It feels like the same game over again, even though it shouldn’t. The other day, Bridgeport played pretty well for 20 minutes. This time, it was only four or five.
Capuano was at his angriest — restrained, but you could tell — after the game, which wasn’t a 4-3 game. He feels the team is prepared well enough. He praised his assistant coaches.
He’s got a point. This team can do it for five minutes at a time. This team can do it for 20 minutes at a time. But then this team doesn’t do it for a while, and that’s how they have been beaten lately.
“I equate it to confidence,” Regier said. “When confidence builds, you start to play better. The same goes for what we’re going through. It’s like a snowball. It just starts rolling.”
(BTW, hopefully we don’t see too many real snowballs. Got to go to Rhode Island on Friday.)
“(We’re) just lucky this is happening now,” Regier added. “If this were happening in March or April, it’s not a good sign. The silver lining is we do have 60 games, or 55 or whatever (57, but who’s counting?) to rectify this, but we’ve got to do it now.”
He has a point there about the 57 games. I’m probably a little too fond of pointing out that, on Feb. 1, 2002, the Sound Tigers were in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and 17th place overall. And there’s a couple of banners staring me in the face that tell the story of what happened in the next nine weeks.
You had, of course, already seen what that team had in it. I don’t know if those five-minute spurts, or even a night like last Friday in Springfield, are enough to tell you what this team has in it.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Bentivoglio-Walter-Regier
Comeau-Colliton-Bootland
Kinasewich-Nielsen-Jackman (A)
Haley/Brennan
D: Fata-Spiller (A)
Kohn-Rullier
Fraser-Wotton (C)
ALBANY
F: Ladd-Aucoin (C)-Petruzalek
Damon-Johnson-(Gove-scratch)
Bayda (A)-Angelidis-Dwyer
Nolan-Hughes-Samson
D: Forrest-Carson
Brookbank-Flood
Borer-Conboy (A)
And Albany was without a second goalie. Leighton apparently was sick on the trip and didn’t make an appearance.
These being the River Rats, the lines changed immediately.
F: Ladd-Aucoin-Bayda
Nolan-Johnson-Petruzalek
Dwyer-Hughes-Samson
Damon/Angelidis
D: Forrest-Flood
Borer-Conboy
Brookbank-Carson
Meanwhile, Gregg Johnson has left for Finland. Hadn’t heard it was coming and didn’t hear until late in the day.
Kimber points out that that was Jeremy Colliton’s first pro fighting major.
A sprinkler head went off after (or late in) the game in the Bridgeport sauna room, apparently. Several of Bridgeport’s Bravest were checking it out.
Kevin Oklobzija up in Rochester brings up some happy memories in his blog, seventh paragraph, first reference. Oh, the days of going to the Coliseum to see the ref work.
Mirtle posts a link to Roberts-Eager, a fun part of last night’s Penguins-Flyers game.