On this, the third anniversary of Sean Bergenheim’s four-goal game, Pascal Morency was this close to trying to beat it.
Well, OK, not quite. But he and the fourth line generated themselves a few scoring chances again. (You can’t all be first-line players,” Fritz said. “We’re going to play simple, hard hockey. There’s no major skill plays, unless Marcinko’s involved.”)
Morency has two career two-goal games, both two years ago for Fort Wayne, about two months apart. He came a goalpost away from another one today, if not by a save or two, too.
Bridgeport was on them from the start, scored on a small handful of downright gorgeous plays (the hands on Iggulden’s goal; the chips and the pass on Walter’s first; the passing on Haskins’), and put together its best offensive day — heck, they were done by 33:54: its best offensive half-day — since mid-December.
Even though they had scored only six regulation-time goals in their previous four games, they are 5-0-0-2 in seven, so I’m not even gonna be a jerk enough to ask about carryover.
And a couple of weeks after checking the rear-view mirror for Philly, they’re 10 points up on the Phantoms again with 23 to play. They’re seven up on Binghamton. They’re two behind the Penguins (giving up a game in hand) and five behind Hershey (with a game in hand still).
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Dustin Kohn’s upper-body injury doesn’t seem to be too serious; he was in workout clothes after the game.
Tobias Stephan is returning to Dallas; Peter Mannino is on his way back here.
Speaking of goalies, Portland gave two EPHL guys their AHL debuts this weekend. Rob Lemelin came in for 5:11 and made one save.
I have been spacing out on mentioning this, but the U.S. national standing amputee hockey team will play another fundraiser game March 14 before the Wolf Pack-Sound Tigers game in Hartford. The national team will play the Connecticut State Police at 4 p.m. Danielle Nardi promised more details to come.
Good stuff on Slap Shot uniforms in Uni Watch.
And RIP, longtime off-ice official Vin DeMaio.
MARCH OF DOOM WATCH (or, Who’ll Be Left Standing March 16?)
Games/days down: 10/17
Games/days to go: 5/9, 9/16, 12/21
Record so far: 6-2-0-2