You lose sports as you age. It’s only natural. You get busy, life happens, and when it’s a toss-up between the Knicks and your volleyball notebook, well, sorry, Sprewell. Then the next time you tune in, you recognize the refs more than your team.
I say that because it’s Wrestling Night in Allentown tonight (and not the Penn-State-vs.-Lehigh-here-Dec. 3 kind). (I first typoed that as “Wrestlin Night,” which might be more accurate.) Pro wrestling was one of the first sports I really lost track of, right before college football, sixth grade or so. So I have a feeling today will be kind of lost on me. Of course, so was Country Night the last time the Sound Tigers were here. (Country has been on the decline since A.P. Carter didn’t show up for the second day in Bristol. /ducks)
I’m rambling about theme nights because the Sound Tigers are the same as last night except in net, where Kristers Gudlevskis gets the middle game of the three-in-three. Four-game winning streaks will do that.
One of the cooler bits pregame is the referee assignments. First Bridgeport game for both tonight: Troy Paterson, who has worked in western junior leagues (Including THE Western junior League), and Corey Syvret, who played his rookie-pro season under contract to the Sound Tigers. (And this is, in fact, his first Bridgeport game. Regular season, at least.)
Bridgeport in white, Phantoms in orange, so all is right. (Hershey got thirds tomorrow? Not sure.) The Phantoms brought in Frank Hora on a PTO, but looked like they’ve got six others good to go.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Bourque-Fritz-Bailey
Eansor-St. Denis-Johnston
Dal Colle-Stevens-Gionta
C.Jones-B.Holmstrom (C)-J.Holmstrom
(Schempp-scratch)
D: Lafranchise-Aho
Toews-Burroughs (A)
Helgeson (A)-Vande Sompel
G: Gudlevskis
Gibson
LEHIGH VALLEY
F: Carey-Varone-Conner (A)
Goulbourne-Knight (A)-McDonald (C)
Fazleev – Vorobyov – Aube-Kubel
Lindblom-Vecchione-Krushelnyski
D: Brennan-Myers
O’Nell-Friedman
de Haas-Alt
(Hora-scratch)
G: Lyon
Tokarski
R: C.Syvret, Paterson. L: George, M.McNulty.
Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): Cullity, Wotherspoon, Bernier (ill), apparently Schempp.