Alternating current: Springfield postgame

Well this will guarantee that, at some point in the next couple of days, Brent Thompson will yell at me for never calling him for a quote after they win.

A big-time result for Bridgeport, which got two power-play goals in the first two periods and three goals in the third period. There were moments where momentum could’ve gone the other way, and the Sound Tigers definitely weathered the storm in the first 10 minutes, when the T-birds were controlling most of the play. But Christopher Gibson was good (stopped Anthony Greco on a two-on-one in the second, perhaps, most notably), the Sound Tigers blocked shots, Dryden Hunt missed a completely wide-open net that could’ve made it 2-1, and Bridgeport rolled.

Bridgeport got both power-play goals from the unit that included the Verhaeghe-Kearns-Bernier line with Kane Lafranchise and Devon Toews. It sounded as if Lafranchise was involved in both (AHL Live didn’t have video for most of the first period): Springfield’s Ryan Smith said Lafranchise got the puck on net for the first goal, though the three forwards got the points on Verhaeghe’s goal, and on the second goal, Lafranchise pushed it up the right-wing boards, beat his man and got it to the front, where it bounced to Bernier.

The third was an awful turnover; Kellen Jones probably hasn’t been handed a better pass. The fourth looked a little familiar: Jakub Kindl turned it over at the Bridgeport blue line as Tanner Fritz got a stick on it, then sent Josh Ho-Sang and Michael Dal Colle in on a two-on-one.

Then two five-on-threes for the Thunderbirds in the last eight minutes; Bracken Kearns scored 10 seconds after killing the first (wondered why three defensemen were on the plus/minus report) and about 12 seconds after Kindl hit a crossbar. Springfield scored on a deflection on the second, and that was enough.

Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Springfield, the second from Tim Mayer on Paul Thompson after Mayer said Thompson knocked a puck into the net with a high stick.

Bridgeport didn’t score on several breakaways, including a Ho-Sang move to the backhand and a Dal Colle slapper in the third.

Ho-hum three points for Jordan Weal and T.J. Brennan for Lehigh Valley tonight in Hartford. They’re in tomorrow. More then.

BRIDGEPORT
F: Dal Colle – Fritz – Ho-Sang
Verhaeghe-Kearns (A)-Bernier
Johnston-St. Denis-B.Holmstrom (C)
K.Jones-C.Jones-J.Holmstrom
D: Pelech-Mayfield (A)
Toews-Burroughs
Lafranchise-Landry
G: Gibson
Williams

Michael Fornabaio