The AHL announced next year’s divisions today, and it’s still the eight-team East Atlantic bear for Bridgeport. The big swap, as sort-of expected once you place Colorado in the Pacific: Cleveland comes East, or, well, North, joining its Erie/Ontario Great Lakes cohorts. Being a conference opponent doesn’t always mean Bridgeport will face a team, far-flung (skipped the last year of St. John’s in 2016-17; met Toronto in the first round of the playoffs the year before after not playing the Marlies in the regular season) or not (Binghamton, 2015-16; Manchester, 2008-09), but the chance is a lot better now than before.
AHL season opens Oct. 5. Believe Bridgeport is not home that weekend, but don’t believe there’s anything official on that yet.
Speaking of realignment, Texas and San Antonio get away from the 68-gamers next year, but the Stars still have Tucson to worry about this month: The Cedar Park portion of the series began tonight with more overtime, and Sheldon Dries scored 13:36 in to give the Stars a 5-4 win in Game 3. Texas leads the series 2-1.
Overtime everywhere. Former Sound Tigers assistant coach Lane Lambert is on to the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final with Washington after an OT win in Game 6. And Adirondack needed 48:08 of OT before Mathieu Brodeur ended the eighth-longest game in ECHL history, knocking out the Monarchs.
At Worlds, another point for Cam Atkinson in the United States‘ win over Germany. He’s 2-2-4 in three games. Josh Bailey had a goal and an assist in Canada‘s handy win over Denmark. Anders Nilsson got in net for Sweden and shut out France on 14 shots.
The USHL had Phase I of its draft tonight. Darien’s Scott Morrow went to Youngstown in the second round. Newtown’s Matt Samoskevich (whose sister Melissa is Quinnipiac’s co-captain and has been on national teams) went to Chicago in the fourth, one pick ahead of Stamford’s D.J. Hart to Waterloo, two ahead of one Jackson Nieuwendyk to Central Illinois. (These drafts are always great for the familiar names.) Greenwich’s Jason Marsella went to Chicago, and New Canaan’s Ryan McGuire to Madison.
And a tip of cap to Max Fortunus, headed overseas. Glad we finally got to watch him play in the east.