LIVE! Trade Deadline Special! PIT @ NYI - FINAL (4-2 PIT)

9:32 - FINAL PIT WINS 4-2

9:31 - Ricky just delivered a check on the boards...that's great...btw, Fedotenko gets the goal...

9:30 - ONE MINUTE WARNING...thank god...

9:29 - Now the Isles get a PP goal?! What took them so long? PIT LEADS 4-2

9:28 - Malkin is going off for tripping...and the Isles have hit the 50 shot mark

9:25 - Now it's Mike Comrie vs. Tyler Kennedy. I'll applaud his efforts...it was quite the good fight, and whenever Comrie drops the gloves you know its obviously because of some reason...Comrie will get a game misconduct, for all you record keepers out there, add 10 PIM to his stats

9:24 - I had my head turned, and once I look to the ice, I see Ricky getting schooled out of his shorts, and Connor James getting a PP goal...PIT LEADS 4-1

9:22 - Mike thinks maybe the Isles can find some magic and score two SHG...if this was Carolina...maybe...but Pittsburgh? no way..

9:21 - Another call on the Isles...Tank going off for tripping...

9:18 - Davison delivers a big hit, and that will give him a warm welcome to Long Island

9:17 - Malkin and Skyora get the assists on the Staal goal. I'm just gonna put it plain and simple, this is definitely not the Isles not tonight.

9:15 - There's going to be a delayed call on the Isles...but during the delay, Staal just ripped one over Ricky's shoulder...PIT LEADS 3-1

9:12 - We've got 8:04 left in the third period. SOG are 46-13 NYI...absolutely ridiculous

9:11 - Five Pens DEEP in the D-zone...that's tough enough to make anything work

9:10 - Loose puck on the ice near Conklin...Isles can't get to it...this is getting frustrating..

9:09 - Back and forth play right now...Isles are having a hard time generating anything right now...

9:05 - Martinek's out of the box, and that was a good kill..

9:04 - Davison getting some PK time here...

9:02 - The karma for this team has the feel of it during the 7-game losing streak...no bounces...and now Martinek gets a holding penalty by the trail referee...did I mention I don't like the two-referee system? Never did, never will...

9:01 - This team looks invigorated...it would be nice if they could score a goal though

9:00 - Bergenheim to Park...and how did THAT NOT go in?!

8:59 - Kid line generating another good scoring chance, this time was Comeau to Tamby

8:58 - No goal it looks...crossbar shot

8:56 - Davison almost had his first! It looked to have gone in...everyone through it was in...chants of "replay" are going on...stoppage of play...and the ref heads to the table.

8:55 - There goes the Isles PP...and of course, nothing on the boards...it's a venerable 0-fer here

8:54 - Ok, so I'm beyond exhausted right now...but I'm trudging on. One period to go here...

8:37 - END OF PERIOD 2: Just one piece of advice, if the Isles wanna win, the PP needs to shape up! It's looked absolutely horrible as of late. SOG are now 34-10 NYI. They really should be winning.

8:35 - Good scoring chance in front of the Pens net...shot went just wide of the net...ONE MINUTE WARNING...there's about a 34 second difference between the game clock and the penalty clock..

8:34 - ANOTHER Penguins penalty...Letang for slashing..

8:33 - Nielsen almost had his second of the game, capitalizing on a Letang giveaway

8:29 - The Pens are being cute with the puck in the Isles zone and the Isles are totally falling for it. We've got an icing on the Isles...3:51 left in the 2nd period

8:28 - Pretty much what you'd expect from an Isles PP right no...

8:26 - The Pens are getting yet another penalty...Laraque gets a high sticking penalty...two minutes..

8:24 - Isles have got some life...pressuring the Pens zone..Hilbert-Guerin-Comrie are definitely doing a good job...deflection in front, but it was by a high stick, so play will stop

8:23 - The PA announcer announced that the Isles goal was assisted by Brooks Orpik...really?!?!?!?! Someone check TSN!!!

8:19 - The "Kid Line" strikes! Welcome back Tamby...cross-ice-centering pass to Nielsen who tips it through Conklin's legs...PIT LEADS 2-1

8:18 - The Park line is generating some sort of offense, but that died afterwards..

8:15 - Icing on the Isles, and they'll hear it from the crowd...

8:14 - Fedotenko had a clear breakaway...was 10 feet in front of the net, and passed it off?! Wow...

8:13 - The boo-birds are flying...and I don't blame them...nice shot by Johnson...that's the only real good thing that has come out this...

8:12 - Staal's got a broken stick...and the Isles couldn't take advantage of it..

8:10 - Now the Penguins are starting to hit..and they'll get called for another penalty...DP to the bench...and the Isles will try to play 6-on-5...but that doesn't go far...Laraque for hooking

8:09 - Good passing play by the Park line leads to a decent scoring chance. Conklin looks like he's pretty on tonight. He's got great positioning..

8:07 - What's with all the shots being blocked by Pittsburgh?? Last I remembered they seem to kill the Isles on that...

8:06 - PP is failing miserably...hey...there's a shot! Where's Bergeron when you need him?

8:04 - This game actually is running a bit late it seems. There's going to be yet another penalty on Pittsburgh, Staal will get two for high sticking

7:46 - END OF PERIOD 1:Well, that wasn't an all that great period for the Isles. Two shots, two goals for the Penguins. Penalty trouble proved to be the downfall for the Isles this period, and it seemed like the Isles couldn't generate any real quality scoring chances. They outshot the Pens 23-6. Let's see how the second fares...

7:45 - ONE MINUTE WARNING...that's good news

7:43 - When you're outshooting your opponent 22-6, and LOSING 2-0...something might be wrong...

7:42 - Did I just hear a "Let's Go Davison" chant?! Hunter gets a SH 2-on-1...Conklin with the save...action goes the other way,. and Gervais gets a hooking call on a 2-on-1 the other way...and now the Pens scored on a scrum in front of the net. That's not starting well...PIT LEADS 2-0

7:40 - Right off the faceoff Park gets a holding the stick penalty. That wasn't very good...now Tank had a 2-on-1 with Satan on the PK...but that didn't amount to anything.

7:39 - Davison is getting his first action of the night. Being paired with Berard

7:36 - Two straight shots at the end of the two man advantages were fired right into Pens defenders...so much for that PP...Shots are 19-2 NYI

7:35 - Thanks to my friend kbarbdamnit, who notified me that Brennan will be eligible on March 15. Isles are getting shots on this PP...just not very quality scoring chances..

7:33 - Pittsbrugh were bad, and just dumped the puck out of the rink from the defensive zone. Whitney for delay of game...1:35 5-on-3 PP

7:32 - Delayed penalty on the Penguins...Gonchar for holding...NYI to the PP

7:30 - Looked like a weak offsides call there...if not, it was very close...and here comes Rob Davison! Welcome!

7:29 - Dee just asked me when Brennan's suspension is over...I think it's 6-7 games...right?

7:27 - Sykora gets the Penguins first shot of the game...rebound goes right to Malkin, he pulls into the shot, and lets it rip past DiPietro. PIT LEADS 1-0

7:26 - Great defensive backcheck by Hunter on a Pittsburgh 2-on-1...could've saved a goal.

7:24 - Tank's got his legs tonight, he seems to be flying. SOG are now 13-0 NYI..and we're only 10 minutes in

7:23 - Kid line buzzing...Comeau is looking like a star right now...getting off a good shot through traffic, and then leaving a beauty of a touch pass to Hilbert, who fired a shot high on Conklin, it handcuffed him, but he made the save

7:22 - A bit back and forth play right now...Tambellini fired a shot into Conklin's mask...you could hear the impact.

7:19 - SOG count is a little lopsided right now. There's 13:29 left in the 1st period and its 8-0 NYI

7:17 - Bruno Gervais is the designated double-shifter it seems...he's been playing with Berard so far

7:16 - "The Kid Line" is back together again. Glad to see that. They were really starting to gel together and Garth seems very high on them together as a line.

7:15 - Mini PP starts now...but nothing will happen as the puck was dumped into the Isles zone as Tank came out, although Conklin did have to cover in front of the Pens net due to added Isles pressure

7:14 - Lot of hesitation to shoot. Staal is coming out of the box as Berard wrists a rocket that Conklin holds. Tank is coming out in 38 seconds, and the Isles will only have a 14 second 5-on-4

7:13 - And right after that, Ruutu takes a hooking penalty. 4-on-3 PP for 1:08

7:12 - And the Isles will take a penalty of their own. See Tank, that's what you get for staying. Fedotenko for hooking. 4-on-4 play...

7:11 - Berard and Gervais are playing the point on the PP

7:10 - Johnson - Gervais are the second defensive pairing tonight...and we've got a penalty on the Penguins...it's Staal for holding....Isles to the powerplay..

7:09 - Meyer throws one through traffic to the net that Conklin looks like he has trouble seeing

7:08 - Vasicek wins the opening faceoff and we're off and running

7:05 - Starting for the Isles tonight: Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter -- Martinek - Meyer

7:03 - Tonight's referees are Dan O'Halloran and Dan O'Rourke...a pair of Irish lads...

7:00 - Lets hope that same ice girl isn't operating the flags tonight...

6:59 - It's your usual Tuesday-night crowd here. Expect about 10000-11000 here...

6:58 - The goalie matchup IS DiPietro vs. Conklin

6:49 - Lot of buzz here, especially because of trade dealine day. Tonight's matchup will be fun. I dont think Marian Hossa is here for the Pens, which is good news for the Isles

6:43 - I love this day. Trade deadline day is like Christmas here. Problem is it just desensitizes me from everything else. Oh well, it's so worth it.

6:40 - Somehow I missed the 3-on-2 drills...oh boy...I'm losing it...oh well. I'll hope to update you during the game

6:35 - Tonight's line combinations will be interesting...

6:31 - We're back. I missed who came out. I'm assuming its Rick DiPietro vs. Ty Conklin, since they're taking warmups first. Rob Davison looks nowhere to be found on the ice RIGHT NOW. They could be going with 5 D tonight...

6:01 - We're going to get a well-deserved drink from Doolin's...we need it...

5:50 - From tonight's lineup, make the follow addition's and subtractions:

From the New York Islanders:
Scratch #47: Marc-Andre Bergeron
Scratch #12: Chris Simon
Add #3: Rob Davison
Add #15: Jeff Tambellini

From the Pittsburgh Penguins:
Scratch #16: Erik Christensen
Scratch #20: Colby Armstrong
Add: Connor James
Add: Nathan Smith

5:35 - Whew...what a day...should I just switch entries?? Nah...let's continue this all day...

5:14 - We got to chat with Garth after the media scrum with him. I got to say it was very cool of him to take a few minutes out of what was probably a very busy day.

Garth told me that the plan was right now for Tambellini to stay up for the rest of the season. When Tambo was sent back down last week, the ultimate plan was to bring him back up, so good for him. I'll be happy to see him get a decent amount of playing time in the NHL.

And just the fact Garth wanted to know what we thought meant a whole lot. You don't see many GM's to do that. I could go on, but I'll save that for a separate entry. Thanks to Garth and Chris Botta for making this possible.

5:08 - From TSN: Number of Trades: 24, Number of Players: 43, Number of Draft Picks: 21

4:59 - We're going to see if we can grab Nolan...

4:51 - UPDATE: Apparently Rob Davison's flight has been delayed, so they're hoping he gets here on time, if not, they'll be playing with 5 defensemen.

4:29 - I'm back...after the various media scrums with Garth, my random appearances on Isles Nation...what a day...I'll hope to have everything very soon...

3:26 - We're wanted in Room 6

3:24 - With Simon and Bergeron going...I wonder if there is words going out to Bridgeport...like NOW

3:21 - ISLANDERS TRADE!!!!

To ANA: D-Marc-Andre Bergeron - To NYI: 3rd Round Pick

3:20 - My reaction to Chris Simon's move from Jim Baumbach's blog

"This does not surprise me, especially when we're finding out the Islanders had contract offers on the table for all of their free agents except Chris Simon," Tom Liodice of The Tiger Track says. "Hopefully we'll see a little more youth on the Islanders now that Simon is gone."

3:14 - Minor trade...

To DET: Brad Stuart - To LAK: 2nd and 4th Round Pick

3:11 - ISLANDERS TRADE!!!

To MIN - F-Chris Simon - To MIN: 6th Round Pick

3:04 - Ok, deadline has PASSED. But obviously more moves could trickle in right now. Let's wait and see...

2:58 - BIG Trade...Hossa gets moved...Not like these guys need him...

To PIT: F-Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis - To ATL: Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, 1st Round Pick

2:53 - More moves...

To TOR: 2nd and 5th Round Pick - To PIT: D-Hal Gill

To NYR: D-Christian Backman - To STL: 4th Round Pick

2:52 - 7 minutes left...oh boy, oh boy...

2:48 - 12 minutes...and still we've heard nothing yet...

2:34 - "Island Boys"??? Just a rumour...

2:30 - 30 minutes and counting...and BD is COLD!!!

2:22 - So Ken didn't really slide...oh well...but we got 38 minutes left....there's a lot of uncertainty right here now...

2:14 - Ken's gonna slide on center ice! I have to catch that...

2:12 - Botta is here watching Mike's Slingbox for any news.

2:07 - 53 minutes...

2:02 - Botta still thinks there's a chance that we could do something. Smyth was done at 2:40 so anything can happen...

2:00 - Botta is walking slowly...uh oh...

1:50 - We've got one hour and 10 minutes left...

1:37 - TSN is calling another trade...WSH is pushing for the division...

TO WSH: D-Matt Cooke - To VAN: Matt Pettinger

1:23 - ISLANDERS TRADE!!

Minor one though...straight from Botta...

To NYI: D-Rob Davison - To SJ: 7th round Pick

1:19 - Washington is really racking up for the division race...

TO WSH: F-Sergei Fedorov - To CBJ: D-Ted Ruth

1:15 - No grated cheese at lunch?! Jim Baumbach probably feels the same way...

1:07 - Colorado is stacking up big time...from TSN...

TO COL: D-Adam Foote - To CBJ: 2008 1st Round Pick

12:58 - Alright...lunch time!

12:54 - Corey came to us and said food is available...no drinks right now...they're working on it.

12:52 - Jim Baumbach really needs to learn how to spell...

12:50 - We've got a Penguin running the stairs here...I'm checking out who it is...

12:40 - Another minor deal...

To OTT: F-Martin Lapointe - To CHI: 2008 6th Round Pick

12:31 - Minor trades up on TSN...

TO CAR: F-Tuomo Ruutu - To CHI: F-Andrew Ladd

To COL: D-Ruslan Salei - To FLA: D-Karlis Krastins, 3rd Round Pick

12:30 - Good stuff from Jim Baumbach

12:20 p.m.

Okay, we finally have a break in the action from the trades here.

As far as I can tell, there are 13 people inside the Nassau Coliseum. Nine of them are Penguin players practicing on the ice. Three of them are Islanders bloggers sitting in the last row of section 201. And the last one is me, of course.

