Two more. On to Hershey, where the Bears will amazingly finish last in their division for the first time since 1983-84. We’ll keep up through Alan (Mixlr audio / AHL Live audio/pay-per-view). We’ll follow Alan, the team, the Bears and Zack Fisch among others.
Green and gold ribbons tonight in honor of Humboldt.
The box should be here (R: Labonte, Thomson; L: Tobias, George), only one change in the officials from last night at Allentown. Only the second Bridgeport game for Stephen Thomson. They had him Feb. 12, 2017, at home against Hershey.
Scoreboard Watching: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Lehigh Valley (the Penguins clinch second with a point); Providence at Springfield (the Bruins are locked into fourth with anything but a win); Hartford at Binghamton (Hartford clinches sixth with a point).
The real drama is way out west. San Diego needs a point at Tucson (which clinched home ice through the Western Conference final last night) to hold onto the fourth spot in the Pacific. But if the Roadrunners win in regulation, the winner of San Jose-Stockton — which starts an hour earlier, 9 p.m. Eastern — gets the fourth spot instead.
Worcester comes home for Game 2 after falling in Game 1 last night. Bill Ballou reports that Chris Langkow could be closer than not. (Also mentions that Worcester thinks it might get someone else from Bridgeport in time for Sunday. A forward, would guess, assuming the Sound Tigers wanted to have an extra for the road trip.) Adirondack added Nick Niedert as an emergency backup today after Syracuse called for Olivier Mantha. On the AHL transactions today were Joel Martin and Dov Grumet-Morris, going to Cleveland and Iowa respectively on PTOs. Quite the goaltending day.
And RIP, the great Bill Nack.
More in a bit.
HERSHEY from the Bears
F: Whitney-Walker-C.Bourque (A)
Gazley-Langlois-Simpson
O’Brien-Graovac-Bau
Sill (A)-Gustafsson-Mitchell (C)
D: Ness-Johansen
Siegenthaler-Williams
Bindulis-Hobbs
G: Vanecek
Carlson
–Alan says Tanner Fritz remains out after last night’s injury, and Sebastian Aho will sit out banged up as well. Parker Wotherspoon returns.
–All right, technology issues in all directions, evidently. The teams had a nice ceremony to honor Humboldt, ringing the center-ice circle as the Broncos’ logo was projected there. Bridgeport had an early power play; David Quenneville, on the second unit, rang a one-timer off the post. The blog apparently didn’t update. A few minutes later, Hershey took a lead as a puck caromed to Siegenthaler alone in front, and he put it quickly inside the right post. Meanwhile, Alan was about 10 seconds ahead of the video, and now he’s at least 10 behind it. Fun.
BRIDGEPORT we’d gotten pretty much from Alan running it down:
F: Dal Colle-St. Denis-Bernier (A)
R.Bourque – Stevens – Ho-Sang
K.Jones-Hitchcock-Bailey
Schempp-B.Holmstrom (C)-J.Holmstrom
D: Wotherspoon-Burroughs
Lafranchise-Quenneville
Helgeson (A)-Vande Sompel
G: Gudlevskis
Gibson
They honored the bus drivers before the game, too, Alan noted, including Bridgeport’s legendary Larry Lucky. Meanwhile another Bridgeport power play with 7:35 left in the first, Hobbs for slashing.
–So the PP units are Bernier, Bailey, Ho-Sang, St. Denis and Vande Sompel; Dal Colle, Hitchcock, Stevens, Quenneville and Wotherspoon. This one expires.
–Ryan Bourque might’ve hit the left post with about 3:40 left; ref gave the wash-out sign, though Alan thought Vanecek might’ve stopped it.
–It’s 1-0 Hershey after one. They’ll carry 44 seconds of a Holmstrom slashing minor to the second along with an 8-5 shots edge.
–That penalty expires, but soon after, Burroughs and Whitney are sent off together. Four-on-four.
–With Kellen Jones off for a slash (the penalty of the night; what is it, October?), fans boo as the linesmen rule that Chris Bourque knocked down a clearing attempt with a high stick. Uh-huh.
–Burroughs trips Chris Bourque at 7:51. Called slashing. (No, just kidding.) Third Hershey power play in a row.
–In Worcester, the Railers have scored for the first time since the second-to-last game of the regular season. They lead the Thunder 1-0 on Woody Hudson’s goal at 7:40 of the second. Secondary assist to Yanick Turcotte. Providence is up 2-0 on Springfield; Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, back this weekend from that scary injury where he hit his head on the ice, has one of the goals.
Actually before I get it to update, make it 4-0 Bruins and two goals for JFK.
–There was a Bridgeport penalty at 7:51 in, and now there’s one with 7:51 to go in the second. St. Denis for… slashing. Not kidding this time. Fourth consecutive Hershey power play.
–Joe Whitney was open in front late in that minor, but it stayed out.
–Graovac beats Stevens on a draw to Gudlevskis’ left, and Bau snaps it in from the top of the circle. 2-0 Hershey with 4:52 left in the second.
–Bridgeport’s third power play, Bindulis tripping, 4:00 left second.
–Hitchcock made a nice play to prevent a clear and keep it in most of the two minutes. Bernier wanted a call when he got hit into the end boards; none came. Looked as if Hitchcock might’ve been fouled on a final Hershey clear; no call came, so O’Brien rushed out, danced around Bailey and got tripped by Vande Sompel. The Bears hit a post early in their own power play.
–Things sound fun in Worcester. 2-0 Bears after two.
–Shots are 20-9 Hershey, including 12-4 that period with the power-play differential probably helping.
–Bailey takes it away from Johansen at the red line in front of the benches, breaks in alone and beats Vanecek stick-side. It’s 2-1 Hershey with 14:43 to go.
–Bindulis’ interference penalty 30 seconds later gives Bridgeport its fourth power play.
–Dal Colle had a chance at a rebound in the crease and had room; either clipped the post with it (another ref wash-out sign) or had his stick lifted to keep him from tapping it in. Either way, Bears got through that kill.
–Sill for a slash with 8:45 left. Now five power plays apiece.
–And now five unsuccessful power plays apiece.
–Holy cro, Reading and Manchester are going to double overtime for the second night in a row.
–Gudlevskis out with 1:30 to go. A Hershey flip from its own end looked on its way in, but it skittered and turned and stopped so it wasn’t even icing. Bridgeport’s offside with 20.7 left.
–Attendance: 10,039. Time out, Bridgeport. (Two unrelated facts.)
—Hershey 2, Bridgeport 1, final. Bears outshot them 25-18.
–Providence won, so tomorrow still has some meaning for positioning. Utica lost, so it’s Marlies-Comets and Crunch-Amerks in the North Division.
–Worcester wins to tie the best-of-7 series at 1. Mitch Gillam with the shutout.
–The Pens and Phantoms trade late goals, but they’re off to OT, so the Penguins have clinched second as long as Clark Donatelli doesn’t do anything insane.
–He did not. The Penguins have clinched second.
Game 76 tomorrow at 5.