I think I’ve told this before, but what the heck. Bridgeport plays in Rochester tonight for the first time since Oct. 5, 2001, the first game in franchise history. You may’ve heard THAT a time or 82 this week. Anyway. For perspective on how long that’s been: Chris Elsberry drove us to Rochester and, the next day, Syracuse, introducing me to both Tully’s and Krispy Kreme on the way (yeesh). We started home the next day, Sunday. On the way home they broke in on the radio to tell us the U.S. had started military action in Afghanistan.
Started to fight the Taliban. That’s how long it has been since Bridgeport showed up for Game 1 of what’s, tonight, 1,121 (plus 56 playoffs).
The box should be here. We’ll have up the legendary Don Stevens (audio / pay-per-view) and be following the equally legendary Kevin Oklobzija.
An ol’ buddy could be waiting for the Sound Tigers tomorrow night: Jon Landry signed a PTO with Utica. The Comets’ box tonight against Hartford should be here.
The AHL announced its all-star format for this year, a four-on-four-plus-three-on-three tournament for divisional pride.
For Crying Out Loud, world, cut it out.
RIP, Camden Nuckols.
More closer to gametime.
–Gibson vs. Andrey Makarov, says Kevin.
–Connor Jones indeed starting with Bracken Kearns and Sebastian Collberg in Joe Whitney’s absence.
–The Amerks’ game preview, part of which just ran on the scoreboard, says “the city of Bridgeport is all too familiar for Amerks defenseman Matt Donovan.” Poor Bridgeport, all too familiar.
–Donovan gets the start for Rochester.
–No Wright, it appears:
BRIDGEPORT
F: C. Jones-Kearns (A)-Collberg
Halmo (A)-Quine-Strome
Vaive-Verhaeghe-Holmstrom (C)
Johnston-Gomes-Florek
D: Graham-Mayfield
Czuczman-Pulock
Finn-Leduc
G: Gibson
Williams
R: Mayer; L: Sylvester, McIntyre.
–Gibson has made some good early saves; looks like the Amerks have kept a few flurries from getting to Makarow through the first seven minutes.
–Evolving from Kevin’s practice lines the other day and how the Amerks looked the other night, they appear to be something resembling:
ROCHESTER
F: Rodrigues-O’Reilly (C)-Bailey
Catenacci-Varone (A)-Akeson
Ellis (A)-Dupuy-Baptiste
Carrier-Kea-Nevins
D: Robak-Sanguinetti
Leduc-Ruhwedel
Donovan-Prapavessis
G: Makarov
Lieuwen
–Love that we’ve got a whole new set of announcers to be baffled by Polish orthography. “Czuczman” is pronounced just as it’s spelled, folks. Bridgeport kills off a Pulock high-stick but now faces another PK off a Halmo hook.
–Verhaeghe in Whitney’s PP spot.
–The Amerks kill off a Jerome Leduc penalty, and soon after, Makarov stones Holmstrom in front off a Verhaeghe feed. As time dwindles at the other end, Loic Leduc’s stick breaks on a clearing pass, Cal O’Reilly beats Scott Mayfield to the trickler, he comes up the right and feeds Nick Baptiste for a 1-0 lead after one for Rochester.
–Midway through the second, still 1-0 Amerks and few shots. A brief kerfuffle when Justin Bailey picked off a pass at the blue, skated toward the slot and pulled up, upon which Ross Johnston, trying to hit Bailey, instead lowered the shoulder into the waiting Cal O’Reilly.
–At the end of an O’Reilly power play, the Sound Tigers turn it over at the Amerks blue line. O’Reilly out of the box takes a breakaway pass as Pulock tries to catch up to him, and he backhands it upstairs to make it 2-0 with about six minutes left in the second.
–The boards have been lively, and they help Bridgeport: A long Florek shot off a draw caroms off hard, and Gomes tucks it in to make it 2-1 with 6:06 left.
–Bridgeport survives a Holmstrom penalty; O’Reilly found himself open in front late, but he either lost the handle or had it knocked loose by Leduc.
–Looks as if they’ve swapped Strome and Jones here in the back half of the second period. It’s 2-1 Rochester after two. Bridgeport has dodged a few bullets with blue-line turnovers and guys getting a half a step on defenders, though both goals came from one or the other.
–Jones draws one from Ruhwedel almost five minutes into the third after the teams trade overlapping minors early on. It compounds as another minor makes it a long five-on-three; Collberg tripped up going into the zone.
–A few clears, very few looks for Bridgeport. They got one chance for Pulock, but it went wide.
–The Amerks broadcast is drifting toward apoplexy over the refereeing. Eighth power play against four for Rochester.
–It goes relatively quietly. Feels like a few of Bridgeport’s best chances have come from behind the net or off the end boards. Getting late.
–Bridgeport ties it with 2:26 to go off a turnover. A left-point shot goes through five bodies past Makarov.
–It’s Strome’s deflection.
–Overtime in Rochester. Will spend the #dryscrape reading this on the end of Gravity Falls, which became one of my favorite TV shows over the past couple of years.
–Justin Bailey pushes it up the left wing hard to make it a two-on-one. He feeds to the right to Sanguinetti for the winner: Rochester 3, Bridgeport 2, final (OT).
–Special teams: Bridgeport has killed 12 in a row, 33 of 34, 46 of 48. But it’s now 0-for-its-last-15 on its own power plays. (Granted, half of those were tonight.)
–Missed this: RIP, “Love Me Do” drummer Andy White. (H/T Randy Cassingham.)
No liveblog tomorrow for Utica (which lost 3-2 tonight), but I’ll toss some links up in the afternoon. More then.