Got an early high school game so may be a little late to the party this afternoon, a 4 p.m start at Ricoh Coliseum. We’ll keep up through Alan (Mixlr audio / AHL Live audio/pay-per-view). Follow Alan, the team, the Marlies and Todd Crocker, among others.
The box should be here (R: Tarnaris, Menniti; L: T.Baker, McCrank). First Bridgeport game for Mathieu Menniti.
The Big Club has today off but got banged up last night.
Canada won the World Juniors. Rangers draft pick Lias Andersson was not thrilled with second.
More in a bit.
–Will be churning high school copy awhile (thanks, kids team, for practicing till 1), but… From the team, a blown-up couple of lines after the Islanders called up Anthony Beauvillier this morning:
BRIDGEPORT
F: Dal Colle – St. Denis – Ho-Sang
Eansor-C.Jones-Bailey
Bourque-Stevens-Bernier (A)
Johnston-Schempp-B.Holmstrom (C)
D: Wotherspoon-Burroughs
Lafranchise-Cullity
Helgeson (A)-Vande Sompel
G: Gibson
Gudlevskis
–BPT goes to work down low, Johnston recovers the rebound of a Wotherspoon shot, carries from the left post around the net to the right half-wall, finds Burroughs in the slot. Burroughs steps up and beats Cal Pickard at 5:45. Bridgeport’s been all over the Marlies, and Sheldon Keefe calls time out.
–Worked, I guess. Johnsson scores after a rebound caromed around the front of the net at 6:10.
Looks like Bernier, Bailey, Bourque, St. Denis, Lafranchise on one PP unit; Johnston, Dal Colle, Eansor, Ho-Sang and Vande Sompel on the other. So Bailey for Beauvillier, then Johnston back in.
–If you’re curious, the Prep-Notre Dame story is not writing itself.
–The Marlies go ahead 10:13 in. Nielsen wristed it through traffic from the left point over Gibson’s glove. 2-1 Toronto.
–Shots 21-4 Bridgeport after one. Score 2-1 Toronto after one.
–All right, what’d I m… Hey, Helgeson-Clune drop ’em. Clune gets the left free to put it away late, 8:12 to go in the second.
–Then Nielsen and… Bailey? Alan figures it’s the visor that’s got Casey Bailey bleeding pretty impressively from above the nose. Bridgeport gets a power play out of it.
–It’s an instigator to Nielsen, in fact.
–John Stevens, who has no points in the past 15 games, is on for the PP in Bailey’s spot; it’s also got Vande Sompel instead of Kane Lafranchise.
–Colin Greening scores on a short-handed breakaway a minute into the penalty to make it 3-1 Toronto with 6:17 left in the second.
–Johnsson up the left side to Kapanen in the middle, takes it into the right circle and snaps it off the post and in with 3:55 left in the second. 4-1 Toronto.
–So it is after two. Toronto outshot Bridgeport 18-9 in the period.
–Aw. RIP, Jerry Van Dyke.
–Arthur Staple’s reporting shoulder surgery for Devon Toews. Likely ends his season.
–Greening slides his second of the night under Gibson, coming out of the right corner… not sure if that didn’t hit a stick and turn right, on replay. Either way, 5-1 2:22 into the third.
–A Cullity slash as I try to trade screens here. It has been a long day for all involved, I guess. Third Toronto power play.
–Bridgeport kills it off, though, and goes on its fourth PP soon after. Alan plays a Devon Toews clip as he comes back from commercial. Who?
–Bailey is back, though it looks like he might be bleeding again. Stays on the ice, though.
–Brooks, out of the box, sneaks behind Wotherspoon and scores on a breakaway. 6-1 Marlies. Three points for Greening, who sprang him. Um, FOUR points for Greening, pardon me; forgot the assist in the first period.
–Holmstrom and Nielsen go. Instigator for Holmstrom, so no game misconduct for Nielsen for his second fight.
—Toronto 6, Bridgeport 1, final, mercifully. Biggest loss of the year and since the 7-0 elimination disaster in Springfield last April.
–Puck management, to Brent Thompson. A couple of shifts in the first period, and the momentum changes.
Went back to look before I called him to make sure I wasn’t missing it, but didn’t look like Ho-Sang played a lot down the stretch. True, Thompson said. Coach’s decision.
They’ll practice Monday.