Rotate one more time: Every healthy Sound Tiger who sat out yesterday steps in today. Only eight Sound Tigers will play the full three-in-three: Helgeson, Aho (happy 23rd) and Wotherspoon on the back end; Chris Bourque, Fritz, Koivula, St. Denis and Bernier up front. As a comparison, 14 did it last weekend. (They had some extra bodies this time around.)
Matt Lorito steps in between Andrew Ladd and Josh Ho-Sang. Kieffer Bellows gets back in opposite Steve Bernier. St. Denis-Koivula-C.Bourque remains a thing; Otto Koivula’s got a goal in four games in a row. Kyle Burroughs sits out.
Only the league’s best team waiting for them at the end of the weekend after Charlotte wins at Springfield and Providence.
BRIDGEPORT
F: Ladd – Lorito – Ho-Sang
St. Denis-Koivula-C.Bourque
Bellows-Fritz-Bernier (A)
Gionta-Stevens-B.Holmstrom (C)
(Jones-scratch)
D: Hickey-Vande Sompel
Wotherspoon-Casto
Helgeson (A)-Aho
G: Gibson
Smith
CHARLOTTE
F: Saarela-Necas-Poturalski (A)
Schilkey-Roy-Gauthier
Lorentz-Brown (C)-Stortini
Kuokkanen-Geekie-Nastasiuk
D: Fleury-Sanguinetti
Bean-Didier
Carrick (A)-Renouf
G: Booth
Nedeljkovic
R: T.Murray, Gour. L: Galvin, Hanrahan.
Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): Burroughs, Rathgeb, R.Bourque (veteran), Eansor, apparently Jones, Kubiak, Sislo (upper).
First Bridgeport game for referee Troy Murray. (Not Troy Murray.) Pretty sure it is for linesman Patrick Hanrahan, too. Murray and last night’s New Ref, Alex Normandin, worked together Friday in Providence, and a three-new-guy alignment (with Luke, no less, to balance it out) would’ve been too much to handle.