Soundin' Off

Two men missing this morning, one newcomer, one in a different but not unusual spot. Let’s start with who wasn’t here. Chris Langkow was released from his PTO, which sends him back to Alaska to get some games in as he comes back from injury. Tony Romano, Brent Thompson said: “personal,” without more specifics.

Dallas Jackson joined the group on defense. “We’ve got seven D out there who are reliable, with Olson being the seventh, a strong, physical presence,” Thompson said. “Dallas Jackson’s a big body, seems like he moves his feet very well. Wes Cunningham’s mobile, got a head on his shoulders.” They join, in order of appearance, Donovan, Oleksy, Gentile and Landry. Benn Olson, in the different but not unusual spot, wore white today with Tyler McNeely and Trevor Gillies.

Mark Katic, Calvin de Haan and Brett Gallant (the latter two in orange no-contact jerseys) took part in the whole practice (except the contact parts). They’re not expected back this weekend. (In case it got lost in the chat, Barry Goers went back to Vegas on Tuesday.)

If you didn’t see it earlier in the week, our Vinti Singh from news side wrote on the business side of having the NCAA* at the barn, with the note that the team says Sunday was its highest-grossing date.

I may’ve been looking in the wrong spot earlier, but Sports Club Stats has the AHL playoff probabilities up and… well, sorta running; the stats are a week old. Going into last Friday, Bridgeport had a 70 percent chance of making the playoffs, by their numbers; that presumably went up a smidgen.

All kinds of injuries for incoming Adirondack**, including former future Sound Tiger Blake Kessel. Edit: Here’s more of a summary from Tim McManus. And if this got lost in the chat, too, Boyd Kane is suspended for the weekend, so he’ll miss Sunday’s game here. (And Sunday’s a TV game to Central PA, apparently.)

Edit2: Trade sends almost-BST Bryan Rodney to Edmonton for former BST Ryan O’Marra; O’Marra reports to Syracuse.

Gwinnett sent Jackson to Bridgeport, and today it sent former Sound Tiger Joey Haddad to Hamilton***.

Edit3: Milwaukee re-upped with Nashville through 2014, with a mutual option for one more.

Community corner: You can sign up to bowl with the Sound Tigers. And Saturday morning is the second annual Special Olympics Floor Hockey Invitational, with the support of the BST Booster Club and the team. It’s at Fairfield University’s Quick Recreation Complex, 9-11:30 a.m. with awards and lunch to follow for the competitors. Neat event last year.

*-I both love and hate reading USCHO’s weekly Bracketology. It’s obviously going to change week-to-week; there’s no real way to predict today who’ll be here in late March. But it’s fun to think about.
**-Aside: As seen on Tim McManus’ feed, so wrong, but…
***-For some reason, Peter Lenes’ name always trips my “local ties” radar. I wish I knew why. Somebody have a similar name on a local team, maybe? As far as I know, his ties to the area are “played two NCAA games at Harbor Yard for Vermont.”

For most of the first period, it wasn’t as if Bridgeport was in charge of this thing, but the Sound Tigers weren’t giving the Phantoms much, either. They were outshooting Adirondack 6-1 at one point and had killed four power plays, their problem Friday.

And then, bang, the puck finds Tom Sestito on the right side, spinaround, goal. And then, bang, Bridgeport turns the puck over at the blue line, Jason Akeson finds Sestito on an island in front of Kevin Poulin, coupla moves, goal.

Michael Leighton makes a few more good stops, and it’s a 5-1 game soon enough.

“We played a solid game last game,” Brent Thompson said. “There were steps in the right direction. Tonight, we went back. Next game, we’ve got to bear down defensively, put ourselves in the mindset that defense will win you lots of hockey games.”

There’s been a lot of talk about the learning curve, the young defense, limiting turnovers, all that. Sometimes it has gone all right; sometimes it doesn’t work. It all comes back to another thing Thompson has talked a lot about, consistency. It’s still to come.

And now they’re bound for old St. John’s, where there’s a good IceCaps team waiting for them.

….

Which means, it struck me coming back upstairs, means they face Blake Kessel and Jason Gregoire back-to-back.

Attendance: 6,310, and the Nighthawks thank you. I had guessed they’d announce somewhere between 3,000 and 3,500 based on the crowd; the extra most likely comes from those vouchers the team gave out at the Islanders-Bruins game. (So we can expect a good bump for the Worcester game in two weeks, too.)

No comment from Donovan or Thompson about the majors; Haley came through while I was with Thompson.

Orlando in the ECHL? Could be. (H/t: Greg Wyshynski)

And RIP, Dan Wheldon.

Adirondack picked Bridgeport apart on Friday. We’ll see what changes with the last change and with Kevin Poulin in net. Only change from last night for the Sound Tigers is Olson in for Klementyev.

One to scratch for the Phantoms, and it’s Luke Pither.

BRIDGEPORT
F: Haley-Frischmon-Wallace
DiBenedetto (A)-Cizikas-Backman
McNeely-Ullstrom-Colliton (C)
Gallant-Langkow-Marcinko
D: Donovan-Reese (A)
Ness-de Haan
Olson-Wishart
G: Poulin
Koskinen

ADIRONDACK
F: Zolnierczyk-Schenn-Wellwood
Hamel (A)-Holmstrom (C)-Testwuide
Akeson-Roe-Sestito
Lauridsen-Brown-Harper
(Pither-scratch)
D: Gustafsson-Marshall
Bartulis-Kessel
Jancevski (A)-Eddy
G: Leighton
Bacashihua

R: McIsaac. L: Colby, Simeon.

Harbor Yard debut for former future Sound Tiger Blake Kessel. Edit: Also the first Bridgeport game for referee Jon McIsaac.

The Islanders report injuries in tonight’s game to Rhett Rakhshani (left knee) and Milan Jurcina (groin).

Meanwhile out in Columbus, Greenwich’s Cam Atkinson is making an impression.

Edit: BTW, Wes O’Neill is in Houston’s camp, since I keep posting tryouts. Edit2: “Former future” Tony DeHart in Hamilton, too.