Andrew Rowe with Bracken Kearns has worked well before, particularly on the power play. Tonight it worked well, as it sometimes has, at even strength, too.
Rowe, Kearns and Steve Bernier had three points apiece. (He’ll get short shrift elsewhere, so note too that Ryan Pulock assisted on both power-play goals.) At even strength, Rowe and Kearns wound up together in the third period of the Dec. 2 game when Bernier and Josh Winquist were injured and Connor Jones was ejected. The trio played together on Dec. 30 in the otherwise-clinker in Hershey; the three of them were on together for both Bridgeport goals.
Last year, Rowe and Kearns were together, with Taylor Beck, for the last three games Rowe played: The hat trick Feb. 13 against Hartford (two power-play goals and a penalty shot), when Bridgeport built a snowman on Frozen Night; the game in Albany the next day that ended the eight-game winning streak; and Feb. 16 right here, when Pulock’s shot broke Rowe’s leg.
Aside from that last bit, which I’m pretty sure had nothing to do with player alignment, that’s some reasonable success.
……
First pro goal for Jayce Hawryluk. Didn’t know he played two years of junior with Pulock, but there you go. (Their hometowns aren’t far apart, either.)
Jones-Jones-Markison was absolutely buzzing their first three shifts of the game. Effective, forced turnovers. Somehow had only a couple of shots. Penalties changed the flow of the game not long after that and especially in the second period, but certainly reminiscent of the Gomes-Jones-Markison line that was so much fun to watch last year.
Hey, speaking of last year: Prescout. First-ever Marlies visit to Bridgeport tomorrow! (Asterisk.) Toronto reclaimed Seth Griffith earlier today and assigned him to the Marlies; wasn’t in tonight, but they apparently didn’t need him in Hartford. Andrew Nielsen, bum, didn’t have any power-play assists tonight, just a power-play goal, another goal and a dull regular assist; his 15 PPAs, though, are fifth in the league and lead rookies. Kerby Rychel, who I think we last saw in person a couple of years ago in Springfield, had four assists.
The Columbus Cottonmouths bus rollover ended about as well as such a thing can end, apparently; some nasty injuries but none life-threatening. (Quite a story from Dave Eminian on Keegan Bruce, one of the Cottonmouths’ players.)
And RIP, Edwin Pope and Miguel Ferrer.