12:19 - Mike's gotta get that Slingbox volume up!! We're listening to Brad Richard's interview on TSN right now...did I mention I love NHL Trade Deadline Day?

12:04 - There's a lot of traffic going on here...so the internet is a bit slow...I'm doing my best to keep up with everything

11:54 - Let's update all the moves so far today...

TO NJ: D-Bryce Salvador - To STL: F-Cam Janssen

To FLA: D-Wade Belak - To TOR: 2008 5th Round Pick

To SJ: D-Brian Campbell - To BUF: F-Steve Bernier, 2008 1st Round Pick

To DAL: F-Brad Richards, G-Johan Holmqvist - To TB: G-Mike Smith, F-Jussi Jokinen, F-Jeff Halpern

To WSH: G-Cristobal Huet - To MTL: 2009 2nd Round Pick

11:45 - So I got here a little late today...arrived around 11:25 today. I'm already joined here by B.D Gallof, Mike Schuerlein, and Jim Baumbach from Newsday.com.

So far when I arrived here at the Blog Box, the Penguins are having their morning skate. Everyone seems like they are on the ice right now. I missed the Comrie presser about his new contract.

Mike's streaming the NHL Network from his Slingbox so we'll be able to give you all the latest trade deals as they happen....so let's start some ALL-DAY LIVE! Blogging.

Isles and Comrie Close to One-Year Deal

As per TSN

Darren Dreger

2/26/2008 12:25:21 AM

As the NHL trade deadline rapidly approaches the New York Islanders may have potentially removed one of their trade targets from the market.

Sources say the Islanders and centre Mike Comrie are close to a one-year deal to keep the Edmonton native in Long Island.

In 63 games this season, Comrie leads the Islanders with 27 assists and 45 points. In 449 career games, the 27-year old has 141 goals and 166 assists for 307 points.

This past off-season he signed a one-year contract with the Isles after helping the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup finals.

Special Trade Deadline Day Coverage!

Yes folks, as announced today on the Islanders Official Site, The Tiger Track will be LIVE! from the Nassau Coliseum all day to give you comprehensive NHL Trade Deadline Day coverage!

I'll be there from the very beginning, starting with the morning skate at 10:30, the after-skate media scrum, and everything thereafter, culminating in the Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:00pm. Once I hear about news of a trade, I'll be right here to report it to you and give you my views on it. I'll also be chiming in about the other various NHL trades that may make a big splash.

The Blog Box will be joined by some other fabulous bloggers, and do make sure to check them out. Joining me will be Dee Karl, Michael Schuerlein, BD Gallof, and Ken Dick. We'll be offerings our unique band of coverage and views, so obviously as much as I'd love for you to keep it right here, check out my fellow bloggers as well. They do a fantastic job.

It'll be fun tomorrow...see you then!

Diversity??....and a Day At The Rock

I had an interesting exchange with someone close to me today. Judging by my schedule this past week, she suggested that I need some "diversity" in my life, and that covering and going to hockey games was practically "all I knew."

I've been writing and trying to get into this business for the past, oh, five years now. I started while I was in college, writing on and off for Hockeys Future, during that time every now and then I'd head up to Bridgeport and see a few games and track the young prospects development. I knew from the first game I covered (Islanders vs. Devils exhibition in Bridgeport) that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I took a little time off as I finished up college to right what I had done wrong in my middle years at St. Johns (try going from a 1.9 to a 3.0 GPA in 2 years straight and not taking any semesters off!) I then took a job in the advertising trade industry in Manhattan a few months after I graduated college, and in that time I forgot how much I enjoyed to write, and in turned realized that this job in advertising wasn't for me and writing was my true passion. I covered the Sound Tigers 2006 playoff run against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during that time and was invigorated to pursue this.

I had left the job in Manhattan that summer and the next season I covered the Sound Tigers for the whole 2006-2007 season for NY Sports Day and within a few months, became inundated in the team, the industry, and the AHL. I became a usual face in the press box, and was actually recognized as a regular in the media when Mike Fornabaio asked me to assist in voting for the AHL Year-End Awards. For me personally, it was quite the honor and it gave me that feeling like I'm doing something right here.

Unfortunately, the Sound Tigers fell short of the playoffs that year, but I had the honor to cover the New Jersey Devils 2007 Stanley Cup Playoff run for NY Sports Day immediately following the Sound Tigers season. I felt like I was really making strides here. It was the big time...I got to see some great games (Devils 2OT win vs. Ottawa), some great exchanges (John Tortorella's verbal exchange with Larry Brooks), and some great images (seeing Zach Parise not wanting to take his equipment off after being eliminated from the playoffs is an image that will not go away).

Naturally, when the New York Islanders put out a call for the NYI Blog Box, I thought, "Why not?" Much to my surprise, I was picked and have been having the time of my life so far. The strides I feel like I've been making towards my career goals have been ten-fold compared to last season. The most important thing about this business is to get your name out there, and promote yourself as much as you can so people can notice you. With help from Sports Illustrated, the Islanders, the Sound Tigers, and many other media outlets, this blog is getting a lot of traffic lately, and for that, I thank each and every one of you that have been clicking on this site and using it for a news source. I have no plans of slowing down and stopping, and if hockey is "all I know" right now, then I'm damn proud of it.

But anyways, what a week this was. Since I work in the Rockville Center School District, they had their winter break this week, so that means a little rest, right? WRONG! Let's take a look...

Feb. 16: Bridgeport, 8pm game
Feb. 17: Bridgeport, 4pm game
Feb. 18: Long Island, 2pm game
Feb. 19: Day off!
Feb. 20: Bridgeport, 7:30pm game
Feb. 21: Long Island, 7pm game
Feb. 22: Day off!
Feb. 23: Enjoying a game finally! @ Newark, 1pm

Now about the Blog Box's trip to "The Rock". I've been to this beautiful arena once before, and instantly fell in love with it. Sure, there are its flaws, but in overall terms of appearance and quality, this is a damn nice arena! Plus, it's easy to get to!

I started off late, I overslept through one train! Great! (It doesn't help that I was in the city until 2am the previous day to begin with, but it was worth it anyways!) I was going to try to meet my other members of the Blog Box "Troika", Dee Karl and Mike Schuerlein in Penn Station, but I had to settle for seeing them in the arena itself.

Dee, Mike and I were pretty closely situated around each other. Mike was two rows in front of me, Dee was two sections to my left, and the Booster Club was two sections to my right! Perfect, I've got Islanders fans all around me! Plus I managed to walk into our leader, Chris Botta! It was the first time though that I had the opportunity to actually sit and enjoy a game as a fan, rather than "work" through it. Not that I don't like working through it, but after a full season or so doing that, it's nice to take a break once and a while.

Now Dee, as stated in her blog, had a big problem with how things are run there. She wanted to enjoy the bars, the restaurants, and all the other amenities that came with the Prudential Center, and that's perfectly fine. I was there, to watch a game and enjoy myself. Luckily for me, I was at the back row of my section right in front of the open concourse that overlooks the rink, so for the first time in years, I hardly sat in my seat the whole game and walked around the concourse, yet keeping my eye on the game the whole time. That's probably one aspect of the Prudential Center that I love.

Even though the Isles lost yesterday, I had a great time with my Blog Box buddies on the road. We're quite the group and I couldn't ask for a better bunch of people to be around. And you know what, I'm quite glad that this is "all I know" right now...

LIVE! TB @ NYI - FINAL (1-0 NYI)

9:24 - Bergeron will toy with it in his end...Berard dumps it...Vinny is cheating....he wants a breakaway...Tampa pulled Ramo...Vinny broke his stick...and that's the game folks! Six in a row! What a gutsy win by this team. I swear, I throw my hands up...I dont know what to do with them anymore! This will be a fun post game...FINAL NYI WINS 1-0

9:23 - Guerin RIGHT IN FRONT...and he missed the net...ONE MINUTE WARNING

9:21 - What a surprise...the big guns are out again...and Tampa gets a penalty...Tank drew it...and now Vinny is trying to mess with Vasicek...O'Brien is getting 4 MINUTES ...2 minutes of holding the stick...2 for unsportsmanlike

9:20 - Tampa cross ice pass deflected by an Isles stick goes right to ricky...very close...too close for comfort for Isles fans...

9:19 - Gratton is toying with Aaron Johnson...bullying him around...Comrie had a close call down on the other end...2:45 left

9:18 - Now they're a "refs suck" chant..how wonderful...big boys are out again for Tampa...Torts wants this...Satan is chasing it...he'sll be met by Kuba in the Tamp zone

9:16 - Big guns are back out there...Hunter shot on Ramo...he stops it...apparently loose puck and the Isles knock it in but the ref blows the whistle REAL QUICK...bad bad bad call...

9:14 - Why do I have to sit in between Dee and Frank...Oh god! Vinny Lecavalier just RANG ONE OFF THE POST...Good lord...Ricky falls down on top of it...close call with 5:08 left

9:13 - Ricky with some close calls....letting some pucks slide through..defense is strong...and Bergie picks the puck up and goes coast to coast...firing a shot to Ramo's head...great job by Bergie

9:11 - Tampa's big guns are out there again...Vasicek line out...Ricky is shutting the door...wholesale change for both teams as the whistle blows

9:10 - Berard and Bergeron have done a real good job at shooting the puck....into the legs of the Lightning forwards...

9:09 - Nice little stickhandling display by Comrie...created a nice chance...no dice...

9:08 - The penalty isn't up on the board...now it is...

9:07 - We've got 9:33 left...Isles are looking good...

9:05 - Isles doing some good forechecking here...Ramo is thinking he's DiPietro with some diving pokecheck...and the Isles are going to the powerplay...looks like Ranger for tripping..

9:03 - Isles are gonna get called for an icing right now..

9:02 - Thanks to Jenn notifying Melissa of my appearance on the big screen who in turn notified me...Mel, you'll get it next time I see you...

8:59 - With the Tampa top guns out...they'll go offside...good news for the Isles...and everyone changes...

8:57 - Assists go to Bergenheim and Drew Fata!

8:56 - The Coliseum is pumped...love to hear it this loud..

8:55 - Bergenheim using the legs....spin move...passes it off to Satan...he's got plenty of room and FIRES a wrist shot past Ramo...HUGE goal for the Isles...NYI LEADS 1-0

8:54 - Whoo...this has not been the most exciting of periods so far...14:42 left..

8:53 - Hunter tried to lead a rush in the Tampa zone...but he got pokedchecked and that led the Isles offsides..

8:52 - Puck disappears into the Isles bench...faceoff in the Isles zone momentarily as the linesmen fix a hole in the ice...

8:51 - Fransie with a nice little takeaway...fourth line buzzing a bit....they'll head off...offsides on Tampa..

8:50 - Little hot potato so far to start the third period...nothing exciting...

8:49 - Good to see Berard out on the ice...guess its not that serious...

8:48 - Isles need to get more shots on Ramo...he's giving up so many rebounds...

8:47 - Alright...here we go...Isles win the faceoff to start the third

8:44 - WOW! Dan Boyle has already gotten 19:48 of ice time?!

8:31 - END OF PERIOD 2: Well it looked like Tampa controlled most of that period...Isles had some chances, but most of it consisted of Tampa in the Isles zone. But it's scoreless, been a while since I've seen the Isles play a scoreless game into the second intermission for quite a while. Its a one period game....

8:30 - Bergeron misses the net...again...

8:29 - Comrie almost had a breakaway...but the puck was bouncing on him...and he couldn't get a hold....ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:28 - Ricky's looking good tonight. He's been strong in net facing a barrage of shots...Miro is out of the box, yet Tampa still buzzes

8:26 - Isles dump it out after Ricky stops a few up close...

8:25 - Wow, the Coliseum just promoted us and put us on the video board! They're telling fans to come talk to us...do we look lonely?!

8:23 - Miro throws it to the net with Bergie and Park in front...Ramo with the kick save...and with Park circling the net...Miro is gonna get nabbed for an interference penalty...bad penalty to take

8:22 - Tampa has been buzzing in the Isles end for a good minute so it seems...now the Isles will dump out...but here comes the Bolts again...two quick shots on Ricky, he turns them aside

8:21 - Shot looked like it deflected off of Richards helmet...goes into the netting..faceoff in the Tampa zone

8:20 - Icing on the Isles...it looked like an attempted pass...what happened to that rule? It seems like the linesmen forgot about it.

8:17 - Now Berard is down...what the hell is going on here??? He's trying to skate it off...its his knee...we'll see how he is...Matt Spiller, get ready!!

8:16 - After all of this confusion in front of the net with the puck at Bergie's feet, Park gets it to Berard who had a good shot...but couldn't trigger it...and Comrie had a glorious chance in front...

8:15 - The Vasicek is working hard in the Tampa zone...they'll be replaced by the Park line....

8:14 - Johnson and Meyer getting PP time...which is just about up...now...

8:13 - The PP works better when you're not running into your own teammates...

8:12 - What a weird bounce off the glass! Popped right in the crease with Ramo behind.....Isles couldn't net it though...

8:11 - I hear boo's...Simon must be back out...I feel bad for Comeau and Nielsen that they have to endure all of this...it's not fair to them...and Comeau just gets tripped by O'Brien and the Isles will have another PP

8:10 - False faceoff...we'll do it again...

8:08 - PP is over...I think a shot or two made it to Ramo....could've been better...Ramo shoots it into the Isles bench, and we'll have a stoppage.

8:07 - Bergeron finally got a shot on Ramo, but Comrie couldn't hold the rebound...and now Guerin drop passes it to...no one...

8:06 - "The Wonder Twins", Berard and Bergeron are manning the points for the PP...which doesn't look like its doing much right now.

8:05 - Great work by Bergenheim to draw a penalty as he streaked through the Tampa zone...Boyle off for high sticking...Isles to their first power play

8:04 - Shot by Martinek from the blueline looks like it rang off the crossbar...it did...faceoff outside of the zone

8:03 - Hunter again stopped by O'Brien at the boards...

8:02 - There are times where the Isles have looked a bit sluggish...I don't blame them...it just seems like the Bolts have been skating circles around them so far in the period.

8:00 - Great passing by Park to Satan..one timer fought off with a skate save by Ramo

7:59 - Ramo is hearing it from LOUDVILLE...and there's this weird lion mascot by us...I have no idea where its from...

7:58 - Isles started off shorthanded...Fata will come out of the box...NOW

7:57 - I decided to join Dee and the NYIC crew for the meet and greet this time...great to see everyone!

7:40 - END OF PERIOD 1 And that's the buzzer...Isles survive a late flurry on the PK...but that's about it. Not a bad period for the Isles, they just need to get closer in on Ramo in order to create any type of scoring opportunities. Ramo looks to be having trouble fighting pucks off...

7:39 - Vinny was carrying a broken stick with him...doesn't he have to drop it? Gotta check the rule on that...

7:38 - WEAK LATE call on Fata...TB goes to another PP

7:37 - Simon with a touch pass to Nielsen, and Fransie lets off a good shot on Ramo

7:36 - Comeau is out...he'll dump it...good killing..nice power move by Berard along the Isles net...he looks motivated tonight..

