among others. We’ll be listening to Dan D’Uva (audio / pay-per-view), and following him as well; he tweeted this morning that it looks like Adam Wilcox in net for the Crunch in their regular-season finale. Was likely to be Stephon Williams for Bridgeport as of yesterday.

This should be the box (Banfield, Ragusin/McIntyre, Trempe). Prescout, a 5 p.m. start: The Pack need a point there, or need a Bridgeport win of any flavor, to clinch the Berkshire League. Albany will be the first team to finish its regular season, but if it doesn’t get at least a point, being the leader in the clubhouse won’t matter.

Meanwhile, the Midwest Division can come down to goal differential, so come on, one-point swing. (Better yet, Rockford, give your goalies the night off. Don’t go asking the other team to go without; you’ve got to do it the hard way.)

Hamden’s Mike Lee and the Penticton Vees won the BCHL championship Friday. Lee is committed to Vermont.

More closer to gametime.

–Fun game in Albany. Devils and Pack are tied at 2 after two. Springfield is tied at 1 up in St. John’s. Ah, playoff races. Meanwhile, it’s indeed Williams vs. Wilcox, says Lindsay.

–We’re told there’s a bit of shuffling in the Bridgeport lines, with John Persson and Sebastian Collberg, who sat the last 30 minutes last night, sitting out all 60-67 tonight:

BRIDGEPORT
F: Jeffrey-Quine-Vaughan
Gillies-Mouillierat (A)-Langkow
Johnston-Sundstrom-Markison
Gallant-Brooks-Eberle
(Collberg-expected scratch)
D: Ness (C)-Pulock
Pelech-Mayfield
Carkner (A)-Louis
G: Williams
Motte

–Best draft lottery since David Stern said the sixth pick in the 1990 NBA draft belonged to the Minnesota North Stars? Maybe.

–“Symblematic” is the Marc Crawford accidental word I couldn’t remember last night. It’s a good one. I should’ve remembered. The Crunch are going through an extended awards ceremony. Bridgeport doesn’t do such things. (Vote *cough* thanks)

–Wow: Being reported that tonight is the last John Amirante anthem at MSG. End of an era, that. Meanwhile, the Devils have gone up 4-2 late on the Pack — could they actually pull this off? — and Syracuse-Bridgeport is actually about ready to go.

–Final now in Albany, 4-2 Devils.

–Bridgeport trails early on Matthew Peca’s first pro goal, a beauty. He took a pass from Ikonen in front of the goal, spun left, dragged the puck to his forehand and beat Williams. 1-0 Crunch.

–Bridgeport answers quickly, though, on Jeffrey’s 25th. Quine’s initial shot was blocked right to Jeffrey in front, 6:57 in. Quine’s 37th assist, most by a Sound Tiger since Rhett Rakhshani had 38 in 2010-11.

–Penalties to both Louis and Carkner, interference and unsportsmanlike conduct, at same stoppage.

–Bridgeport kills it off. Mayfield and Pelech were on for the first 1:30 of it or so, Ness and Pulock closing it out, with Sundstrom, Mouillierat and Gillies trading time as well. Still tied with under five left in the first.

–It’s 1-1 after one; Bridgeport will start the second on the power play with J.P. Cote in the box.

–That’s a new one: Cote called for coming out of the box too soon? Another Bridgeport PP. Unless they said he played it while still in the box, which we have seen before. Either way, Syracuse has had two good chances.

–Edmonton wins the draft lottery. Well then. I can’t quite read McDavid’s expression there. Adam Pelech, meanwhile, had a hard shot on the power play gloved by Wilcox. No first goal… yet.

–Still 1-1 midway. Marchessault has six shots already.

–1-1 end of two. Shots were minus-5-minus-2. (Actually 6-4 Syracuse for a 19-14 total.)

–Springfield came back to force overtime in St. John’s. Albany needs the Falcons to lose, one way or another. Springfield has to win to stay alive, waiting on Portland tonight (the Pirates are winning) and tomorrow.

–In the online gamesheet, the top line has Syracuse with a 20-13 shots edge, and the individual shots add up to 19-14. That kind of night.

–Sean Collins scores in overtime, and Springfield stays alive with a 4-3 win. That eliminates Albany. Portland only needs to tie the Falcons in points to take the eighth spot, though, and the Pirates can do that with three out of four points this weekend.

–After Gourde gets a stick up on Ness, Bridgeport gets a 2-1 lead midway through the third. Pulock’s shot from the center point actually breaks a Crunch penalty killer’s stick, and Mouillierat then tips it past Wilcox. Moments later, Williams makes two big saves to preserve the Sound Tigers’ first lead of the night.

–Now another long five-on-three: Mouillierat for an offensive-zone trip, Ness for closing his hand on the puck 37 seconds later.

–Another good five-on-three kill. Don’t think Mayfield came off the ice for most of that 1:23.

–Colin Markison’s first pro goal makes it 3-1 with 4:41 to go. Sundstrom negates an icing ahead of everyone, throws it to the front and Markison beats his man there to whack it in.

–Pelech called for charging Richard with 1:28 to go. The Crunch have had Wilcox off for an extra attacker for a while, so this’ll be a 6-on-4.

–Blujus on the power play from the top of the left circle with 21.7 to go makes it 3-2 Bridgeport.

–Scott Mayfield scores. Yes, he scores. He did. About a 130-foot empty-netter with 3.4 seconds left. His first goal since Feb. 16, 2014; had gone 87 games without.

Bridgeport 4, Syracuse 2, final. Markison’s goal proves to be the winner. Williams was the No. 1 star with over 30 saves.

–Norfolk lost in its final game, so a point tomorrow for Bridgeport against Hartford (which clinched the Northeast Division with Syracuse’s loss and is locked into the 3) would give the Sound Tigers 14th in the Eastern Conference. A regulation loss and Bridgeport finishes 15th.

–Portland wins, so it just needs a point tomorrow for a playoff spot; a regulation loss and it’s out.

—Shots have been revised a few times, but right now it has Bridgeport with three goals on five shots (the last into an empty net) in the third.

–“I think obviously, special teams, we did a great job,” Brent Thompson said. On the five-on-three kills, “Mayfield, Pelech, Sundstrom were big parts of that, and all the guys rolling through. I’m happy with the effort, the willingness to do the little things.”

Markison goes to the net, scores a goal: “It’s nice to see guys get rewarded for doing the right thing,” Thompson said. “He went hard to the net. He’s done the right things since he got here.”

Ross Johnston impressed in his debut: “He’s physical. He’s got a big body. He got the puck to the net. He went to the net. He’s got good hands. … It was a good first step.”

Only one more step to go.

Michael Fornabaio