Novelty: Hartford postgame

Today’s Bridgeport lineup, by where they were on Feb. 1:

F: UNO-Bakersfield-Evansville
Stockton-Yale-Injured
Adirondack-BridgeportBridgeport
BridgeportBridgeportBridgeport
D: Injured-RPI
BridgeportBridgeport
Injured-Ontario
G: Islanders
Bridgeport

Wouldn’t have thought of this if not for what I’d watched the past two days, but I think I saw a couple of Bridgeport’s college guys avoid playing a defensive-zone hand pass in the third period. They’re illegal now in the NCAA. No problem here.

This is what you’re dealing with right now. Appropriate for the markings, I guess. (First Zamboni pass complete as we type. Funky Skaterboy remains at center ice for now.)

I had limited direct knowledge of Saturday’s game, but from all accounts, today’s start seemed more intense, more energetic.

“I thought we played with more energy, played a solid first period,” Scott Pellerin said. “I thought we generated some scoring chances. They got one break late. … We talked about starts and ends of periods, and they were able to get I think four direct passes, Powe takes it to the net, off a defenseman’s skate and in. That took the wind out of our sails; we haven’t been scoring.

“I thought we had more in the tank, to generate more offense,” Pellerin added.

A few scoring chances; Chris Bruton had a couple of golden ones, and Scooter Vaughan had a memorable one as well. David LeNeveu made 31 saves.

Draft pick Kyle Burroughs was in the room after the game, just arrived. Victor Crus Rydberg is supposedly in town; not sure if the paperwork is signed on the ATO. Seemed as if more could be coming in assorted directions.

We’ll presumably learn more tomorrow, as they’re skating ahead of Tuesday’s bright-n-early morning game.

And the biggest local cheer came from the third-floor bar when the first national semifinal college basketball game ended. Safe to assume the NCAA’s computers didn’t seed so well?

Michael Fornabaio