7:35 - Fata getting PK time...Hunter deflects one into the netting...

7:34 - Ricky is looking strong against the Vinny-Marty attack on the PP....28 seconds left on the Comeau penalty.

7:33 - So far so good on the PK

7:32 - One shot already on Ricky...Gratton is a wall in front of Ricky

7:30 - Comeau just dumped the puck out of the ice from his zone...he'll go off...TB to the PP

7:29 - Bold promises by Dee here...I'll hold her to it...will we see a number change??

7:28 - Why exactly is Radek Martinek looking like a forward out there...

7:27 - Isles are getting shots to Ramo...and he seems like to be giving up a lot of rebounds...nice move by Guerin...another shot...Ramo has trouble holding it, but the whistle blows..

7:24 - Nice swinging stick check by Berard from behind the Isles net...

7:23 - Sean...not a smart move...but thankfully Ricky and Radek are there...

7:22 - Berard, I don't know what you're doing sliding over Tampa players, but the last thing we need is for you to get hurt...

7:21 - the Vasicek line will get a lot of minutes tonight...they stay out after the TV timeout...nice stepup by Johnson to break a Tampa play up..

7:20 - 12:00 left...SOG are 5-1 NYI

7:17 - Simon is coming off...Tampa top line back out, the Vasicek line will be back out...and the Isles dodged a bullet off a turnover...3-on-1 for Tampa na dVinny missed the net

7:16 - Satan creating a good scoring chance with Berard....where was Ricky thinking about passing that puck?? Fourth line out there, and the boo's are coming...

7:15 - Hilbert is working hard deep...his work-ethic has really improved as of late...Guerin gets a shot off from the blue line and Ramo will hold...

7:14 - Just as we thought...the top Tampa line out = Vasicek line and the MArtinek - Meyer pairing...good scoring chance up close to the Tampa net...just couldn't handle a cross ice pass...

7:13 - Hunter finally gets a shot off

7:12 - Nielsen and Comeau are looking quick...and a good shot by Comeau on Ward

7:11 - So far 3:00 in....no shots...Simon is out on the ice...and we've got boos from the crowd, and he hasn't even touched the puck

7:10 - Bergeron just dumped it....hit off the dasher where the glass and the boards meet, and it popped up pretty funnily off the boards

7:09 - Tampa Bay wins the opening faceoff...Hunter - Vasicek - Fedotenko -- Martinek - Meyer starting for the Isles

7:06 - Time for the Star Spangled Banner, sung by the Molloy College Choir

7:04 - This is a little staggered than normal, I know...it'll get better during the game.

6:57 - Scratch Andre Roy for the Bolts.

6:43 - Goaltenders Tale of the Tape...

NYI - Rick DiPietro: 54 GP; 24-21-7; 2.67 GAA; .906 SV %
TB - Karri Ramo: 14 GP; 4-8-1; 3.21 GAA; .887 SV%

6:38 - Here we go...

Hilbert - Comrie - Guerin
Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter
Bergenheim - Park - Satan
Simon - Nielsen - Comeau

Martinek - Meyer
Fata - Johnson
Bergeron - Berard

6:33 - It'll be fun to see how Teddy switches up the lines...I wonder if Simon will just replace Tamby on the kid line. I figure he will seem out of place....I'll update you accodingly...

6:31 - Bruno Gervais is not on the ice tonight. I didn't expect him to play, but I thought it was worth mentioning...

6:29 - Here come the Lightning, led by Karri Ramo....Rick DiPietro leads the Isles out on the ice..

6:28 - Looks like an OK crowd tonight for a Thursday. I can see a good 12,000 here...but of course I've been wrong many times before.

6:13 - Both Frank Trovato and Dee Karl are both here....literally arriving about 5 seconds apart

6:07 - I dont know if anyone caught this, but last night, Drew MacIntyre of the Manitoba Moose became the ninth goaltender to get credit for a goal in the AHL. The interesting fact? It happened in OT, and on a delayed penalty against the Moose when Chicago forward Steve Martins' pass ended up in the empty net! Watch it for yourself...


6:00 - It's 6:00 and that means fans are filing in as I type...

5:50 - For those interested, tonight's referees are Kerry Fraser and Ian Walsh

5:35 - Hey all, I'm back at the Coliseum tonight...fifth game in six nights for me, so I'm beyond tired. But of course, I'm here doing what I love and bringing you all the news I can possibly gather in the position I'm in.

The big news tonight is that Chris Simon is officially back in the line up tonight, and Jeff Tambellini has been sent back down to Bridgeport. I can't say that I particularly approve of this move due to my love of the kids, but it's obvious Ted wants to play Chris so someone has to pay for it. Unfortunately, it's Tambo. The good news is Tamby can go back to his goal-scoring ways down in Bridgeport and get top-line minutes again. I just can't see how much this will last. And if you're looking at official game notes, scratch Tambo off.

Tonight will be interesting to see how this depleted Isles defense can handle the Tampa Bay top line of St. Louis - Lecavalier - Richards tonight. Martinek and Meyer both did a fantastic job of neutralizing Ovechkin whenever they could. Yes, he hit the post a numerous amount of times, but Radek was simply a beast against Alex, and tonight, both him and The King need to step it up even more. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hunter - Vasicek - Fedotenko line out on the ice whenever the TB top line is out there. Nolan's got the last change, so that will help.

I'll catch you soon as we anticipate tonight's matchup...

UPDATE: Ben Walter Injury Update

UPDATE: Mike Fornabaio is reporting that MRI tests were negative and according to John Sullo, Walter is "day to day"

According to trainer John Sullo, Ben Walter suffered a subluxed shoulder in the first period tonight. They managed to get the joint back in. He'll get an MRI tomorrow. Most definitely out for the weekend though.

Simon Returns to Lineup...Tambo Returns to the Bridge

Mike Fornabaio on this one...

The Islanders sent Jeff Tambellini to Bridgeport this morning. He should play tomorrow.

Ben Walter was getting his MRI on the Island this morning; more later.

LIVE! NOR @ BRI - FINAL (4-3 BRI)

9:51 - THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Matt Keith, BRI - 2 goals, 1 assist
2. Kyle Okposo, BRI - Game-tieing goal
3. Justin Keller, NOR - 1 goal, 1 assist

9:49 - FINAL - And that's the game! Just like the Islanders, the Sound Tigers go five in a row and coming from behind as well. There's definitely something in the stars tonight...well...there IS a FULL LUNAR ECLIPSE...that might have something to do with it...BRI WINS 4-3

9:48 - 6-on-4 now..and a HARD dump by the Tigers goes off the linesman AGAIN and back in the zone...but he'll call the offsides..and Denis will be back..and there he goes...

9:47 - The Tigers will be on the PK for the rest of the period..and there goes Denis to the bench...

9:46 - Not a good time to take a penalty...delayed call on the Sound Tigers...extra man on for Norfolk...it's going on for a good minute....now the whistle is blown...and Smith will go for cross-checking...TIMEOUT NORFOLK

9:45 - Wow, Islanders win! First five game winning streak in 14 years...

9:44 - Tough three stars choice tonight...

9:42 - Okposo will dump and the Admirals will have another 200 feet...TV Timeout...

9:41 - The pace has sure slowed down tremendously

9:39 - Bridgeport seems to be lending back on that defensive style of hockey that has made them winners lately...it's working so far

9:36 - Happy Birthday Pascal Morency!

9:35 - It's a bit of hot potato now...but Jackman works hard into the zone with a good individual effort...and almost gets a shot off

9:33 - Tigers are buzzing...10:00 left

9:32 - Bourne and Smith get the assists

9:31 - Matt Keith just one-timed it from the high slot...looked like it was deflected...but it's past Denis BRI LEADS 4-3

9:30 - Okposo's a machine working deep in the Norfolk end...constantly moving his feet...thought he could've drawn a hooking penalty, but that's just me

9:29 - Shot by Pitton turned aside by Denis to the corner...

9:28 - The extra minor is up and we're back to even strength...Morrison gets a couple of shots fired at him and the Tigers clear

9:27 - Fraser and Bentivoglio get the assists

9:26 - Quick passing...shot by Fraser...rebound stuffed in by Okposo...we're all tied up and 1:00 of PP time left...TIED 3-3

9:25 - Looks like it's going to be a 1:30 5-on-3 for the Tigers

9:24 - There's an extra NOR penalty on the board...it's getting crowded in there!

9:23 - Jackman is in the box too...with Milley from NOR...nothing is up on the baord yet...

9:21 - Who got hit?? I'm trying to see....Leach is going into the box...and does Reggie. Smith was the one who got hit...they're sorting out the penalties now..

9:20 - Hit from behind on the Tigers..and Reggie takes exception...and we'll have a pileup.

9:19 - Sound Tigers to the powerplay...Lessard for holding

9:17 - Mo turns a Norfolk shot aside and goes up into the portective netting...and Section 105 just won the 50/50 again..how do they do it!?

9:16 - Close call with Mo down...good Tigers defense

9:15 - Two quick whistles to start the third..

9:13 - Attendance tonight: 4,147. What a Weds number!

8:55 - END OF PERIOD 2: Pretty back and forth period for the Tigers. Norfolk had the edge though. Time to catch up...it's a winnable game for the Tigers, and with Bingo down and Albany locked up with Rochester, the Tigers need all the points they can get.

8:54 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:53 - Regier is out...Tigers escape that on the scoreboard..

8:52 - 20 seconds left on Regiers penalty...Tigers looking strong on the PK

8:51 - Bourne is coming out...good PK'ing on that disadvantage...

8:50 - Tigers are getting called for another penalty...Regier for tripping...it'll be a 56 second 5-on-3 for NOR

8:48 - Bourne is gonna go to the box for interference. I think that's the first penalty this period...

8:47 - We've got 5:30 left in the second...SOG are 17-14 BRI

8:44 - Now a puck knocked down with a high stick on a Bridgeport shot...faceoff will stay deep in the NOR end..

8:43 - Quick whistle in front of the NOR net...

8:42 - tigers almost got it back again...Regier and Jackman trying to stuff it in off a Fraser shot from the blueline.

8:41 - Bracken Kearns comes into the Bridgeport zone...puts on a couple of nice moves and gets one through Mo's legs. It's back and forth...NOR LEADS 3-2

8:40 - It looks like Bourney and Haley will alternate spots on the third line. That seems like it could work...

8:37 - Colliton is up playing with Jackman and Regier now that Walter is not on the ice. With just 10 forwards everyone is going to see more icetime...and Jay Leach literally just checked the linesmen...and still preceeded to skate into him. Ha...

8:36 - Bentivoglio just went flying trying to hit Jay Rosehill

8:35 - SCOREBOARD WATCH: Toronto just upped their lead to 4 on Bingo.

8:33 - Good to see the Isles cut the lead in half at the second intermission...Keith with a wrister that Denis snags with his glove hand...almost looked out of reach for Denis.

8:32 - Pitton is playing with the fourth line...and we got some scrumming going on by the NOR net.

8:31 - Blair Jones just throws it to Morrison and he'll glove it easily. Faceoff deep inthe Tigers zone

8:29 - Okposo using his power moves again...gets stood up close to the net and goes sliding into the boards.

8:27 - Haley led Bourne on a breakaway...Bourney put on a couple of good moves, but Denis was strong between the pipes and shut the door.

8:26 - Matt Keith gets the assist. If there's something I've noticed about the tigers this year, it's their ability to get goals right back on the scoreboard. All the games I've been to they've never failed to answer immediately to an opposing goal

8:25 - Okposo with a nice passing play. It would've been nicer if someone was in front of the net...and Jackman just takes it into the zone and snaps a wrister through Denis's legs. Tigers tie it up again. TIED 2-2

8:24 - Radek Smolenak gets the goal, Paul Szczechura gets the assist at the :31 mark

8:23 - Rochester just tied it up on Albany, and Norfolk just took the lead on Bridgeport. It looked to a wrap-around goal that caught Morrison off guard. I'll get the official announcement in a min...NOR LEADS 2-1

8:22 - Ben Walter is missing from the bench for the second period. According to Mike Fornabaio, he only played one shift in the first

8:17 - SCOREBOARD WATCH: Albany leads Rochester 1-0 mid 2nd....Toronto ahead on Binghamton 3-0 in the 2nd

8:04 - END OF PERIOD 1: Well it was an OK period for the Sound Tigers. They got a lot of chances, but couldn't convert a lot of them due to a pass just out of reach or a blocked shot. Good playing helped them tie the game. I like the way they are moving out there, so it should be a fun two more periods.

8:03 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:02 - Wotton's shot goes off another Sound tiger...play still deep in the zone..Pitton cross ice pass to Matt Keith and he stuffs it in the open cage. Tigers tie it. Colliton gets the other assist. 1-1 TIED

8:01 - Sound Tigers seem to have trouble getting it out of in front of Mo

8:00 - Ford with a nice little open ice hit on Radek Smolenak

7:58 - Tigers are generating good chances, it just seems like the puck is just out of reach for a lot of those

7:57 - Puck out of play...we'll go to a "TV Timeout"

7:56 - Strong forechecking by Jackman...and then he snags one out of the air with his glove looking like he's playing centerfield..

7:54 - Second half of the PP not looking so well...and it's about to end....NOW

7:53 - Denis almost got caught out of position and saw a shot go through his legs which luckily for him Okposo couldn't tip in...strong PP so far, but can't get anything through

7:52 - Okposo fed Bentivoglio waiting in front with no one on him...unfortunately he couldn't hold on. He does draw a hooking penalty on Bracken Kearns...Sound Tigers to another power play.

7:51 - Lucky break for the Tigers...NOR clearing attempt went off referee David Banfield, keeping the play in the zone...shot from high slot goes wide..

7:50 - Ford ripped one off Colliton in the slot. the tigers really need to get out of the way of their own shots. Ford gets another chance out in front of the blue line which Denis sees all the way.

7:47 - It was almost 2-0 NOR if it wasn't for the defense...clearning a puck laying in the crease that Morrison clearly did not see.

7:46 - Bentivoglio with a nice deflection up close...just missed the net and Keller comes out of the box.

7:45 - Colliton got CRUNCHED by Jay Leach into the boards...he got pushed up off the ice a couple of feet...

7:44 - Good power move by Smith to get to the front of the net....he had Fraser waiting in the slot but he elected to shoot all the way. Denis made two good saves up close.

7:43 - We've got a Norfolk Penalty...the goal scorer Justin Keller is going off for boarding. BRI to the PP

7:42 - Not a bad crowd for a Weds night game...I'd say about 3500

7:41 - Dwyer shot deflected into the netting...faceoff deep in the Admirals zone

7:38 - Wow, Justin Keller just snapped one from the faceoff circle off the crossbar over Morrison's shoulder. There goes the shutout streak for MO...NOR LEADS 1-0

7:37 - Walter just shot it into the back of Jackman's legs...that could've been an easy goal. Scrum in front of Denis, puck ends up being cleared

7:36 - Ew, 2-0 WSH right now...this game is just getting underway.

