We’ll save the apples-to-oranges, shootout-wins-versus-ties, cold-water-throwing stuff for Tuesday, if necessary. Bridgeport goes for nine wins in a row tonight, which (a) would be the first time in a long while (historical notes, radio satire and pipe-bursting nostalgia from last Valentine’s Day here), and (2) is somewhat remarkable considering that a month ago we were talking about a team that hadn’t won in regulation in a month.
Since the last time they won nine in a row, the Sound Tigers have reached eight in a row, now, three times. They’ve all been Brent Thompson teams, the one that flipped the switch with the change of the calendar in 2012 (Kevin Poulin’s three straight shutouts), and the one at about the same time last year. In 2012, they lost at home in a shootout to St. John’s, 4-3. Last year, they blew a lead and lost in Albany, 3-2 in overtime.
(There was one other eight-game winning streak early in the first season; it followed three straight ties. Remember ties? Ah, ties.)
Steve Bernier remains out; sounds like we might get more during the week on him. Stephon Williams gets a go in net. Thompson said there might be one change, depending on how someone was who might be banged up, but they rushed just as they did last night. (He didn’t say which guy was banged up, the one who’d be in or the one who’d be out.) No Jared McCann for Springfield, but Paul Thompson is in; rather different line and defense combinations than last night.
Meanwhile, when the Sound Tigers play the night before the Super Bowl against a team with the same nickname as one of the NFL teams playing, they are
Michael, they’re the Thunderbirds now.
Oh, for CRYING OUT
BRIDGEPORT
F: Rowe-Kearns (A)-K.Jones
Dal Colle – Winquist – Ho-Sang
St. Denis-C.Jones-Fritz
Johnston-B.Holmstrom (C)-J.Holmstrom
(Markison-scratch)
D: Lafranchise-Pulock
Toews-Burroughs
Landry (A)-Leduc
G: Williams
Halak
SPRINGFIELD
F: Balisy-Malgin-Thompson (A)
Greco-Sutter-Hawryluk
Horvat (A)-Rau-Acolatse
Lammikko-Black-Robinson
D: McCoshen-Weegar
Wittchow-Brown
Downing-McIlrath
(MacKenzie-scratch)
G: Berra
McKenna
R: South. L: Colby, Pincus.
Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): Gibson (lower body), Cullity, Bernier (upper body), Boulton, apparently Markison.