Aaron Ness returns, again: Hershey Game 5 pregame

Nothing really new for Bridgeport; same lineup for the deciding game as in Game 4. Something very new for Hershey: Aaron Ness returns, eight days after being taken off this ice on a stretcher. Awesome.

The Sound Tigers are 4-8 all-time when they can eliminate an opponent, including 2-4 at home. They’re 3-8 all-time when facing elimination, including 2-2 at home (wins: Game 7 against Hamilton in 2002, Game 4 to avoid the Hershey sweep in 2010; losses: Game 6 vs. Binghamton in 2003, and Game 7 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2004).

Whoever wins tonight gets Charlotte next after the Checkers finished the Bruins in four. That next series begins Friday/Saturday down in Carolina. Just 60 minutes (well, maybe more) until we know who makes that trip.

BRIDGEPORT
F: Ho-Sang – Lorito – Bernier (A)
Bellows-Koivula-Wahlstrom
R.Bourque-Stevens-Gionta
St. Denis-Jones-C.Bourque
(Carpenter-scratch)
D: Helgeson (A)-Burroughs (C)
Vande Sompel-Hutton
Wotherspoon-Aho
G: Gibson
Smith

HERSHEY
F: O’Brien-Sgarbossa (A)-Barber
Walker (A)-Megna-Whitney
Gersich-Pilon-Pinho
Malenstyn-McCarthy-Cherniwchan
D: Ness-Lewington (A)
Geisser-Sproul
Johansen-Hobbs
(Leach-scratch)
G: Samsonov
Vanecek

R: Markovic, C.Syvret. L: N.Briganti, Tobias.

This should be the box.

Bridgeport scratches (believed healthy unless noted): Gillam, Casto, Cornell, Quenneville, apparently Carpenter, Eansor, Hitchcock, B.Holmstrom (veteran), Jobst, Kubiak, Sislo (veteran/lower), Turcotte.

Michael Fornabaio