7:30 - Starting for Bridgeport tonight: Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio -- Dwyer - Wotton

7:24 - I gotta admit, a little part of me showed up here tonight just to see Steve Stirling. He's probably one of the nicest coaches I've ever talked to. Just an all-around good guy. I covered a Springfield Falcons game last year which he coached, and even though they lost pretty badly, he wasn't afraid to answer any hard questions I posed at him and always answered everything even-keeled.

7:12 - There's "Paralyzer" again...I'm just about done with that song LOL

7:05 - Pre-game line combos...

Regier - Walter - Jackman
Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio
Pitton - Colliton - Keith
Haley - Bourne

Ford - Sertich
Spiller - Fraser
Wotton - Dwyer

7:00 - As expected, the scratches for tonight are Kip Brennan, Dustin Kohn, and Pascal Morency. Jeff Dwyer and Micheal Haley are filling in the spots left by Fata and Morency

6:55 - Both teams are making their way to the ice right now. Goaltending matchup looks to be Mike Morrison vs. Marc Denis

6:46 - New pre-game playlist? It's kids-get-in-free night tonight, so the Tigers are least hoping for a crowd over 2,500 tonight. Wednesday nights are tough attendance-wise

6:30 - I feel at home now...they're playing "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel here now as the fans begin to walk in.

6:10 - So I'm an idiot...I had thought it was a 7:00pm game tonight....I'm wrong, it's 7:30

5:55 - Leaders and Special Teams at a Glance

Bridgeport Sound Tigers:
29-24-1 -- 59 pts. -- 4th East Division
Goals - Steve Regier (16)
Assists - Ben Walter (30)
Points - Ben Walter (45)
Plus/Minus - Kohn & Walter (+6)
PIM - Kip Brennan (230)

Power Play - 44 for 291, 15.1%; tied - 22nd in AHL
Penalty Kill - 244 for 291, 83.8%; 11th in AHL
SHGF - 9; SHGA - 3

Norfolk Admirals:
19-29-6 -- 44 pts. -- 7th East Division
Goals - Kyle Wanvig (17)
Assists - Kyle Wanvig (28)
Points - Kyle Wanvig (45)
Plus/Minus - Jay Leach (+11)
PIM - Jay Rosehill (131)

Power Play - 42 for 275, 15.3%; 21st in AHL
Penalty Kill - 214 for 267, 80.1%; 26th in AHL
SHGF - 7; SHGA - 14

5:35 - So yes, here I am up in Bridgeport AGAIN, not taking a day off, even though my full-time job at the school has the week off! Call me a work-aholic...but tonight I'm back at the Arena at Harbor Yard as the Bridgeport Sound tigers take on the Norfolk Admirals, led by former Sound Tigers and Islanders coach, Steve Stirling.

The Sound Tigers still sit tied for 4th place in the East Division with Albany and Binghamton, but lead the tie-breaker with more wins. The Sound Tigers also have a game in hand on both teams, as both teams will also play tonight. We'll keep an eye on both of those games as well. Here's a look at the division standings...

Rank	East Division	GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS
1	Philadelphia Phantoms	57	36	17	2	2	76
2	Hershey Bears	52	29	18	0	5	63
3	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	53	30	20	0	3	63
4	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	54	29	24	1	0	59
5	Albany River Rats	55	28	24	0	3	59
6	Binghamton Senators	55	25	21	5	4	59
7	Norfolk Admirals	54	19	29	2	4	44

And with Drew Fata out of the line-up tonight, most likely we will see Jeff Dwyer back manning the blueline. Dustin Kohn has been skating recently, but he's not targeted to return until the weekend.

Doubt we'll see Pascal Morency in the lineup tonight, so Micheal Haley will most likely be back on the fourth line with Justin Bourne.

I'll be back with more later...

Drew Fata Recalled

Mike Fornabaio got it first.

Drew Fata. He went this morning. Dustin Kohn was on the ice to make seven defensemen again, but he is targeted for the weekend, at earliest.

LIVE! SJS @ NYI - FINAL (3-2 NYI)

4:37 - Vasicek takikng the draw..he wins....clear...GAME OVER! NYI WINS 3-2. Didn't see that one coming...

4:36 - Isles win the faceoff...Martinek clears...but we get an icing with 6.4 seconds left....TIMEOUT SAN JOSE

4:35 - Now Sutton is being led off the ice...he can't put any pressure on his knee...Paging Drew Fata... 16/5 SECONDS LEFT

4:34 - Sutton just BLASTED Roenick...and he looks like he turned his knee as he landed from the hit...then Ricky just SAVED the Isles bacon close up...and Sutton is back down...FINALLY the whistle blows...

4:33 - Roughing penalties all around...Satan and Comrie get the Isles minors...SJS EMPTY NET

4:32 - No penalties on the board yet...

4:31 - Is that Satan throwing down and getting into a fight?? Tempers are flaring big time with 1:25 left

4:30 - 30 seconds left...and that's all

4:28 - Two minutes left on the major...Tamby and Fransie are getting time...Park in front...can't handle it...Ricky glove save...and he tries to quicky move it by skating with it...refs arent having any of that.

4:27 - Guerin with a quick one Nabokov turns aside

4:25 - Hunter blasts one wide..Berard gets on one net...Isles still controlling in the zone...the Sharks come out with it..

4:24 - a 5 minute major powerplay coming up. Murray gets a major for boarding and a game misconduct

4:23 - Oh no...it's Blake Comeau...he seems to be favoring his knee...and being helped off...Doug Murray was the man who hit him...he's being escorted off the ice.

4:22 - An Islander got crunched into the boards...he's not getting up now...I can't see who it is...

4:21 - Ricky, hold on to that stick...

4:20 - This looks like a whole new team from the previous two periods...they look very inspired

4:19 - 3 goals = Chili time!!

4:18 - The King! Freddy Meyer skates right in and SNAPS a wrister blocker side on Nabokov! ISLES LEAD 3-2

4:16 - Now they're showing pictures of the Isles when they were kids during the TV timeout...cute...

4:15 - Now it seems like all the Isles wanna just mow through the Sharks defense

4:13 - Hilbert, just because you scored one, that doesn't mean you're the all that good...nice icing..

4:12 - Looked like there was going to be an Isles rush...but the roar of the crowd drowned out an offsides whistle

4:09 - Not much done on that powerplay..Carle is out...and looks like an icing on the Isles

4:08 - Mitchell with a SH breakaway...Ricky with the kick save....now a SH 2-on-1....Ricky another save...

4:07 - Comrie's shot deflects off a stick and gives Nabokov trouble...Bergeron BLASTS one that Nabby grabs

4:06 - The Sharks are going to the box...Carle goes off for holding the stick...Isles to the PP...

4:05 - Ricky fights off two shots from the Sharks...loud "Let's Go Islanders" chant

4:04 - This place is rocking again...

4:03 - Comrie...TOE DRAG!! It works! Sweet move...and puts it through Nabokov's legs! it's a whole new game! TIED 2-2

4:02 - The Coliseum is louud again...it's about time

4:01 - Play deep in the Sharks zone...and a goal! Looks like Hilbert got the rebound! SJS LEADS 2-1

4:00 - blocked shot brings Ricky down...Thornton gets it right back and blasts it over his shoulder. SJS LEADS 2-0

3:59 - Icing on the Isles...faceoff in the defensive zone.

3:56 - We're off and running for the third period. Ricky makes an awkward saves off the end boards

3:53 - Looks like Nabokov is going to play in the third...he seems alright it looks it.

3:52 - Congrats to Ruslan Fedotenko for being named the NHL's 2nd Star of the Week!

3:44 - The action...


3:37 - END OF PERIOD 2: Not very exciting by any means...Isles need to really shapen up for the third period. See you for the third...

3:35 - Nothing really exciting going on here...4 shots this period for the Isles...seems like they still havent woken up yet

3:32 - Ok, we got 3:45 left in the second...icing call on the Isles....17-9 SJS in SOG...Announced Attendance: 16,234...sellout!

3:29 - Cheechoo is out...and I'm still trying to recover

3:26 - I'm a little shellshocked right here...Cheechoo got his third penalty of the day...Isles will have a 52 second PP when Guerin comes out

3:23 - So we got in the middle of a silly string fight...oh lord...pics coming....delayed penalty on the Isles..

3:20 - Nabokov is hurt....looks like he's going to leave...Griess is coming in...

3:18 - There might've been a goal...we're not sure...

3:16 - Now we REALLY CANT SEE...they're right in front of us...



See what I mean???

3:14 - Now the mascots are RIGHT in front of us dancing away...

3:12 - Delayed call on SJS...don't know why the whistle was blown...a Shark didn't touch the puck...but Cheechoo is going off again for hooking.

3:11 - Choo Choo Cheechoo is out of the box....SOG are 13-5 SJS with 13:30 left in the second..

3:10 - Bergeron with the Isles first PP shot of the day...up close on Nabokov...but Nabby is tall...Bergeron just blasted one wide...big rebound to comrie...couldn't get it through to Nabby

3:08 - Sutton and McLaren are gonna go for two for roughing. 4-on-4 play. Now it loks like there will be an extra minor on San Jose...Cheechoo is in the box...5-on=4 play...but PP for the Isles

3:06 - Comeau with a good crunching hit behind the Sharks net...and oh boy...by Ricky we got some shoving going on...

3:05 - And Marcel Goc just walked right in and fired one over Ricky's shoulder...SJS LEAD 1-0

3:04 - Lots of holdup in the aisles is clouding my vision right now...

3:03 - Hunter is out of the box and the kill is over...not much doing there for the Sharks

3:02 - 50 seconds left on the Hunter penalty

3:01 - Good news! Teddy is back on the bench!

2:45 - END OF PERIOD 1: Not an all that impressive first period by the Isles...took way too many penalties...although some looked iffy...the PP looked horrible, especially with two men up...that needs to change. John Chabot is running things today as Ted Nolan is dealing to a personal matter...he needs to address these issues during the intermission

2:44 - Did I mention Fin is an attention whore??


2:43 - Isles are getting called for another penalty...Hunter gets an interference call...ONE MINUTE WARNING

2:42 - Sabretooth is banging on the glass where the play is....cute...

2:41 - Out come both men...GREAT KILL

2:40 - GREAT BLOCK by Martinek...and preceding dump by Vasicek..

2:39 - Sutton, Martinek and Park out for the kill
20 seconds left
2:36 - Now it looks like the Isles are getting called two penalties of their own! Good lord....Meyer and Johnson BOTH getting hooking calls...

Did I mention Bill McCreary is the ref who called this...

2:35 - Fans are restless and they have every right to be...PP looks pretty poor now...and it's over...with NO SHOTS

2:34 - Sharks are VERY AGGRESSIVE on the PK...Isles can't get nothing right now

2:33 - Plenty of whistles right now...offsides and puck over the glass...faceoff right outside the Sharks zone...

2:31 - We got Storm and Sparky in front of us so we can't see anything...back and forth play right now...pucks in the net for the Isles....red light on...ref has his arm up...no goal signal...looks like two penalties on the Sharks...no goal...2 man advantage for the Isles...ok..that was weird..

2:30 - 4 shots already for the Sharks?! Come on Isles defense...time to batten down the hatches..

2:28 - The "Giant Line" as like to call them of Hunter-Vasicek-Fedotenko was making some noise in front of Nabokov...good chances...play goes to the other end and Ricky makes a nice glove save..

2:25 - Great power move by Bergy to get control of the puck...he fed the slot for a deflection that went wide.

2:24 - Johnson is out of the box...Parkie tries to Bobby bourne it coast-to-coast...just couldn't get the shot off..

2:23 - Is that Bergeron getting PK time?

2:22 - Sharks putting pressure and traffic in front of Ricky...so fa, so good..they're still buzzing though...Matt Carle...DING!!!

2:20 - They're making some noise...but will get called for a penalty...delayed as Ricky touches the puck. holding is the call. It's going to be on Aaron Johnson.

2:19 - Kid line sees its first appearance of the game...

2:18 - Good jump in by Bergeron to start a rush, but poor passing choice by Tank breaks the play up.

2:17 - Penalty is over, Comrie out of the box...good kill by the Isles

2:15 - Hilbert got dumped...fans want a penalty...could've gone either way, but play on...Park's on his game on the PK so far...

Fluky bounce off the glass gives the Isles a 2-on-1 SH rush...Hunter throws it to the net and we'll get a faceoff in the Sharks zone.

2:14 - Delayed penalty on the Isles...Martinek touches up...crowd not happy. Slashing on Mike Comrie. Sharks to the PP

2:13 - The Isles need to watch out for that Thornton guy...

2:12 - We've got our first icing of the day, on the Isles. Faceoff coming in the Isles zone.

2:11 - And we're off and running...Vasicek wins the opening faceoff

2:09 - Oh boy a photographer just fell HARD on the ice. That had to hurt...

2:08 - I love seeing the Coliseum packed. It makes it THAT MUCH MORE of a special place to be.

2:05 - Isles starters tonight: Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter -- Sutton - Martinek

2:02 - HUGE thanks to Goc Fanatic on the Sharks HF Boards

Patzold was just sent to Worcester and Thomas Greiss -- #1 -- called up. Mike Iggulden was also recalled.

2:00 - It's a freaking mascot party on the ice right now...

1:56 - No Patrick Marleau tonight. He was just placed on IR. So that's good news for the Isles.

1:55 - I put an inquiry into the SJ Sharks board on HFBoards about this goalie situation. Can't find any transactions on the AHL website, so I'll see...

1:46 - Interesting...the Sharks back-up goalie is wearing #1...but on the Game Notes we have #20 - Evegeni Nabokov; and #30 - Dmitri Patzold.

I think someone needs to check on this...

1:39 - Here are your line combinations...

Hilbert - Comrie - Guerin
Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter
Tambellini - Nielsen - Comeau
Satan - Park - Bergenheim

Sutton - Martinek
Meyer - Johnson
Berard - Bergeron

1:36 - Ok, I've heard "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven WAY TOO MANY times this weekend...(it's a standard on the Bridgeport playlist)

1:33 - Bruno Gervais is the only scratch for the Isles that is currently NOT on IR. Brendan Witt, Mike Sillinger, Chris Campoli, Shawn Bates, and Jon Sim are your non-surprise scratches

1:29 - Here come the Sharks led by Evgeni Nabokov...the Isles follow suit led by who else? Rick DiPietro. Nice big roar for the Isles as they make their way out onto the ice...

1:15 - Remember how I said there were a BUNCH of Sharks fans...it's looking like more than a bunch...I've counted probably a good 15-20 people with Sharks jerseys...

1:12 - So yeah, there's going to be a lot of kids here today. I just hope I don't get hit with stray water bottles from behind like I have been the past few games...

1:03 - Huh...there's a bunch of Sharks fans here. I'm a bit surprised for some reason

12:57 - And fans are coming in...expect a full house today.

