The crease got a little more crowded today: The Islanders announced they’ve signed Penn State goalie Eamon McAdam to his entry-level deal, and he’ll join the Sound Tigers on an ATO. He’s one of a few highly regarded goaltender draft picks in the system, a third-round pick in 2013 who leaves the Nittany Lions a year early to turn pro. Arthur Staple reported that he’s heard WHL defenseman Parker Wotherspoon, a fourth-round pick last year, is also likely to ATO here. (The other CHL draft picks made the playoffs.)
There’s a game and stuff tonight in Maine. We’ll be listening to Paul on AHL Live. We’ll likely have up Jeff Mannix’s pregame show (audio / video). We’ll be following Chris Roy, Paul, Jeff and the Pirates.
The box should be here (R: Kaval, Mayer; L: Lovett, Ross). And prescout. (The next game is in Hartford on Friday, but a note there from the playoff race: Providence, which’d had Jeremy Smith called up to Boston, got him back for tonight’s game.)
And RIP, Phife Dawg and Joe Garagiola.
More closer to game time.
–RIP as well, Ken Howard.
–Williams vs. McKenna, says Jeff.
BRIDGEPORT as we’re told; looks like Connor Jones’ promotion sticks to start:
F: Jones-Kearns-Wright
Halmo-Quine-Fritz
Vaive-B.Holmstrom-Florek
Johnston-Gomes-Markison
D: Czuczman-Carkner
Cullity-Mayfield
Finn-Lafranchise
(Graham-scratch)
G: Williams
Milner
PORTLAND from a combo of Chris and the team
F: Harper-Grimaldi-Rau
Brickley-Megan-Balisy
Turgeon-Olson-Flick
Knight-Schremp-Simpson
D: MacKenzie-Regner
Gaunce-Acolatse
Matheson-Brown
G: McKenna
Brittain
–Paul notes soon after the draw that it’s Patrick Cullity’s 100th AHL game.
–Johnston and Josh Brown go at it at 3:10.
–Halmo for a neutral-zone slash at 6:04. Bridgeport’s PK streak on the line.
–Killed off, and now Schremp for a slash soon after.
–That’s done as well. Lots of pucks toward the net (with a sharp camera zoom every time) but not much getting to the net, it sounds, from the shot totals Paul keeps running out there.
–Turgeon with a big, maybe high hit on a rushing Mayfield, and the teams come together. Mayfield to the room.
–Turgeon gets a Rule-48 minor for a check to the head. He and Ross Johnston get misconducts.
–Retributiony and retribution-for-the-retributiony hits in the last minute. Portland comes out on a rush, and after more rough stuff, Cullity gets called for a rough in the final seconds. There’s no score after one, and Portland will have 1:50ish of power-play time to start the second.
–Paul says Scott Mayfield is back for the second period.
–Jones takes a high stick late in the PK, and then Acolatse hits Mayfield into the endboards behind McKenna. Mayfield needs a minute to get up and goes straight off, looking uncomfortable; Paul speculates shoulder. Acolatse gets a minor for the high-stick and a major for the hit.
–As we’ve learned over the years: The major comes first. About 36 seconds of four-on-four before the rest of the major begins.
–Czuczman was in Mayfield’s spot on the second PP: Fritz, Jones, Vaive, Lafranchise the others. A few others go later. Major’s over; into the minor.
–The Pirates chip it out, Megan chases it down on the right, and both defensemen go to him. Brickley’s open to take Megan’s pass; Brickley hits the post, and Megan’s open (with Williams diving over for the initial) with an open net to score short-handed at 6:58. 1-0 Portland.
–Even strength.
–Holmstrom with a long lead from his own zone to the far blue line; Florek touches it along to Vaive, who from almost the left corner somehow roofs it short-side to tie it at 9:02. Vaive’s first point in 16 games, notes Paul.
