Boy, that was some kinda 1-to-3-inches on warm pavement turning to rain last night, wasn’t it? I am greatly pleased I wasn’t out in it. Heard some adventures. Hope you did OK with the storm.
The snow rearranged enough schedules that I’ll unexpectedly be here to follow along as the Sound Tigers pay their one visit to Laval. We’ll have Alan up (Mixlr audio / AHLTV pay-per-view). Follow him and the team on Twitter. The Rocket had Georges Laraque and Gilbert Delorme there on Tuesday. Tonight… collectible cups. Ah well.
End of the night edit: Realized I left the box out… and a note. The box should be is here (R: Jenken, C.Syvret; L: Martineau, N.Piche). First Bridgeport game for referee Ryan Jenken.
We’ll see what the lineup looks like, who plugs into Michael Dal Colle’s spot if Bridgeport keeps Connor Jones and Josh Ho-Sang together, what they do with Steve Bernier’s spot with Stephen Gionta up, what the power-play units look like. Bernier due back tomorrow, of course, and speaking of which: Prescout.
Worcester has the night off after winning another shootout last night.
Ryan Strome comes back east, traded to the Rangers for Ryan Spooner.
Tip of cap to Mike Suppe, moving on.
And RIP, Roy Clark and William Goldman.
More in a bit: 7:30 start.
–Mike Ashmore is at Princeton women’s hockey, where they’ve lost the Zamboni, which led me to this, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow…
La formation de ce soir pour LAVAL:
F: Chaput-Evans-Belzile
Audette-McCarron-Froese
Shinkaruk-Vejdemo-Grenier
Jevpalovs-Verbeek-Alain
D: Kulak-Lernout
Sklenicka-Lamarche
Moravcik-Sproul
G: Lindgren
McNiven
–Things are a little mixed up for BRIDGEPORT:
F: Bellows – Jones – Ho-Sang
Koivula-St. Denis-C.Bourque
R.Bourque (A)-Fritz-Sislo
Eansor-Kubiak-B.Holmstrom (C)
D: Toews-Burroughs
Helgeson (A)-Vande Sompel
Wotherspoon-Aho
G: Smith
Gibson
–Took a minute to get the flow going, but good pace back and forth. Almost seven minutes in, a good shift for Bridgeport; Laval blocks a few and Lindgren covers.
–Aho called for tripping Jevpalovs at 12:35. First PP to Laval. But it doesn’t last long, as Jones clears off a blocked shot and Sproul called for holding him.
–Boy, anytime I go back, the video stalls on me. Will have to figure out what I’m doing wrong. Teams are back at full strength.
–Wotherspoon for clipping. Didn’t see who it was (Hayden Verbeek), but he went really low on a hip check. Laval’s second PP with 2:33 left in the first.
–No score after one. Shots even at 8.
–I’ve been bounced off the game twice during intermission. I almost miss AHL Live.
–Make it three times, and I think I do. Meanwhile Springfield has put up seven on Rochester in the second period. Micheal Haley’s in for the Thunderbirds.
–Bellows and Ho-Sang work in the Laval end, and a quick Moravcik grab of Ho-Sang gives Bridgeport its first full advantage. Looks like Fritz, Sislo, Bourque, Koivula and Toews.
–Nice look Koivula to Bourque; it took a second to settle, and the shot was blocked. The Rocket held Sislo off on a rebound. Now Ryan Bourque, St. Denis, Ho-Sang, Bellows and Aho.
–Ryan Bourque in front, Bellows in Dal Colle’s spot in the middle. Back to even strength.
–Sislo called for a trip on an offensive-zone draw. Third Rocket PP midway second.
–Chaput called for a trip, sticking the leg out dodging a Connor Jones hit just after a shot, so four-on-four.
–McCarron vs. Wotherspoon after they’re back at five-on-five amid a bunch of physical stuff going on.
–St. Denis gets the stick up on Kulak. Called for a cross-check.
–Might be more big hits in this game than in any other this year. Maybe combined. Still scoreless with 3:35 left in the second.
–Don’t think there’s been a faceoff tonight (possible hyperbole) where they didn’t toss somebody. St. Denis, who was tossed from this one, gets tangled with Brett Lernout off it, and Lernout gets called for tripping in the last minute of the second. Bridgeport will carry 1:24 of power-play time to the third after two scoreless periods. Shots 17-13 in Bridgeport’s favor.
–That power play passes harmlessly, but Eansor takes a bump from Vejdemo that’s called interference at 3:06.
–Took a while to set things up; Bellows was blocked inside the left circle. Back even.
–Belleville has meanwhile blown a late lead, but Christian Wolanin scored his second in overtime to beat Toronto.
–Audette for a high-stick with 13:40 left. Sixth Bridgeport PP.
–Long five-on-three to come for Bridgeport after Bellows gets knocked down… Well, maybe not that long. Ho-Sang pass to the front gets blocked back into the crease to Toews, who fires it home. 1-0 Bridgeport at 7:23, and the power play continues for another 1:45. Vejdemo comes in soon after on a two-on-one, takes it himself on the left side and gets stopped by Smith’s right pad.
–They’ve changed an assist, giving Fritz the primary, so apparently Ho-Sang’s pass went Fritz to Toews.
–Smith made a good stop on Alain off a draw. About 30 seconds later, after yet another series of faceoff centerman tosses, the Rocket nearly set up Chaput for a point-blank one-timer, but it trickled through. Six minutes left.
–Jones nice defensive play sends Ho-Sang up the right side. He finds Bellows on the left, and Bellows found the crossbar. Five to go.
–St. Denis hits a post on the rebound of a save on Koivula with 3:45 left. Former Sound Tigers defenseman Joel Bouchard calls time out with 2:36 to go. The crowd shots have caught at least two guys yawning in the past few stoppages.
–Lindgren to the bench at that time out.
–Evans blocked twice in the left circle, but he sends it to the right point, gets it back at the top of the left circle and scores on a one-timer with about 36 seconds left. 1-1.
–Overtime. #pointsforall
–We’ve had a Laval ticket ad for the video through the first minute and a half of OT, so it feels like AHL Live.
–Hey, video, just after the goalies trade stops on two-on-ones…. and now bounced off. Hurray.
–Shootout after another couple of dangerous chances each way. Shots evened out, 27-26 Bridgeport. There was an interesting piece in the Athletic today about the Rocket and their big cumulative shots edge. Naturally Bridgeport turns that around tonight.
–Bellows scores the only goal in the fourth round: Bridgeport 2, Laval 1, final (SO).
They’ll head down to Belleville. Do it again here tomorrow.