12:46 - The mascots are doing the flag unfurling? Let's see who we got here...we got Thrash (Atlanta), Stormy the Ice Hog (Carolina), Iceburgh (Pittsburgh), Sabretooth (Buffalo), Blades the Bruin (Boston), Fin the Whale (Vancouver), Stinger (Columbus), Stanley C. Panther (Florida), and Gnash (Nashville). Mr. Met and the Long Island Ducks mascot are looking on. The Ice Girls are helping them too it seems.

I can't believe I just reported that...



12:45 - I had thought Stinger left the ice, but apparently he snuck back on and laid down on the visiting team's bench and scared the bejeezus out of a few little girls that were practicing figure skating.

12:39 - Looks like we're gonna have a lot of team mascots here. The Columbus Blue Jackets Stinger was just skating around and is now taking a little break in the visiting bench. SLACKER!

12:28 - Hey everyone...shocked I'm at yet ANOTHER game? I think not... It's my 3rd game in 40 hours and I'm still rolling. I'm so used to the AHL three-games-in-three-nights that its like second nature to me! Is that some sort of record? I doubt it...

You know, Chris Botta is right. I really DON'T take a day off!

We're back at the Nassau Coliseum today, and it's a special 2pm President's Day matinée with a RARE visit from the San Jose Sharks. Infact, this is the San Jose Sharks first visit to the Coliseum since October 20, 2001! Both teams played to a 2-2 tie (remember when those were allowed in hockey?) on Bryan Trottier night. I remember being there for that...wow, I had just started college! Eek!

So even though I'm practically running on fumes I will do my best for those that are unfortunately still working to give you the best LIVE! in-game updates on the net. I'll see you all in a little bit...

Pascal Morency Update

As I stated in my live blog before, Pascal Morency was hit by Michael Sauer and fell awkwardly into the boards sideways. Here's the hit...HUGE thanks to kbarbdamnit for getting me the footage on such short notice. I am forever grateful.



Pascal was needed to be backboarded and stretchered off the ice, which the footage does not show.

According to Athletic Trainer John Sullo, he was talkative and was able to move his arms and legs afterwards. He was taken to the Bridgeport Hospital for precautionary tests and x-rays. There was no neck damage thankfully. We wish the best for Pascal and hope he gets back to the ice soon.

LIVE! HFD @ BRI - FINAL (4-1 BRI)

6:34 - THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Steve Regier, BRI - 2 goals
2. Joey MacDonald, BRI - 32 saves, continues strong play
3. Trevor Smith, BRI - Goal, assist

6:33 - FINAL BRI WINS 4-1

6:32 - Fata is talking with Bourret...and it looks like Bourret and now Fata is going off

6:31 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

6:29 - Delayed penalty deep in the Pack zone on the Tigers...Wiikman goes to the bench, put the Tigers put it in anyways...no goal of course..Okposo is going for tripping.

6:26 - It's kinda hard to write stuff now...knowing what has happened to Morency..I hope he's ok

6:24 - Joey Mac with two strong saves up close...very strong...

6:22 - It's very subdued here as play continues...

6:21 - They're wheeling Morency out...Colliton and Sauer get five for fighting

6:19 - They're being very careful with him...I'll be back..

6:17 - they got a stretcher out for Morency...this isn't good

6:16 - Sauer just nailed Morency and Colliton goes after him! Morency hasn't gotten up yet...

6:14 - Shots are 28-17 HFD with 8:30 left

6:13 - Justin Bourne got the assist on the goal

6:12 - Morency is back out there...and Trevor Smith walks right in and puts it by Wiikman. BRI LEADS 4-1

6:11 - Lots of shots being fired by Hartford...and Walter is out of the box..

6:10 - Macdonald strong again with traffic in front.

6:08 - Walter lying on the ice somehow high stuck Byers in the face...and he'll go off. 4-on-4 action for 42 seconds

6:06 - Bourret got a tripping call that I missed. Tigers on the PP

6:04 - Hartford has pretty much controlled the latter portion of this game. I don't know if its just the Tigers playing back and their defensive style of hockey or what...but they really need to get on Wiikman more.

6:02 - Reggie's playing without a stick for a good minute now...deflected into the seats and play stops.

6:00 - Reggie's just about out of the box...and that ends the penalty...Pock with a HARD one timer and a great save by Joey Mac

5:59 - Wide open net for Sauer...but he can't pull the trigger

5:58 - Regier gets a tripping call...Hartford to the PP

5:57 - Jackman with a good strong rush to the net...

5:56 - two quick shots MacDonald shoves aside...make that three

5:55 - And we're off and running again...

5:54 - The Stat man says it's the 8th largest attended game in Bridgeport. Good for them!

5:53 - Tonight's attendance is an amazing 7750!! I've got Fornabaio checking out how it stack on overall records..

5:41 - Chuck a puck time!! Section 105 won all three prizes for some reason...damn what luck they have...

5:37 - Spiller decides to throw a hit after the buzzer and that will get tempers flared. END OF PERIOD 2. It seemed more Wolfpack than Tigers if anything this period. Tigers still have the lead on what was a fluky goal by Byers. Nothing Joey Mac could've done. One more period to go..

5:36 - Regier with a kick pass to Walter...come on Steve, be serious here...this is hockey!

5:35 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

5:31 - there's been a lot of fluky bounces off the boards and glass today..

5:29 - Is that Morency is see jaw-jacking with Dupont?? Yeah...that is...

5:28 - And that will be the end of Colliton's penalty..

5:27 - One-time by Sauer is BLASTED...MacDonald made the save and almost trickled in behind him.

5:26 - MacDonald WAY OUT in front of his crease to make the save. The puck got just a bit away from him..but he was able to corral it.

5:23 - Good PK'ing right now by the Tigers...not many shots or chances allowed...Bridgeport is getting another one...hooking on Colliton. Hartford will get only 10 seconds of 5-on-3 though

5:22 - Spiller is going off for an elbow. Hartford to the PP.

5:21 - I think hartford has spent almost all of this four on four in the Bridgeport zone.

5:19 - TV timeout here..

5:17 - Referee Tudor Floru is calling something here. Concidental minors it looks on Korpikoski and Fata. Four-on-four action...

5:16 - Broken play and a deflected shot combined with a bouncing puck and a downed Joey Macdonald equals a goal for Hartford. Byers gets the goal...Parenteau and Moore with the assists. BRI LEADS 3-1

5:15 - We're 8:55 into the second...SOG are 11-10 HFD

5:13 - Parenteau centering to Moore...one timer and Joey Mac with the save...looked like from my vantage point there was wide open net. I guess not.

5:12 - Morency is trying to start something again with Bourret

5:11 - KO with some fancy footwork and puckhandling at the blueline..and still came out with it

5:10 - Good deflection by Matt Keith in front as he seemed to be gingerly skating through the way to the bench.

5:09 - Great kick save by Joey Mac

5:08 - Did I forget to mention Marcel Hossa is here with the Pack right now? Well, I just did...

5:07 - MacDonald is playing well...who would've figured this goalie combination would be this clutch right now?

5:05 - Handpass on the Wolfpack...we're two minutes in...

5:03 - This should be a fun period...

4:56 - Big thanks to Phil for having me on as a guest! It's always good to do it! Many thanks!

4:45 END OF PERIOD 1: Great period for the Tigers...one of their best. Time to meet with Phil Giubileo..

4:44 - KO looking for his third assist tonight...pass deflected though

4:43 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

4:42 - Bourret looks like he want s to go with Ford. they've been shoving for a good minute or so. Joey Mac does a little shoving as well. Seems like he wants to break Rick DiPietro's PIM record for a goalie.

4:40 - KO gets the secondary assist on Bentivoglio's goal. It's a two-point night for him already

4:39 - And now we got Matt Spiller vs. Dane Byers! Frustrations are starting to kick in for Hartford already. Good fight by both men. They'll go to the locker rooms and make sure to exchange pleasantries to each other on their way off

4:38 - Trevor Smith with a cross-ice pass to Bentivoglio and its academic into the wide open net. BRI LEADS 3-0

4:36 - Lordy, I don't know how that did NOT go in on MacDonald....Joey was down and looked like he couldn't even see the puck but still managed to keep it out. Penalty over..

4:35 - Macdonald looking good so far...he's been able to see everything...which is what Drew Fata was talking about yesterday.

4:34 - Ford's clearing pass from behind the net NAILED Wotton and deflected off of him and HIT THE POST! Weird...

4:32 - Punches and shoves all around as MacDonald makes the save.

4:31 - Delayed call on the Tigers here....looks like Okposo is going for holding. Wolfpack to their first power play

4:30 - Both men will get five for fighting as play continues

4:27 - Little Pascal is out there again...and Fata just DRILLED a Pack player...then Pock jumps in and challenges him....Morency and Bourrett are shoving...but nothings coming out of it...WOW what a hit...

4:26 - Okposo looks hungry today...he's been skating hard...

4:24 - Regier has been everywhere so far. Looks like the replaced the orange cone with a red light for TV time outs now....ooohhh technology...

4:22 - Tigers are buzzing again...deep in the Pack zone...Hartford has gotten nothing going yet and we're 7 minutes in

4:21 - Yesterday, Bonvie sucked...today..Wolfpack suck apparently

4:19 - Chris Botta was ready to pack it in after Reg's second goal!

4:18 - Two goals = FREE CHILI!

4:17 - Morency skates hard into the Pack zone...Regier gets the loose puck and roofs it over Wiikman. That's two for Reggie! BRI LEAFS 2-0

4:16 - 15 seconds left on the PP...Tigers almost get another one up close, but couldn't get a handle on the biscuit.

4:14 - Okposo, cross-ice pass to Regier, and that's fundamental into the open net. BRI LEADS 1-0

4:13 - the five-man forward unit is on...shot deflected up into the netting.

4:12 - And we're off and running...Jackman with a great chance to start...delayed penalty on the 'Pack. Bridgeport is buzzing on the delayed call. Corey Potter (tripping) is going off...and so will Ivan Baranka (holding)? A 2:00 5-on-3 for the Tigers here...

4:11 - Great crowd tonioght...looks like it will hit the 7,000 mark tonight.

4:07 - There's an on-ice ceremony to an long time AHL off-ice official,Frank Camera which will delay the game just a little bit. Classy ceremony.

4:01 - Your Sound Tiger scratches tonight are: Jeff Dwyer, Micheal Haley, Kip Brennan, and Dustin Kohn.

Starting lineup: Jackman - Walter - Regier -- Wotton - Sertich

3:59 - "The Blogfather" Chris Botta is here with his kids today. "Liodice, you don't take a day off, huh?!"

3:49 - The PA isn't that much better today. I hear they installed 4 new speakers up in the roof..

3:42 - Glad to hear I'm not the only one here who can't stand MacDonald's mask!

3:35 - Line combinations here...no change from last night...

Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio
Jackman - Walter - Regier
Keith - Colliton - Pitton
Morency - Bourne

Ford - Fata
Spiller - Fraser
Wotton - Sertich

3:28 - And here come the Sound Tigers..led by plain-masked Joey MacDonald. Looks like Coach Caps didn't want to break the rotation.

3:26 - The Wolfpack are out mighty early it seems. Intersting... Miika Wiikman will be starting in net today for the Pack.

3:19 - Turns out I'll be a guest on the First Intermission during today's game! If you're listening on the B2 Networks, check me out LIVE! with Phil Giubileo on the first intermission!

3:04 - We've got a newbie refereeing the game tonight. Well...newbie to Bridgeport, welcome Referee Tudor Floru.

2:59 - Game over! Jr. Devils win 8-5! Fun game!

2:53 - From what I can tell, it looks like fans are being let into the building now. We got 6:00 left in the youth hockey game, with the Jr. Devils leading over the Rangers 8-4

2:38 - Upon further look at the East Division standings and today's schedule, a Sound Tigers win would propel them into 4th place in the division. They would be tied in points with Albany and Binghamton, but they would hold the tie-breaker with more wins.

2:32 - Leaders and Special Teams at a Glance

Bridgeport Sound Tigers:
28-24-1 -- 57 pts. -- 6th East Division
Goals - Ben Walter(15)
Assists - Ben Walter (30)
Points - Ben Walter (45)
Plus/Minus - Dustin Kohn (+6)
PIM - Kip Brennan (230)

Power Play - 413 for 288, 14.9%; tied - 21st in AHL
Penalty Kill - 238 for 285, 83.2%; tied - 12th in AHL
SHGF - 9; SHGA - 3

Hartford Wolfpack:
34-13-7 -- 75 pts. -- 2nd Atlantic Division
Goals - Pierre Parenteau (21)
Assists - Andrew Hutchinson (33)
Points - Pierre Parenteau (53)
Plus/Minus - Greg Moore (+24)
PIM - Dane Byers (139)

Power Play - 57 for 265, 21.5%; 3rd in AHL
Penalty Kill - 217 for 264, 85.3%; 19th in AHL
SHGF - 10; SHGA - 3

2:25 - The Jr. Devils are leading 4-1. They are definitely the better team...scratcfh that...4-2 now

2:22 - There's a nice little youth hockey game going on now. From the looks of the scoreboard it seems to be the Jr. Devils vs. the Rangers. Not sure where they are from, but it's pretty entertaining. Ohh breakaway....SCORE! Nice little goal by the mite.

2:18 - It's Day 2 here in Bridgeport, and it's the Battle of CT...Isles vs. Rangers AHL-style! I actually beat Mike Fornabaio here...that's a first! It also seems they trust me enough over here to give me a season pass.

2/16 Sound Tigers Post-Game

The mood was definitely one of the good variety in the Sound Tigers lockerroom tonight. But it was very low key though. These boys know they have a game in oh...lets see...17 hours!

I have no idea who was in charge of the music selection tonight in the lockerroom, but the country mix has got to go!

Everyone we talked to said pretty much what we expected to say. We talked to Mike Morrison, Drew Fata, and Tim Jackman. Both Fata and Jackman praised the play of their goaltenders, stating how they have great confidence in themselves when they know how their goalies have been playing on their heads as of late.

Here's the updated standings from the AHL website. I didn't realize the AHL updated their standings real time, so as it stands right now, the Sound Tigers are currently 2 points out of the 4th spot in the division and a playoff spot...

Rank		GP	W	L	OTL	SOL	PTS
1	Philadelphia Phantoms	56	35	17	2	2	74
2	Hershey Bears	52	29	18	0	5	63
3	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	52	29	20	0	3	61
4	Albany River Rats	54	28	23	0	3	59
5	Binghamton Senators	54	25	20	5	4	59
6	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	53	28	24	1	0	57
7	Norfolk Admirals	54	19	29	2	4	44

I'd write more but it's about 11:20pm and I'm still at the arena. Damn these 8pm games.

See you tomorrow.

Wolfpack vs. Sound Tigers - 4pm

11:24 EDIT: They just started playing "These Boots Are Made For Walking" over the PA now and it's kinda creeping me out

LIVE! WBS @ BRI - FINAL (4-0 BRI)

10:33 - Morrison tells the crowd "Don't mention the word 'SHUTOUT' when there is one going on!" LOL!!

