Not in Norfolk, as is usual, so we’ll be listening to Pete Michaud and following Pete, Jamie and the Ads’ official feed, which I’m guessing is Keith Phillips’.
Jamie tweeted earlier that Kevin Poulin gets the start; no great surprise. Two refs, Mark Lemelin and Jon McIsaac. They’re scheduled to work Friday’s game, too, albeit with two different linesmen then.
A tip of cap today to Angela Ruggiero, former Choate and Connecticut Polar Bears defenseman and American hockey hero, on her retirement.
We’re suffering through the final minutes of Finland-USA at the World Juniors in the meantime. The U.S. has never led and is down 3-1 at this writing with about five minutes left. Edit: Finland 4, USA 1, final. The crowd in Edmonton was happy.
Awesome detailing, both in uniform and in research.
Back with more in a bit.
–Dustin Tokarski for the Admirals.
–Jamie hasn’t tweeted a lineup, but from the starters, Howes-Cizikas-Rakhshani and Ness-Wishart, looks as if some things remain the same. Pete tweets that Olson and likely Oleksy are scratches, which implies Gallant and Klementyev are in.
–Ah, just as I say that.
Howes-Cizikas-Rakhshani
McNeely-Frischmon-Riley
Haddad-Mouillierat-Backman
Gallant-Marcinko-Romano
–Sounds as if Poulin makes some quick, big saves off a scramble in front, picking up where he left off. Bridgeport to the penalty kill.
–Bridgeport had a power play soon after killing Norfolk’s (four penalties killed in a row), but didn’t score.
–Bridgeport gets one that sounds like the Nathan Oystrick-Blair Riley goal from a few weeks ago in Bridgeport: A puck goes off Mike Angelidis’ stick and in for a 1-0 Sound Tigers lead. It’s Gallant’s goal, putting the puck to the slot.
–As Jamie’s tweet reminds me, that’s a fine birthday gift for Gallant.
–Poulin stops Tyler Johnson’s short-handed breakaway to keep it 1-0 in the last five minutes of the first. Bridgeport has a 12-5 lead in shots after that power play ends.
–Bridgeport leads 1-0 after one with a 13-5 edge in shots.
–Ty Wishart gets an early hooking penalty as the second begins. Make it a 1:15 five-on-three with a Donovan hold.
–Mike Kostka scores on the five-on-three to tie it. Right circle through a screen on a one-timer, gathered from the assorted tweets and broadcast, at 2:41 of the second, not quite 30 seconds into the Donovan minor.
–At 6:23, Marcinko gets a tripping penalty, Bridgeport’s fourth in the first 26:23. Pat Shetler says Marcinko didn’t mean it.
–It continues: a bench minor for too many men at 8:56.
–Had that time wrong; Bridgeport kiils the penalty, but Devos puts it in not a minute later off Carter Ashton’s pass. Norfolk leads 2-1.
–Uh-oh. Howes “staggers” to the bench. Later, off the replay, sounds as if Trevor Smith gave him a jab with his stick (Pete and Pat stop short of saying it was a spear, per se). Howes goes to the room after he was apparently prone at the bench.
–Smith gets a belated penalty, which is odd, because I’m pretty sure there had been at least one whistle in between the event and this break, when the penalty is called. Huh. Anyway, a major power play for the Sound Tigers; Smith gets a spearing major and a game misconduct.
–Ads kill off the major, allowing only one shot.
–That’s the first major power play Bridgeport has had this season. The Sound Tigers didn’t have one until Game 62 last season, then had three that day and seven in the next 11 games. Weird stuff happens. Norfolk leads 2-1 after two. Shots just 6-5 Admirals in the period, which should be 18-11 in all in Bridgeport’s favor.
–Hey, by the way, here’s the box as the third period begins.
–Jamie says no Howes to start the third. Rakhshani-Mouillierat-Backman, Haddad-Cizikas-Romano
–Attendance: 5,695, largest midweek crowd in Admirals history.
–J.P. Cote takes a run at Donovan, to use Pat Shetler’s phrase. They’re surprised it’s not a major at real speed, but it apparently looks better on replay. Bridgeport gets a two-minute power play, anyway. Elbowing.
–That expires, but Oberg gets called for interfering with Haddad midway through the third. Power plays 6-5 Norfolk. Score still 2-1 Norfolk.
–And now just five seconds into the minor, Cote gets called for taking down Rakhshani. Long five-on-three. (6-6.)
–Tokarski makes big saves on de Haan and Reese, the latter of whom also hit a post on the first shift. Norfolk back to full strength.
–Time out, Bridgeport, with 7.9 left after a big save on Reese.
—Norfolk 2, Bridgeport 1, final. Sounds as if — and Pat comes right in with just this — the goalies were both outstanding.
–Brent Thompson agreed, said Poulin was great; “disappointing we didn’t get the win for him.” The difference? “They scored on their five-on-three. We didn’t score on ours.” He said there were one or two scrambly moments in the defensive zone, that Poulin was screened on the game-winner, but all in all, “we had great chances. I’m glad with how hard the guys worked. They competed. They went to the net hard.” He had no update on Scott Howes’ condition but said Howes was being examined.
We’ll do this again Friday. More in between from afar as warranted.