–Williams, with Vaive off for an elbow, robs Gaunce on a rebound. I assume so, anyway, because the camera was zooming in on the net and completely waving around looking for the puck again. Getting dizzy. Then the Pirates score on the rush late in the penalty, Wayne Simpson, to make it 2-1 at 11:36. A scrum follows, with Czuczman and Flick sent off.
–Nope: They take Flick out of the box, put Czuczman in for a rough and Carkner in for unsportsmanlike conduct. It’s a two-minute five-on-three for Portland.
–Mayfield is back on the ice. Meanwhile, that PPG for Portland, which made it 2-1, ended a 22-for-22 streak. And now there’s another penalty coming…. and Schremp scores to make it 3-1. Czuczman comes out, 52 seconds remain on Carkner, and Holmstrom goes in.
–Bridgeport kills that, but a couple of minutes later, Wright goes for high-sticking. Portland’s seventh power play with 2:42 left in the second period.
–Matheson cuts out of the left corner and lifts a backhander over Williams’ glove to make it 4-1 Portland with 1:04 left in the second period. Portland’s third power-play goal this period.
–Elsewhere, Wilkes-Barre and Hershey are winning cartoonishly; Providence and Hartford were tied after two at last look. Portland leads Bridgeport 4-1 after two on four special-teams goals.
–Halmo’s second effort in the left circle gets Bridgeport a little closer 87 seconds into the third period. It’s 4-2 Portland. Knocked it in, stole a pass, cut to the left, had it knocked away, got it back and fired it back against the grain under McKenna’s blocker.
–Megan dumped on a two-on-one about five minutes into the third; no call on Finn.
–Midway through the third, still 4-2. A zoom in on the scoreboard during a promo time out reveals that Portland took its time out one of the times I was rewinding to try to find a replay. Before the five-on-three, I’d imagine.
–Overtime in Hartford. Neither Bridgeport nor Portland particularly wanted that, I’m sure.
–Vaive for interference with 7:00 left. Eighth Portland PP.
–Jones stopped on a partial break early in the kill. Meanwhile, Providence wins in overtime: Khokhlachev, with a goalie assist to Jeremy Smith.
–Penalty over, and time growing short for Bridgeport.
–Rau for goalie interference with just over three minutes left. Ends a string of six consecutive Portland power plays. Williams to the bench, and Bridgeport calls time out.
–Olson scores into the empty net to make it 5-2.
–Jones scores off a cross-ice pass with 1:29 left, and it’s 5-3. A power-play goal.
–Harper off a turnover at the red line into the once-again-empty net with 17.9 seconds left, 6-3.
—Portland 6, Bridgeport 3, final, snapping Bridgeport’s five-game winning streak. Sound Tigers are five behind Wilkes-Barre and Hershey, two behind Providence, giving up a game in hand to all three; five ahead of both Portland and Hartford, and the Pirates have two games in hand and Hartford has one. Ten games remain for the Sound Tigers.
–In addition to the cartoonish wins atop this division (Hershey won 8-0), Rochester scored five goals in the last 11:06 to turn a 5-1 deficit early in the period into a 6-5 win over St. John’s. Wow. And holy cro, the winner with four seconds left. Wow.
–A very unhappy Brent Thompson on the phone. Sounded more like he’d lost five in a row than he’d just had a five-game winning streak end. “A pure lack of discipline.” Execution on their own chances, too, but “it’s 0-0, it’s 1-1, and we take an undisciplined penalty, and then a five-on-three… you kill any type of five-on-three, it’s a miracle.
“We can learn from it. Going to the playoffs, discipline is going to be crucial. You’ve got to overcome calls, a lot of different things.”
Mayfield is “obviously banged up. We’ll evaluate him, see how it goes. It was tough going.”
Thompson wasn’t sure exactly when McAdam would be in. Will he throw the new guy right in? “We’ll take it day to day. I like our goaltending. The guys we have are playing very, very well. Williams played a very good game, though we lost. … Obviously we were killing penalties the whole game. He made the saves he should have made. We beat ourselves with lack of discipline.”
I myself am doubtful for tomorrow, but we’ll keep an eye on any further moves that may be coming. More then.