10:31 - THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Mike Morrison, BRI - 5th shutout of the year, 40 saves. Back-to-back home shutouts
2. Sean Bentivoglio, BRI - Goal, assist
3. Ben Walter, BRI - Goal, assist

10:30 - And that's the game folks...great effort all around by the Tigers tonight. FINAL 4-0 BRI.

10:29 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

10:27 - Tigers have been really getting in the way of plenty of shots and passes lately.

10:26 - 3:11 left in the 3rd period..shots are 38-27 WBS

10:24 - Colliton almost had one but Curry made a kick save and left the puck LAYING IN THE CREASE for a good second or two before thePens cleared it

10:22 - Does Dave have a Godard camo jersey on?! And he just said "The Sound tigers would like to thank Dennis Bonvie" LOL!

10:21 - Bourne just raised a shot high on Curry.

10:20 - Section 105 just won the 50/50...I need to know their methods...

10:19 - The crowd is chanting something at Bonvie that I can't repeat here.

10:17 - Wallace just upended Ford as Morency came out of the box. Smith looked like he had a goal as the red light went on but ref says no. Now we got a fight behind the Tigers net, and it's Bonvie vs. Ford! And Ford just laid him out...drawing a HUGE CHEER from the crowd!

10:16 - Morrison has been a rock tonight..he's my first star selection.

10:13 - We got a delayed penalty...looks to be on Morency for a trip

10:11 - We got a stoppage of play...looked like the nets were off...

10:09 - Cracked out fan just shouted another thing at us...I think about Bissonnette

10:08 - Bissonnette and Jackman were jawing for a while..and Jackman drops the gloves and CHARGES at him. body shots by Jackman...and now it's like a hugging match and both men to the ice...

10:06 - Mornecy is back out there...

10:05 - That's Wallace's third of the night...and Fraser gets a one-timer past Curry as I was typing the bit on Wallace. BRI LEADS 4-0. Regier and Walter get the assists...

10:04 - I heard a crunch...that must be Morency...he's like a freight train aiming for anyone in a black jersey. He's starting trouble now...and gets dumped by Wallace right off the faceoff.

10:02 - Wotton just got DRILLED by Bonvie.

10:01 - Morrison has shown excellent positioning all night tonight. He's been very solid.

10:00 - Wotton and Brent just came together HARD behind the Sound Tigers net.

9:59 - Did you know "Bonvie Sucks"???

9:58 - Memo to Sound Tigers: No more 8:00pm games...please?

9:57 - And Colliton is out the box...

9:56 - Almost 10:00 and we're JUST starting the third period...this is a loonnnggg night.

9:54 - Tonight's attendance: "3,357"

9:42 - Hershey gets the win in OT...so the best the Tigers can do is gain a point on the B-Sens.

9:38 - END OF PERIOD 2: Again, it didn't seem like a very pretty period...but 15 seconds of that were the difference. The Tigers have a good lead heading into the third, and with the Isles win and seeing them move up in the Eastern Conference standings, it looks like Bridgeport have a good shot of doing that as well. But unfortunately, Albany has won their game and Binghamton is currently in OT with Hershey right now...I'll keep an eye on that.

9:37 - ONE MINUTE WARNING! Morrison's glove hand is working Mighty Fine off a blue-line wrist shot by Ardelan (fantastic band I saw on Valentine's Day open for The Gutter Twins)

9:36 - FINAL! 4-1 Isles...49-10 SHOTS! WOW!

9:34 - Sound Tigers will be shorthanded here. Jeremy Colliton is going off for hooking.

9:33 - From "The Stat Man" Mike Fornabaio: Walter and Bentivoglio's goals ties the team record for fastest two goals in team history...15 seconds.

9:31 - And the Tigers add another one with Curry down and sprawling...looks to be Ben Walter in front. Regier and Jackman with the assists. TIMEOUT WBS

9:30 - Bentivoglio with a GLORIOUS chance in front of the net sails wide...but he gets it RIGHT BACK...Jackman and Smith with the assists.BRI LEADS 2-0

9:29 - Keith is about ready to come out of the box in 2 seconds as we await a faceoff in the Tigers zone...

9:27 - Big collision in front of Morrison to clear the puck in front of him...good kill so far.

9:24 - Good to see Reg back out on the ice. And we got a delayed penalty on the Tigers...Keith for slashing..

9:22 - There's this really amusing fan sitting right in front of us that looks cracked out. He turned and shouted something at us after Mornecy's fight...which I found odd.

9:21 - It's been pretty much back and forth action right now with not many SOGs...Bentivoglio nearly had a breakaway but couldn't get the handle on the puck...and Jackman gives Bonvie a pop before Dennis leaves for the bench.

9:19 - Good glove save by Morrison on a McLean shot..

9:17 - Geez, the Isles have already given up 2 shots in the third?! That defense better shape up!

9:14 - Reggie is hurt and has to be led back to the bench. Mike doesn't know what happened...and even before the puck drops Pascal Mornecy drops the gloves! Morency vs. Bissonnette: Good fight overall...lots of punches thrown in front of the Pens bench. Morency makes sure to show off the Tigers crest as he skates to the box. Ha!

9:13 - Jackman throws it to the net and we'll get it stoppage of play.

9:11 - Looked like Bentivoglio thought the best way to get to the net from the blue line was to slide on his knees...quite amusing...

9:10 - I can see a fight brewing any minute...

9:08 - Damn...4-0 Isles...41-6?!?! Of course, pick the game I'm not there..

9:07 - Pad save by Morrison, and we got some pushing and shoving in the Tigers house

9:05 - Smith with two GLORIOUS chances in front of the net. Curry with some good glove saves.

9:04 - Damn, Morency will run into anything and just keep going. Now he seems to be having words with Bissonnette. And I think Bonvie is out on the ice now...

9:03 - Morrison came WAY out to stop that Lovejoy shot (NO! Not Rev.)

9:02 - Curry went to play the puck behind the net, blew a tire, and he was lucky there were no Tigers in front of the net!

9:00 - And we're off and running to start the second...

8:53 - Marc-Andre Fleury is actually sitting in the box right behind me.

8:39 - Bonvie is starting with someone at the buzzer...what a surprise...END OF PERIOD 1. Wasn't the best period, but the Tigers come out of it with a lead. SOG for the period are 9-6 WBS.

That's nothing compared to the 37-6 count after two periods for the Isles...WOW!

8:38 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:36 - Colliton from the corner throws one to the center and it looks to go off WBS D Deryk Engelland and deflects in. It's not pretty, but they'll take it. SOUND TIGERS LEAD 1-0 Bentivoglio and Fraser with the assists.

8:35 - Five man forward unit out...and Tim Brent on a SH breakaway...flips it wide of the net...WBS is very good on the PK tonight.

8:33 - Colliton with the cross-ice steal and fires a shot over the net...and Colliton lays a BIG HIT on a baby Pen...couldn't tell who...now there's a holding penalty on Tim Wallace...and he doesn't like the call. Sound tigers to their fourth powerplay of the night

8:32 - We finally get a little action...bunch of shots fired, but Morrison is standing on his head! Another shot, save! and the puck slides on the ice JUST wide of the net. Net off its morrings, and we got a TV timeout

8:31 - Mike Fornabaio on the Isles game: "3-0?! Break them up!"

8:29 - It's a puck handling clinic on the PP for the Pens...and they fire a shot through traffic, which Morrison has a little trouble handling, but eventually finds its way to the corner

8:27 - Delayed penalty on the tigers..and Bonvie DRILLS a Tiger (couldn't get the number). Jackman gets the only minor, and it's for a hook

8:26 - I think the Penguins have gotten more shots shorthanded than the Sound tigers have on the PP

8:25 - I suggest everyone take a visit to Dee's blog. She's doing a great job playing me at the Coliseum.

8:24 - Icing on the sound Tigers?? This PP has not looked good so far.

8:23 - Reggier is down...he got high sticked by Tim Wallace, and Wallace will go to the box. Sound Tigers PP again...

8:21 - Pascal Morency reminds me of a poor man's Kevin Colley

8:19 - the Pens sure have been blocking a lot of shots tonight...and we're just half-way through the first period

8:18 - WBS's Ryan Stone steals the puck at the Bridgeport blueline and gets a little break which Morrison saves. The sliding defensive gasp knocked the net off its moorings

8:17 - The Tigers are going to another PP...Jonathan Filewich for slashing

8:15 - The Tigers are buzzing deep in the WBS zone...but can't get anything on net...kinda looks like a game of shinny over there. Until Okposo gives the Tigers their first shot of the game 7:00 in

8:13 - 5:00 into the game and we still don't have a SOG by either team. Bonvie's out of the box, and Tim Wallace (WBS) gives us our first shot of the game at the 5:42 mark

8:12 - This is some serious aggressive PK by the Pens...the Tigers haven't had any chances yet

8:10 - Pascal Mornecy's first shift of the game, and already you can hear him out there...banging away...and we got a WBS penalty...and it's everyone's favorite Penguin, Dennis Bonvie for roughing. The Arena isn't helping things as they play "Let's Go Band", to which the fans replace with "Bonvie Sucks!"

8:08 - The PP is over and the WBS Pens didnt even managed a shot, let alone a chance...good kill.

8:07 - Colliton and Pitton with some good penalty killing right now...now we got Regier and Jackman manning the forward positions...

8:06 - We're on our way and already we got a penalty on the Sound Tigers...Wotton is going for tripping.

8:03 - The "Bonvie Sucks!" chants have already started and we haven't even gotten to the National Anthem yet. With Kipper suspended we're thinking Pascal Mornecy is going to have some fun with him...

8:00 - The PA system is messed up and is only coming from one side of the arena, probably from the basketball earlier today. So the PA announcer sounds like he's on a megaphone tonight...

7:58 - Sound Tigers scratches are Jeff Dwyer, Micheal Haley, Kip Brennan, and Dustin Kohn.

Starting lineup: Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio -- Wotton - Sertich

7:46 - Should be an OK crowd tonight...the 8:00pm start definitely has something to do with it not being as busy.

7:36 - Line combos...

Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio
Jackman - Walter - Regier
Pitton - Colliton - Keith
Morency - Bourne

Ford - Fata
Spiller - Fraser
Wotton - Sertich

7:26 - The WBS Penguiins Booster Club is here and they start cheering as the Pens make their way onto the ice, led by goaltender John Curry. The Sound Tigers follow, and Mike Morrison will be in net tonight. Marc-Andre Fluery is NOT dressed tonight.

7:24 - A special edition of "Sound Tigers: Cribs" is up on the video wall from Sound Tigers TV

7:13 - Leaders and Special Teams at a Glance

Bridgeport Sound Tigers:
27-24-1 -- 55 pts. -- 6th East Division
Goals - Walter & Regier (14)
Assists - Ben Walter (29)
Points - Ben Walter (43)
Plus/Minus - Dustin Kohn (+6)
PIM - Kip Brennan (230)

Power Play - 41 for 283, 14.5%; 27th in AHL
Penalty Kill - 233 for 280, 83.2%; 15th in AHL
SHGF - 9; SHGA - 3

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins:
29-19-3 -- 61 pts. -- 2nd East Division
Goals - Kurtis McLean (16)
Assists - Tim Brent (28)
Points - Tim Brent (39)
Plus/Minus - McLean & Lovejoy (+14)
PIM - Dennis Bonvie (134)

Power Play - 41 for 277, 14.8%; 23rd
Penalty Kill - 203 for 238, 85.3%; 6th
SHGF - 3; SHGA - 9

7:11 - Laughs exchanged all around tonight...especially about considering Frans Nielsen's future as a PR director...

6:57 - Oh boy...Dennis Bonvie is in tonight...fans will have fun with that...

6:54 - Fans are actually being let in now from what it looks like...

6:52 - Sound Tigers play-by-play man Phil Giubileo is SHOCKED I'm here instead of the Coliseum, also adding "You're just here to see Marc-Andre Fleury, huh?" My secret is out...

On The Road: Bridgeport - February 16 (Day 1)

6:35 - A little dinner and nap later...and I'm all set here at the Arena! I found out from Mike Fornabaio that the reason for the 8:00 pm start tonight is because the University of Fairfield had a basketball doubleheader here today, so the team wanted to give the arena staff enough time to get everything set up. And judging by the looks of things, they did a pretty damn good job!

4:30 - Time for a pre-game cat nap. I'll see everyone at the Arena at Harbor Yard in a few hours!

4:10 - Thanks again to Alex and Steve for having me on. Some great Bridgeport discussion as always. Check out the archives very soon at Hockey Night on Long Island

3:43 - Looks like Alex and Steve want some Sound Tigers updates...so I'll be chiming in around 4:00 PM

3:35 - Check out Hockey Night on Long Island which is LIVE! right now until 4:30. I'll be lurking in the chat room...

2:37 - Luckily for me, I remembered my pants. (Tom 1, Corey 0 LOL)

2:32 - I just arrived here at the Hampton Inn in Milford, CT. I'm already hopped up on coffee and am raring to go. I'll be listening in to Hockey Night on Long Island at 3:30pm. I hear Tom Mascioli from Islesinfo.com will be the guest. Should be a good show...i'll be in the chat room if anyone wants to give a virtual hi!

11:43 - Well it's time for another one of those "On The Road" blogs. I'll be heading out to Bridgeport for the two-game weekend stretch at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Tonight the Sound Tigers host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at an unusual 8:00 PM start time. Tomorrow night it's another Battle of CT as the Hartford Wolfpack are coming in for a 4:00 matinee.

I'll be heading out of Long Island in about an hour or so. I will keep you updated with all of my travels :)

Kip Brennan Suspended 15 Games

Straight out of Frans Nielsen's mouth in the lockerroom. I don't think there's a release yet, but Kip Brennan has been suspended 15 games for this:


UPDATE: Here's the AHL Release

AHL announces suspensions
02/12/2008 3:34 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League today announced that Bridgeport Sound Tigers forward Kip Brennan has been suspended for fifteen (15) games as a result of delivering a hit to the head of Portland Pirates forward Geoff Peters during an AHL game between the teams on Feb. 9.

Brennan was assessed a match penalty at 16:39 of the first period under AHL Rule 47.14 for punching an unsuspecting opponent and causing injury.

Brennan will miss Bridgeport’s next 15 regular-season games. He will be eligible to return on Mar. 15.

LIVE! PHI @ NYI - FINAL (4-3 NYI)

5:34 - Some pre-pre-game video coming soon. Once my memory stick stops going freakin slow...if you are coming to the game...BE CAREFUL!!! It is very nasty out there right now and give yourself some extra time...you'll see what I mean...

5:42 - Looks like this big flag unfurling thing is going to be a constant here at the Coliseum...they've been doing it for the past few games now...

5:54 - I know...I'm sick...


5:58 - The Flyers "Super Fan" has already been spotted and they haven't even opened the doors yet...

6:03 - Dammit! He came out more towards the Flyers side and I had no shot of getting a pic of him...

6:14 - Good to see BD Gallof come out of hiding tonight!

6:17 - There's a pretty amusing episode on the video board about the Shakey Show on ITV...

6:21 - "We going to Sizzla..." LOL, priceless...

