Kinda weird to be talking about controlling one’s own destiny with a month to go, but the fact remained that Bridgeport did until last night. Had the Sound Tigers won out in regulation, that would’ve included the two games in hand it had on Charlotte, as well as the regular-season finale with the Checkers five weeks from today. And that would’ve put them ahead of Charlotte, 100 points to 99, even if the Checkers otherwise won out.
Not anymore, for what it’s worth. (And beyond that, it’s almost inconceivable at this point that the Sound Tigers would have the tiebreaker yet still be tied, so they’d need to get ahead of the Checkers.) Charlotte’s off today, so this would be helpful for the Sound Tigers to keep the gap manageable as it gets late.
The good news for Bridgeport is they’re about as full-strength as they get right now. Mitch Vande Sompel returns after missing 13 games. Josh Ho-Sang comes back after missing the past two games, ill. The lines are all rearranged, most notably the pro debut of Ryan Hitchcock alongside Travis St. Denis and Steve Bernier.
And Ben Holmstrom, despite taking a skate to the face with 5:45 left last night, plays, naturally.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Hitchcock-St. Denis-Bernier (A)
Bourque-Stevens-Bailey
Eansor – C.Jones – Ho-Sang
Dal Colle-Gionta-B.Holmstrom (C)
D: Benoit-Lafranchise
Wotherspoon-Burroughs
Helgeson (A)-Vande Sompel
(Cullity-scratch)
G: McAdam
Gudlevskis
SPRINGFIELD
F: Hunt-Valk-Grenier
Horvat (A)-Balisy (A)-Greco
Farnham-C.Brown-Kurker
Wittchow-Beauchemin-Hawryluk
(Chase-scratch)
D: Bystrom-Fortunus
Erixon-J.Brown (A)
Schemitsch-Fayne
G: Sateri
Montembeault
R: D.Banfield, Labonte. L: K.Briganti, Kiriakos.
Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): apparently Cullity, Toews (shoulder), J.Holmstrom, K.Jones, Schempp.
The Sound Tigers sent Mike Cornell, who’d been scratched the past six games, to Worcester; the Railers are also getting set to play right now at home. (Tomorrow’s Cornell’s 30th birthday. Did we ever link to the PHPA’s tweet with the ridiculous adorability of his baby daughter, born Dec. 10? Don’t think so.)
Scoreboard Watching: Grand Rapids (!) at Hershey, 5 p.m.; Binghamton at Lehigh Valley, 5 p.m.