The break over up top, the Islanders called up Tanner Fritz and Ross Johnston this afternoon. That leaves Michael Dal Colle here. Reports from down there made it sound like Casey Cizikas is close, so if he’s good to go, there were only two open spots.
Bridgeport doesn’t get back at it until late Wednesday afternoon.
Springfield, which comes back to Harbor Yard on Friday, sent Maxim Mamin, Ian McCoshen and Samuel Montembeault back up to Florida. Montembeault didn’t dress Saturday for Springfield, either, after he sat out Friday’s game against the Sound Tigers.
Up in Utica, Christopher Gibson needed 32 seconds to outscore eight of Bridgeport’s 22 other all-time all-stars, picking up an assist on an Alex Grenier goal to start the second half. The Central Division hit two posts behind him in that game. The Pacific Division was more accurate, and so was the North Division, coming back from 3-0 down (3-1 in the last 1:12) against Gibson to win 4-3 and advance to the final. The North beat the Pacific 1-0 in that final, so victory for Bracken Kearns. Brendan Burke noted that Kearns wore 6 tonight in honor of his dad. Neat. Rochester’s C.J. Smith was MVP.
Mitch Vande Sompel scored two goals against the Pacific Division and added one against the North. He’s the first Sound Tiger to score three goals in a given all-star event.
A pretty typical skills contest Sunday night, won handily by the East. Vande Sompel’s skating stride impressed Alan May; unfortunately, it was the Hardest-Shot contest. Had some technical difficulties getting the stream of the Hall of Fame induction to work Monday morning, hooking in just as honorary captain Scott Pellerin was wrapping up. Fortunately, later, figured a way to go back to see Dave Andrews present a portrait to Kearns, then laugh as he got back to the microphone: “If you get a chance to get a look at the portrait: They got the hair right. That’s really, really well-done.”
Elsewhere, it would be nice if this isn’t it for Jaromir Jagr. But if it is, man, what a run.
And RIP, Matt Graves, who we got to know a little when he covered the River Rats.