6:26 - Not many ladies here so far...lets hope there's more for Hockey 'n Heels night..

6:29 - Here come the Flyers led by Antero Niittymaki...the Isles should be following suit any minute now...and now here they come led by Ricky DiPietro.

6:30 - Good choice of music to come out, White Stripes, "Icky Thump"...and I wish this guy would freakin sit down in front of me

6:31 - Time for pics...

6:38 - Pics coming up soon...line combinations...

Hilbert - Comrie - Guerin
Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter
Bergenheim - Park - Satan
Comeau - Nielsen - Tambellini

Witt - Martinek
Meyer - Sutton
Bergeron - Berard

6:41 - Mike Gasparino is here! It's been a while since I've seen him...I think we have a Blog Box record for most laptops in one game...

6:51 - Pre-game pics....


6:56 - You ever see those movies set in the Old West? And the tumbleweed rolls through a ghost-town?? That's what it feels like tonight..

7:00 - Mike Schuerlein and Frank Trovato are both here as well...crowded Box!

7:04 - And it's even crowdeder! Dee Karl has made her presence felt!

7:05 - Gaspo: "There's more people in the Blog Box than in Sect. 102!"

7:07 - Tonight's Isles starters: Fedotenko - Vasicek - Hunter -- Sutton - Meyer

7:11 - Vasicek up close with the first good scoring chance of the night...

7:12 - Comrie, where the hell you passing to?

7:14 - Sorry BD...I like you in a plutonic way...

7:15 - Close chance...post shot?? Bridgeport connection out there now

7:17 - Delayed penalty call on the Isles here...looks like Martinek is going off for closing his hand on the puck...wow...

7:18 - Gaspo doesn't like this penalty...A LOT

7:19 - Flyers get their first shot of the night 5:00 in...

7:20 - Ricky had to be quick with that save...Flyers are moving quickly...

7:21 - Jesus, Comrie...you're killing me..Bergie with a hit gets the crowd going

7:22 - Good god, Isles got a bunch of close chances...

7:25 - Flyers trying to crowd the crease...and the Isles d-men are having none of that

7:27 - Bergie can't glove a bouncing puck and that just led for two Flyers chances...

7:29 - Frank's causing trouble here again...starting an Okposo discussion

7:30 - Hartnell almost had a breakaway, but couldn't keep his footing, and oh god...collision, and we got a downed Islander...oh lord it's Witt...knee on knee hit...and Witt gets the penalty? Lordy...for tripping?

7:31 - Line drive, straight to section 105...

7:32 - Park's churning on the PK and had a great scoring chance...

7:33 - Good killing by the Isles right now, sound defense...and Witt is out of the box..

7:35 - Bergeron and Berard combination scares me out there...

7:36 - Parky just got one up high on Nitty...it's hard to get in this game when there's like no one here right now

7:38 - I'm getting the webcam out...the banter between Dee and Frank is too good to pass up...

7:40 - It's getting chippy out here...deep in the Isles zone.

7:41 - PRessing hard...Hunter chips it in! Isles take a rare first period lead... NYI LEADS 1-0

7:42 - 1:44 left in the first period...Isles lead in the shots 14-9

7:43 - Fedotenko and Vasicek get the assists

7:45 - END OF PERIOD 1: That was a tough period to get into, but the Isles somehow came out with the lead. Which, I'm not complaining about. I'll see you for the second...

7:51 - Good lord, my laptop almost got destroyed by flying t-shirts!

7:55 - I'd be remiss to mention Mike Carey is here tonight, but not with us in the Box....it's a Blog Box reunion!

8:01 - "Hey Miss Murder, can I..."

8:03 - Vasicek line starts out for the second period...and they start out with a holding penalty on Sutton...wonderful

8:04 - Shot from the blueline from the Flyers through a WALL...but then a scramble in front with Ricky down leads to Briere potting it...TIED 1-1

8:06 - Mike "Fulton Reed" Comrie trying that toe drag again...

8:07 - Oh, a powerplay is coming up! Cote for a slash

8:08 - Comrie...BAD PASS!!! Richards breakway, can't handle the puck. Then we get some close up chances for the Isles

8:10 - Nitty just had some trouble scooping up a bouncing puck, that could've been nice for the Isles

8:11 - TAMBO!! He's a shooter, and just fired it past Nitty from the right faceoff dot. NYI LEADS 2-1

8:12 - Comeau with a hard slap shot from the high slot...nice kick save by Nitty...

8:14 - The Isles are letting everyone in the 300 sections to move down now...I guess because on VS. it REALLY LOOKS like no one is here

8:16 - Joffrey Lupul...DING!!!

8:18 - It's better NOT to shoot at a defender's skate, right Tank?

8:19 - Ever since I addressed Tank, that line was buzzing, with a lot of "Woo'ing" from the guy behind us

8:20 - Bergie's getting a facewash...and Dee's gonna kick that Flyers ass if she could

8:21 - the Bridgeport Boys are back out there...Tambo putting on some good moves, and got a nice shot off..

8:22 - Comeau WIDE OPEN NET!! And it hit a Flyers defender in front!! Oh boy...

8:24 - What a RUSH BY BERGY for a short breakway...he got pulled down but STILL GOT IT IN! NYI LEADS 3-1

8:25 - Dee: "THAT'S SIX!"

8:26 - Satan fired one that handcuffed Nitty..and Hunter got a sharp angle shot that almost found its way through

8:27 - Delayed penalty on the Isles?? Comeau for holding?? Blake certainly doesn't like it.

8:31 - Flyers are buzzing here on the last half of the PP

8:32 - Good kill, Coms out of the box and the Comrie line will take over

8:33 - And the Flyers get it back, on a centering pass to a breaking Hartnell for the put in NYI LEADS 3-2

8:35 - Close call in front of Ricky, but he's got it gobbled up

8:36 - END OF THE SECOND PERIOD: Well it was a good Isles period. Two goals, especially by Tambellini, put the Isles ahead for the second period. Philly got a late one, but the Isles still got the lead 3-2....let's see if they can break this streak

8:55 - Cowbell has moved down a section or two

8:56 - Oh boy Ricky had one get behind him but luckily fell on top of it.

8:57 - I'm surprised Ricky didn't shoot the puck away when the puck came to him...

8:59 - Frank gets two minutes for voicing his opinion

9:00 - Flyers were just buzzing around the Isles zone before

9:01 - Nice subtle stick check by Ricky behind the net...

9:04 - Bergenheim gets an interference call

9:05 - Park working nicely steals the puck and gets a good shot off that Nitty holds on to

9:07 - Hartnell REALLY wanted to go with Sutton...but Sutton was not willing to oblidge

9:08 - Bridgeport connection is back out there.

9:09 - Ricky doing a great job and tries to clear it up for Tambellini, but it goes too far for an icing

9:15 - Ricky's been solid...shots with 8:26 are 36-26 NYI

9:16 - HORRIBLE defensive play by Martinek led to a DING! by Kimmo Timonen

9:18 - Ok, so I didn't see the play...but its an Islander goal...probably Fedotenko...NYI LEAD 4-2

9:19 - Flyers are getting angry...and physical...Dowd off for cross checking

9:22 - Nothing on this powerplay...Vasicek almost had a great and had the hands raised by couldn't pot it...and we got another Flyers penalty...Hatcher for hooking

9:25 - Comrie toe drag worked!! Drew another penalty! 1:20 two-man advantage

9:27 - Which they obviously don't do anything with...and this guy behind us is freaking out..christ, its a two goal lead..calm down..Fedotenko gets a roughing

9:28 - TIMEOUT PHI

9:29 - And the Flyers get one...before the PHI penalty ended on the 4-on-4...wonderful..4-3 NYI

9:31 - "Two man advavtage" for the Flyers...great killing by PArk..10 seconds

9:32 - That's the game!! FINAL! ISLES WIN!! FINAL 4-3 NYI

LIVE! LOW @ BRI - FINAL (3-2 BRI)

6:57 - Oy, I'm so late tonight. TONS of traffic on I-95 forced me to JUST get right as the Sound Tigers and the Devils make their way out to the ice. Mike Morrison looks to be in net for the Tigers and Frank Doyle will be in net for the Lowell Devils.

6:59 - This is a depleted Sound Tigers roster tonight. No Tambellini and no Nielsen, but interesting situation, Jeremy Colliton is on the roster...but I don't see him on the ice tonight.

7:00 - Tim Jackman is wearing an A tonight. Line combinations to follow soon...

7:04 - And here they are. Tweaks obviously were expected...

Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio
Jackman - Walter - Regier
Keith - Desrochers - Pitton
Haley - Brennan

Fata - Ford
Spiller - Sertich
Wotton - Dwyer

7:06 - Sound Tigers are warming up in their "creamsicle" jerseys that were the "official" home ones last year. I think I'm the only one here rooting for an orange vs. red matchup tonight...

7:08 - Two new names that you might not recognize are defenseman Jeff Dwyer and center Jean Desrochers. Both were signed to PTO's the past week. Dwyer spent most of this year with Cortina SG in the Italian Elite League, posting 3 goals and 11 assists in 32 games.

This is Desrochers second PTO stint with the Sound Tigers in as many years. He spent 3 games here last season, notching an assist. He's split time this year with the Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL) and the Springfield Falcons (AHL).

7:16 - Special Teams At A Glance:
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Power Play: 37 for 260, 14.2%; 27th
Penalty Kill - 214 for 258, 82.9%; 17th
SHGF - 9; SHGA - 3

Lowell Devils
Power Play - 35 for 205, 17.1%; 12th
Penalty Kill - 164 for 214, 76.6%; 29th (LAST IN AHL)
SHGF - 1; SHGA - 7

7:20 - Taking a look at our referee tonight...wonderful...Jamie Koharski. Expect a lot of penalties...

7:23 - Scratches for tonight are Jeremy Colliton, Jamie Fraser, Dustin Kohn, Pascal Morency.

7:24 - The Okposo - Smith - Bentivoglio line will be starting tonight. Fata and Ford backing them up.

7:29 - Let's see what our color scheme is going to be...

7:32 - Aww...the Tigers are wearing white tonight...

7:36 - The Lowell Devils are in the midst of a 10-game winless streak right now, so this is a pretty good time to pounce on them while they are down.

7:37 - And we're off and running...

7:38 - Bentivoglio breaks up an early icing as the Tigers are buzzing already..

7:39 - Jeff Dwyer threw it on net that left a juicy rebound...Tigers look good in the first two minutes

7:40 - Wrist shot by Mike Pandolfo (LOW) went off Morrison's glove and nearly popped over his head and into the net. Luckily for him, it went over the net, instead of in it.

7:41 - The similarities to the NHL-Devils are eerie....Mike Pandolfo...Stephen Gionta...Richard Matvichuk..Grant Marshall...oh wait, those two WERE on the Deivls for quite some time...

7:44 - Giveaway by Sertich leads to a Devils shot...

7:45 - Doyle almost got caught out of position handling a puck behind the net...his Devils defense was there to bail him out...

7:46 - Oh boy, a Sound Tigers dump-in took a wacky hop off the end boards and came out in front, deflecting with where the post meets the side of the net.

7:48 - Smith gets thrown out of the faceoff circle, which means Okposo will take the draw. He loses it easily, puck goes right to Pierre-Luc Leblond and fires a wrister top corner over Morrison's shoulder. LOW LEADS 1-0

7:49 - And just like that a scramble in front of the Devils net sends Doyle down and in the mist of the scramble, Steve Regier puts it home to tie the game. TIED 1-1

7:50 - Jackman and Walter get the assists on the Reggie goal.

7:51 - Now Jason Pitton is taking offense to a Mark Fraser hit on Matt Keith, and we're gonna have a go at it. It's Pitton (BRI) vs. Fraser (LOW). Good fight with haymakers flying...both men throw each other to the ice and a good spirited effort overall.

7:53 - The two-man wrecking crew of Haley and Brennan are out with Okposo right now...and they just go off for a change.

7:55 - Wow...Lowell just got away with MURDER in too many men on the ice. I can't believe no one spotted it. That went on for a good thirty seconds!

7:58 - Lowell shot from the blue line had eyes and made it to Morrison...luckily for him, he has eyes too and kept it out.

7:59 - Lowell has been buzzing in the Tigers zone for the past two minutes now...

8:01 - That was some wild two and a half minutes...Lowell never wanted to get rid of that puck.

8:02 - Koharski found someone...oh boy, is this the start? Benoit Mondou for hooking...BRI to the PP

8:03 - No five-man forward unit from the Tigers with their point-men in Nielsen and Tambo with the big club.

8:04 - Tim Jackman is getting a stupid roughing penalty. Not one you want to take while on the PP, especially against the league's worst penalty kill. And some words are exchanged between the others..

8:06 - Lowell looks like they just got away with too many men AGAIN.

8:07 - And AGAIN...Lowell FINALLY got caught this time. Really SLOPPY changes by the Devils tonight. Leblond will serve the minor

8:09 - Jackman is out and the PP will begin again.

8:10 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:11 - END OF FIRST PERIOD: Good period I think overall by the Tigers. Seemed back and forth at points, but overall, Tigers led in the shots department 11-9. They'll only have 8 seconds of PP time to start the second, but lets expect a strong showing from them in the next frame...

8:30 - And we're starting the second period...with the Tigers deep in the Devs zone before..delayed penalty call on the Devs...and on the penalty call Kyle Okposo gets a centering pass and bangs it home. 2-1 BRI

8:32 - Gionta with a shot from the half-boards blockered away by Morrison and into the netting...

8:35 - Morrison's having a little trouble getting a grip on the puck...couldn't glvoe that one cleanly..

8:36 - Koharski's got another one..this on the Tigers...delayed call...it's Wotton for a slash...LOW to the PP

8:37 - Good killing so far from the Tigers...Jackman is seeing PK time here..

8:38 - The Devs are going to lose their PP here...Tallackson gets called for interference...4-on-4 play for 22 seconds.

8:41 - 5-on-3 advantage coming for the Tigers right now...Gionta's going off for tripping...59 seconds for the 2-man...and here's the reutn of the five-man forward unit. Okposo and Walter on the points..

8:41 - KO just BLASTED a shot that Doyle was lucky to have blocked...

8:43 - Nothing doing on the 2-man advantage...Kip Brennan out for the PP?? Interesting..

8:44 - Devs get it deep as the penalty ends and a shot from the faceoff dot looks to rise on Morrison. I wonder if there are issues with seeing the puck tonight.

8:46 - Ivan Khomutov (LOW)....DING!!!

8:47 - Jackman and Reggie are making SERIOUS NOISE with the physical play...and Koharski has another victim, Richard Matvichuk for a slash...BRI to a PP

8:48 - Cute...the chicken dance is playing and we get a "Wolfpack Suck!" instead of the usual "Rangers suck"

8:51 - No dice on this PP

8:52 - But the Tigers will get another shot at it...Khomutov goes for high sticking...yet ANOTHER BRI PP

8:53 - Poor passing and poor shot selection is going to be the death of the Tigers on the special teams..

8:54 - Another missed opportunity...

