Guessing they’re thrilled to get through this one and move on to the regular season in a week.
“It was exhibition,” Brent Thompson said. “What I liked was the way the group came together and stuck together. There are a lot of things we have to clean up, but the effort was there.”
Oliver Wahlstrom came down in the morning, apparently, hopped in and scored the tying goal, against the grain in the slot, 13 seconds before David Quenneville’s left-point shot won it. Wahlstrom took a hit from Mason Geertsens (the guy who took out Erik Brown yesterday; had an edge all weekend) in open ice in the second period and looked uncomfortable, hunched over. He didn’t miss a shift and came back to score in the third. But Thompson was more impressed with Wahlstrom’s penalty killing on a major in the third (when Geertsens threw a hit on Ben Thomson and everybody went after him).
“Wally played a good, solid game,” Thompson said. “He took a hard hit and responded. He came through in the third period.”
BRIDGEPORT
F: Schilkey-Jobst-Wahlstrom
St. Denis-Bardreau-Durandeau
Eansor-MacLean-Pierog
Pond-Stevens-Thomson
D: Wotherspoon-Burroughs
Quenneville-Hutton
MacKinnon-Cornell
G: Gibson
Coreau
Nic Pierog scored off a Kyle MacLean faceoff win in the first period. Cole Bardreau added an empty-netter on the rush with Mason Jobst. MacLean also assisted on Quenneville’s game-winner.
John Stevens blocked a shot early in the second period and didn’t return. Thompson said he didn’t have an update.
Worcester opens its camp Monday. Cuts in the meantime seem likely, though Thompson didn’t commit to how many or when. (He said that was “more of a Chris (Lamoriello) question.” Barry Trotz before the Islanders game said the timing of the Big Club’s cuts was “more of a Lou (Lamoriello) question.” The coaches are on message.)
Not-really-the-first Bridgeport game for referee Mason Riley. (Guessing he was the guy looking for John Stevens after the game: Jersey guy.)
From yesterday, on Connor Doherty. From tonight, mostly on Michael Dal Colle. (Insider, both)
And RIP, Nick Polano.
More at some point.