Sound Tigers Announced Preseason Schedule

From the Sound Tigers Official Site

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have announced the dates and times of their training camp and four pre-season games.

Training camp will take place at the Sound Tigers official practice facility, The Rinks at Shelton in Shelton, CT, from Sept. 29 – Oct. 5. Fans are welcome to attend all on-ice sessions.

The Sound Tigers will travel to Albany to take on the River Rats in their first pre-season matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 1. The game’s location is still to be determined.

The second preseason game is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 3 against the Hartford Wolf Pack, at the Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, CT at 7 p.m. The Sound Tigers will play their final home preseason game against the Lowell Devils the following night at The Rinks at Shelton at 7 p.m. Tickets for both games will be available at the arenas the night of each game.

On Sunday, the Sound Tigers will close out their preseason against the Wolf Pack at the Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, CT. Face-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Islanders Announce Affiliation with CHL's Odessa Jackalopes

From the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Official Site

The New York Islanders announced today that the team has signed an affiliation agreement with the Odessa Jackalopes of the CHL.

“We are very excited about our agreement with Odessa,” Sound Tigers president Howard Saffan said. ““Having strong affiliates is imperative to building the Islanders’ future. Along with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), the Odessa Jackalopes will help feed the organization with not only skilled hockey players but great human beings.”

Joe Clark, the team’s general manager, served as Odessa’s head coach for three years from their inaugural year in 1997 to 2000. Head Coach Paul Gillis joined the Jackalopes in the summer of 2007 and became just the third head coach in the franchise's 11-year history.

“I know first-hand what kind of organization the New York Islanders are,” Clark said. “We are fortunate to be part of their family, and are committed to helping them in any way possible.”

“The Odessa Jackalopes are a top-rate organization and we’re proud to have them as an affiliate,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. “Joe Clark and his staff run a great program in Texas and we’re looking forward to working with them.”

Sound Tigers 08-09 Home Opponents Released

Today, the AHL Board of Governors released the individual team-by-team breakdown for home opponents. Here's how it's looking...

Atlantic Division

Hartford – 5
Lowell – 3
Manchester – 0
Portland – 3
Providence – 1
Springfield – 2
Worcester – 2

East Division

Albany – 4
Binghamton – 4
Hershey – 3
Norfolk – 4
Philadelphia - 4
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – 3

North Division

Grand Rapids – 0
Lake Erie – 0
Hamilton – 0
Manitoba – 0
Rochester – 0
Syracuse – 0
Toronto – 0

West Division

Chicago – 0
Houston – 1
Iowa – 0
Milwaukee – 0
Peoria – 0
Quad City – 0
Rockford – 0
San Antonio – 1

If there's something that I will never seem to understand, it's how the AHL schedule is worked out. Is it really that hard for a CT team to play an upstate NY team like Syracuse? or even Toronto? Rochester? Manitoba? I mean, now BRI can go to Houston and San Antonio, but they can't make a nice bus ride up to Rochester? C'mon...

Fans think the NHL schedule is screwed up? Well just take a look above. If a team two states over can't play each other at least once, then there's a problem. At least in the NHL every team plays each other, even if it's just for one game.

Wake me up when the AHL gets a decent scheduling system right...

The Tiger Track Featured on SoundTigers.com!

If you've recently visited SoundTigers.com lately, take a looksie down the left-hand side of the page. You may notice a familiar name added to the advertisements there!

A big thank you goes out to Kimber Auerbach and Howard Saffan of the Sound Tigers for getting this done!

Isles Qualify Six Former Tigers

Well it looks like the youth movement is going to be in full effect this coming season, as the Islanders have qualified six players, all former Sound Tigers.

The story on the Isles Official Site

The New York Islanders have extended qualifying offers to forwards Sean Bergenheim, Jeremy Colliton, Frans Nielsen, Jeff Tambellini and Ben Walter along with defenseman Bruno Gervais. All will become restricted free agent if they are not signed prior to July 1st, 2008.

Bergenheim and Gervais spent the entire 2007-08 season with the Islanders. Bergenheim appeared in 78 games, scoring 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points. Gervais saw action in 60 games and recorded 13 assists and points to go along with 34 penalty minutes.

Colliton, Nielsen, Tambellini and Walter all split time between the Islanders and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. Tambellini recorded one goal and three assists in 31 games with the Islanders while finishing seventh in the AHL in scoring, leading the Sound Tigers with 38 goals, 38 assists and 76 points in only 57 games. Appearing in 16 games with the Islanders last season, Nielsen recorded two goals and an assist for three points. Colliton also played in 16 games and went scoreless while registering eight penalty minutes. Walter saw action in eight games with the Islanders and scored his first NHL goal.