8:58 - Bentivoglio on a breakaway...but a back-checking Devs got the stick and the puck as well to break that up...

8:59 - The sound tigers game ops staff REALLY likes Van Halen...not that I'm complaining...just something I noticed..

9:02 - Mike Morrison is getting a delay of game penalty....Trevor Smith is serving the minor..

9:03 - ONE MINUTE WARNING

9:04 - END OF PERIOD 2Nifty little play by Jackman and Regier on the penalty kill..and Fata goes down to block a shot at the very end of the period and looks like it got his knee good...he's having trouble skating on it. Let's see if he comes out for the start of the third period. But overall, great start for the Tigers...the special teams need to really pick it up though.

9:06 - Just got word from the off-ice officials that Bridgeport is getting nailed on a too many men penalty at the end of the period. It's a Koharski game...

9:20 - Somehow I called what song they'd be playing when the Tigers came out for the third..."DOA" by the Foo Fighters

9:21 - Tonight's attendance is an OK 4,514

9:22 - Tigers are starting this period two-men down for 50 seconds...

9:23 - Smith is out from serving Morrison's minor and it's down to one...GREAT BLOCK by Smith as he comes out of the box...

9:24 - Bentivoglio (serving the too many men penalty) is out as well and we're all squared away...great killing by the Tigers.

9:25 - Leblond just nailed Regier and Wotton takes exception to that and drops the gloves...not much of a fight more like a hugging match...I'd expect them to get two minutes each...probably an extra to Leblond...which he doesBRI to the PP

9:27 - Keith trying to stuff it in...they need to capitalize on these chances..

9:29 - Dwyer seeing some late PP time...

9:30 - Malmivaara is out (serving the extra minor) and that's another PP to the wayside

9:31 - Fata stepped up nicely on his hit on Pandolfo.

9:32 - Jump ball hand pass by the Tigers..."TV Timeout"

9:35 - both teams look to be playing hot potato here...good chance for the Tigers up front with Pitton almost making a home inside the net.

9:36 - Morrison again looked a little handcuffed with the puck there..

9:37 - And Tallackson gets it past Morrison on a hard wrister...tied up...TIED 2-2

9:39 - All the life was taken out of thius crowd after that goal

9:40 - Smith just DRILLED a Lowell player and Ruggeri just drops the gloves and goes after him throwing punches...let's see how this will be...he'll only get two minutes...interesting

9:42 - Three star selections are being passed out...there wasn't anyone who has looked real sharp

9:44 - This PP has looked pitiful tonight...now we're fixing some glass...

9:47 - These star selections are going to be crap...not one choice looks good

9:48 - Now we've got ANOTHER TOO MANY MEN penalty...this time on the Lowell Devils again...KEY PP for the Tigers with 2:15 left in this game.

9:50 - Walter with a GOLDEN chance in front of Doyle...but couldn't get it past the Devs netminder...now we got a whistle...what's this?

9:51 - ...apparently nothing.

9:52 - And Trevor Smith just walked right into the slot and FIRED one past Doyle with 1:03 left...I guess that one will COUNT. BRI LEADS 3-2

9:53 - Wotton and Okposo get the assists...ONE MINUTE WARNING

9:54 - Empty net for Lowell....and icing call on Bridgeport with 7.5 seconds left...TIMEOUT LOWELL

9:55 - And that's game...and we get some shoving to finish the game out...FINAL 3-2 BRIDGEPORT

9:56 - THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
1. Trevor Smith, BRI
2. Kyle Okposo, BRI
3. Mike Morrison, BRI

Colliton Joins the Isles Tonight

Ok, first let me state that the past two days have probably been the biggest wastes of my life. Why? Jury Duty!! Yeah, I was one of the lucky ones picked for a criminal trial, and lucky for me after two days of waiting...and waiting for the trial to begin, we walk in the courtroom to find a plea deal was made. Lucky me!

Oh well, tonight a VERY BAD Isles team right now goes into Pittsburgh to play a Crosby-less Pens. Don't let that fool you, the Pens are VERY talented even WITHOUT Crosby.

There will be a MUCH different look to the Isles tonight, as Miro Satan, and rightfully so will be out of the lineup nursing a sore right knee after he aggrivated it Tuesday night against Anaheim. Jeremy Colliton will be filling in the void tonight. And quite frankly, it's a well-deserved call up.

Colliton has been playing a much different type of role this year, as he's looked upon in Bridgeport now as a Mike Sillinger-type role that Silly had with the Isles. Colliton is one Bridgeport's better face-off men and Coach Jack Capuano has used the line of Matt Keith - Jeremy Colliton - Jason Pitton as a checking line to hold the opposing teams top line to minimum chances. This year they've done a fantastic job and I'm quite happy to see Colliton get the reward he deserves.

And according to the Islanders Official Site...the lines will be changing dramatically. From practice...

Defensemen
2 Aaron Johnson - 8 Bruno Gervais (Red)
25 Andy Sutton - 44 Freddy Meyer (Blue)
4 Bryan Berard – 47 Marc-Andre Bergeron (Orange)
24 Radek Martinek – 32 Brendan Witt (Grey)

Forwards
10 Richard Park – 89 Mike Comrie - 13 Bill Guerin (Red)
15 Jeff Tambellini – 51 Frans Nielsen – 57 Blake Comeau (Blue)
20 Sean Bergenheim – 72 Jeremy Colliton - 26 Ruslan Fedotenko (Orange)
11 Andy Hilbert 63 - Josef Vasicek – 7 Trent Hunter (Grey)

It will be quite interesting to watch. I thought Hunter had great chemistry with Nielsen and Tambo, but inserting Comeau in place of Hunts is an interesting move.

We will see how it plays out...honestly, I'm not expecting much, and I don't think I'm in the minority here...

LIVE! ANA @ NYI - FINAL (3-0 ANA)

5:29 - Check back soon for pre-game video!

5:39 - I never really realized how long it takes for YouTube to get videos up! It's been a good 25 minutes already! Sheesh!

5:51 - FINALLY!!



6:00 - The pre-game videos have started here in the Nassau Coliseum so I'm assuming people are starting to be let in. Funny...I can't tell by what is going to be the expected dismal attendance tonight.

6:09 - I'm not getting good vibes about tonight's turnout just from the first ten minutes...

6:15 - Not QUITE sure which of my Blog Box campatriots will be here tonight...I'm assuming Mike Schuerlein for sure...

6:20 - ...and here's Dee Karl! Yay!

6:28 - I'll be keeping you updated on how tonight's line combinations will be...and here come the Ducks led by J.S Giguere...

6:29 - And Rick DiPietro leads the Isles out now...let's see....both Richard Park AND Kip Brennan are out on the ice...

6:32 - Mike Comrie is wearing Sillinger's "A" tonight..

6:34 - I'm counting 19 skaters out there right now...so it's definitely a toss-up between Brennan and Park (if he's up for it...)

6:37 - The teams are lining up for the their 3-on-2 drills...

6:38 - Interesting here how Park has not participated in the 3-on-2...line combinations are as followed (These are DEFINITELY PENDING game time decisions...)

Comeau - Comrie - Satan
Tambellini - Vasicek - Guerin
Fedotenko - Hilbert - Hunter
Brennan - Nielsen - Bergenheim
Park

Witt - Martinek
Meyer - Sutton
Gervais - Johnson

6:44 - Dubie held his own in the "Gang Up on the Goalie" drill...until Aaron Johnson stuffed it home

6:48 - There are some 300 sections that are almost empty...yee-gads!

6:53 - "Meet me at the Lighthouse!"

6:55 - Teemu Selanne will be starting tonight for the Ducks

6:57 - Corey Perry has 27 goals for the Ducks?? Wow...

7:02 - Your referees for tonight are Dennis LaRue and Tim Peel

7:05 - Richard Park is out on the ice. So no Kip Brennan...

7:06 - Sutton and Meyer start on the back line. The Comeau - Comrie - Satan line will be the starting forward combinations...

7:08 - The Coliseum was quite loud for 8-year-old Corrine Costoldi's rendition of the National Anthem...for about 11,000, that's not bad.

7:09 - Comrie wins the face-off and we're under way...

7:10 - Martinek was hesitant to shoot and never got it on net...and we get a full change for both teams...which results in the Isles getting a too many men penalty...ANA to the PP

7:11 - I forgot Anaheim has Doug Weight...wonderful...so far 55 seconds left in the penalty and not much on net.

7:12 - Oh Andy Sutton, next time your partner goes the other side of the net on a kill, COVER HIM!

7:13 - Out comes Guerin...

7:14 - Comeau looks REAL good out there on the top line in this short time so far...

7:15 - Isles look like they're trying to put an effort out there...their legs seem to be moving for sure...

7:16 - Hilbert with the nice pick and shot on Giguere...he holds it and there will be an offensive zone face off...

7:17 - Fourth line is out there now with Park playing Brennan's role from warmups...

7:18 - Ricky with the nice glove save on Scott Niedermeyer...

7:19 - They're showing Giants parade highlights here during the break...wish I could've seen that today. What a game it was, huh?

7:21 - Ricky almost let one slip through...Isles havent been able to make a full change yet...and now it's complete...

7:23 - It's been choppy play so far...lots of whistles in between

7:24 - What a kick by Comeau to play the puck to himself...he gives it Satan with a good blocker save by Giguere, but Miro slides right into the back-end boards...he's not getting up...

7:25 - Satan is up, but he's being helped off, and is not skating...just gliding. That doesn't look good. He looks to be favoring his right ankle...

7:27 - The Isles are going to the PP, Getzlaf tripped Martinek in the corner and he'll be off for two minutes...

7:29 - Johnson on the PP? That's a switch...

7:30 - Didn't help much...I don't think there were any shots on that PP, and hardly anything was generated

7:32 - Johnson dumps it on Giggy and he'll hold...and I'll go to a TV timeout...

7:35 - Bergenheim is playing in Satan's spot now...and it looks like the Isles are getting a penalty...and now everyone is hugging and "Quoting Shakespeare"

7:36 - Comrie goes for high-sticking...ANA to the PP

7:37 - Hilbert is playing like a beast on the PK

7:38 - Vasicek for the slash?? He doesn't like it and neither does the crowd...35 second 5-on-3

7:39 - Bertuzzi is acting like a literal wall in front of Ricky on that two man advantage...Comrie is back and ANA mishandles to cause the puck to go offsides...

7:40 - Welcome back to the NHL, Teemu. Let Ricky STONE you with a great pad save...

7:41 - Hilbert with the GREAT block...but then he ROCKETS it to the ANA bench...not a good move...and JoVa is out...GREAT passing play by the Ducks and Ricky is there for the task..

7:42 - One minute warning...

7:43 - END OF PERIOD 1: Not a bad period...but not a great period either. Isles took way too many penalties...and didn't do much on their PP. They are holding their own right now, so that's pretty much all we can ask for right now...

7:51 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: For those that are interested....Huckabee wins West Virgina GOP...Obama wins Georgia Dems...and too close to call for the Georgia GOP

8:01 - Comeau takes it out in front and got a good close up chance at Giggy

8:02 - Guerin is going for high-sticking. Great...ANA to the PP

8:04 - And Scott Niedermeyer one-times it past Ricky...don't know if Pronger, who was in front got some of it...but it's 1-0 Ducks

8:06 - Pronger and Selanne get the assists on the goal.

8:07 - Aaron Johnson just got simply overworked by Teemu Selanne in chasing that puck deep in the NYI zone

8:08 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: Romney wins Massachusetts GOP; McCain wins Conn. and Illinois GOP...Clinton wins Oklahoma Dem, and Obama wins Illinois Dem...

8:10 - Good battle with Bergenheim and Vasicek battling with two Ducks on the boards, which resulted in an ANA icing.

8:11 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: McCain wins New Jersey GOP

8:13 - WIDE OPEN net for Guerin...but the puck was JUST out of reach for him before the ANA defenseman could get it.

8:15 - Kind of back and forth play...and Satan just returned!!!

8:16 - Bergie is now with Nielsen and Hunter...interesting combination...

8:19 - Again, we're back to the back-and-forth play...very exciting...but no results.

8:20 - Comeau right in front! Missed the net...or was it tipped??

8:21 - Are you kidding? Rob Neidermeyer trying to mix it up with Bruno Gervais?? or it could be the other way around...I couldn't tell...

8:23 - Both will get two for roughing...4-on-4 play...

8:24 - Well Mike, the toe-drag worked...the two other moves didn't

8:26 - Great, a water bottle just fell on me...

8:30 - Wish I could provide much of an update...but it seems like a soccer match now that some fans have started an "Ole! Ole Ole!" chant...ONE MINUTE WARNING

8:31 - Things are getting testy here...but it looks like the Isles are going on the penalty kill. Comeau gets two for rough for some reason...

8:32 - Whew Ricky nearly let one slip through the wickets there...3.2 seconds left....and that's the period...

8:33 - END OF PERIOD 2: Isles had their chances...ANA has had theirs...it was kind of an even period, but saw the Ducks get on the board with a powerplay goal, the one and only goal of the game so far. The Isles will start on the PK for 1:25...be back for the third period

8:34 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: Clinton and Huckabee win their respective party's primaries in Arkansas. And it seems like Clinton wins in Tennessee as well...

8:49 - Oh nice choice of music to start the 3rd period..."I'm The One" by Van Halen

8:51 - Good kill so far...20 seconds left on the Comeau minor

8:52 - And Comeau's out and gave a nifty backhanded behind the back pass to Bergy who almost netted it home!

8:53 - Well that was weak...Todd Marchant innocently backhanded it past Ricky...thru traffic...ANA LEADS 2-0

8:54 - Hilbert trying to give the Isles some hope...just can't get it past Giggy

8:55 - You could hear a pin drop right now...its that lifeless.

8:57 - ANA looked like they had 6 guys on the ice for a good few seconds...no call.

8:58 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: McCain wins Delaware GOP

9:00 - I couldn't tell which Duck shot it...but that puck DIED once it hit the post. Never seen that...

9:01 - And Doug Weight just one times it from the slot...3-0 ANA

9:02 - Let the "YOU SUCK" chants start...and the boo-birds fly.

9:04 - Only the Islanders can screw up a 3-on-1 with Hunter-Tambellini-Nielsen leading the charge and COMPLETELY miss the net. And just for the record, it was Hunter missing it...not any Bridgeport alum...

9:05 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: I may focus more on political updates now. That seems more exciting than this game...Hillary Clinton wins the New York Dem primary. No surprise there...

9:07 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: Obama wins Delaware.

9:08 - This usher is totally shaking Dee's table and he doesn't know it. "Is he riding a freakin horse?!"

9:11 - Isles look like they're playing a game of shinny instead of real hockey right now.

9:14 - We're joined by Mike Schuerlein...glad to know we're on the same page

9:18 - Oh, there is a game going on...3:00 left...

9:19 - Comeau gets a penalty just to show the Isles are trying...

9:20 - Nielsen is getting some PK time now...

9:22 - SUPER TUESDAY UPDATE: McCain wins NY GOP