In more ways than one, this game got away late from Bridgeport.
Late in the game, three Worcester goals. Late in the first two periods, Worcester goals.
“Sometimes you take one step back to take two forward,” Brent Thompson said.
“It was one of those nights where we weren’t dialed in the way we needed to be.”
And it’d been a few weeks since they had one of them, but Worcester came out aggressively, pressured them, took control late in the first and in the middle of the second, scored last-minute goals, had edges in shots, put the thing away late.
There were good shifts for Bridgeport, and great scoring chances, particularly in the third, where Troy Grosenick came up huge for the Sharks. He made two big stops shortly before they made it 4-2.
“The first period was a 1-1 game,” Johan Sundstrom said. “If we clean up a little bit the D zone: Too much D-zone time, when we get to the red line, we don’t have the legs left to create offense.”
….
So ends calendar year 2014 (30-35-4-4, including four shootout wins). Hey, better by any significant measure than the year before (28-37-7-6, three shootout wins).
Thompson said Colton Gillies remains day-to-day, and they’re hopeful John Persson will be available this weekend.
Ryan Pulock scored his 10th power-play goal, taking sole possession of the team defenseman record from Bruno Gervais. T.J. Brennan led AHL defensemen with 12 last year. Did a quick look through old reports and, back to the late ’90s, can’t find anyone with more than 13 (Derrick Walser of Syracuse in 2001-02, and two guys in 2007-08, Andrew Hutchinson in Hartford and Joel Kwiatkowski for Chicago). There were four guys with 12 and an assortment with 11. I didn’t see anybody in double digits with fewer games played than John Slaney in 1999-2000; he got 10 in 49 games. This was Pulock’s 28th.
Win No. 589 for Roy Sommer, tying John Paddock for third on the AHL’s all-time list behind Bun Cook (636) and Frank Mathers (610). Shootouts and what have you, but still.
Mike Pereira had been putting the puck in the net, talking about getting on track in Stockton after an injury. But now he’s back on IR. Rough.
Prescout. The Bruins are a man short for the moment for assorted reasons, but they won anyway.
Dany Heatley is a Norfolk Admiral.
USA-Canada at the World Juniors Wednesday afternoon at 4.
And “A Hard Day’s Night” on Turner Classic Movies at 9:45 Wednesday night.
More tomorrow.