Killing time: Belleville pregame postgame

Pre, post, inter, propter, circum, whatever. Thanks, Stan

Fun game to watch, not least because I get excited when it looks like Brent Thompson’s gone to a matchup. He kind of did against Toronto for a while, but tonight, until very late, it was Seth Helgeson and Kyle Burroughs against Nick Paul, Logan Brown and Drake Batherson.

Those guys are obviously going to be key to any power play/penalty kill matchup, too, and though Burroughs took two of Bridgeport’s six penalties, Helgeson and he were part of the reason the Sens went 0-for-6.

Helgeson had been talking about the size and skill of that Belleville group of forwards and the energy the young guys bring, and I said that kind of carries over to the PP, even if they rate in the middle of the pack, no? “The way they move it, the way they find seams and find open guys,” Helgeson said. “That was another point of the game; the PK did a good job. It’s something to build on going into tomorrow against Syracuse.”

They defended hard, and it helped having Christopher Gibson back there, too.

“I thought Gibby was outstanding. Obviously your goalie’s always your best defender, your best penalty-killer,” Brent Thompson said.

Bridgeport’s power-play drought stands at 29 chances, 54:24 in time, but like Jeff Kubiak’s goal last weekend, they got one tonight that was more or less off the power play if not on the power play; the Sens never really got reset before Sebastian Aho’s shot caromed in off Steve Bernier’s skate, 10 seconds after a power play where that unit got some shots off. Still, 0-fer, including a long five-on-three to start.

But the Sound Tigers got it done at even strength in an intense, fun game, and their next three games will be against the two best teams in the Eastern Conference. This wasn’t bad prep.

“We have some things we’ve got to clean up,” Thompson said. “We still mismanaged the puck a little bit, gave them opportunity to attack in transition. Even that last goal, we had the puck on our stick and gave it back to them.”

…….

Thompson confirmed: Ho-Sang ill, Vande Sompel banged-up, lower body, to go with Wotherspoon’s lingering upper-body ailment. All day-to-day, he hopes.

Bridgeport has clinched a finish ahead of Hartford now. It needs four points to clinch a finish ahead of Springfield, eight to finish ahead of Lehigh, nine to finish ahead of the Penguins. (To go further and clinch home ice, 14 to finish ahead of the Bruins, 16 to finish ahead of Hershey.) (And 31 to finish ahead of Charlotte.)

Thompson played with Norm Batherson in Medicine Hat. Was hoping to meet Drake postgame.

Mike Cornell needed some repairs after stepping up in defense of Kieffer Bellows, fighting Joseph LaBate, but he said he was OK afterward.

Stephen Gionta had a noticeable game in all three zones. “Gio came in after not playing in a long time and was arguably one of our best forwards,” Thompson said. “To his credit, his penalty kill was outstanding, his faceoffs were good, his stick was good. Veteran, quality player. It’s another example of the depth we have.”

Speaking of dangerous teams with talented forwards: Prescout. Between their win and Belleville’s loss, the Crunch clinched a playoff spot. Daniel Walcott is back. The odd Connor Ingram saga continues.

Worcester lost in ManchVegas. The Railers are winless in three.

And the NCAA bracket comes out Sunday; Quinnipiac is in, AIC and its coach from the Bronx is in, and so are Tyce Thompson, Ben Mirageas and Providence. The NCAA women’s national championship is also Sunday at Quinnipiac.

Michael Fornabaio