Sound Tigers Look to Rebound in Matchup With Hartford
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are looking to rebound from a tough opening day loss to Providence as they take on their in-state rival, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Sound Tigers will visit the Wolf Pack at the XL Center for the first time since January 24, 2020, and the first meeting overall with Hartford since February 29, 2020.
Last season, the Sound Tigers were 1-5-2 against the Wolf Pack and haven’t beat the Wolf Pack since December 27th, 2019. For Hartford, it will be the first game of the season in which, like the Sound Tigers, they will be playing 24 games, with 12 against Bridgeport and 12 against Providence. The Wolf Pack did play a preseason game against the Providence Bruins where they lost 3-1.
Keys to the Game
For the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, in order to rebound against Hartford, they need Simon Holmstrom to build off of his strong game against the Bruins and to have the team as a whole shoot more in the slot. They will also be without Jeff Kubiak, who will be serving a one-game suspension due to a charging call on Friday.
For Hartford, it’s getting their feet wet. The Wolf Pack have many solid veterans including their new captain, former Calder Cup Champion Vincent LoVerde along with Anthony Greco and Paul Thompson who both were in Springfield a year ago. They also have an influx of youth as some of the Rangers’ more promising prospects in Morgan Barron, Adam Huska, and Tim Gettinger will likely draw into the lineup.
The Goaltending Matchup
Expect Jakub Skarek to be back in goal for the Sound Tigers, unless Brent Thompson chooses to go with the veteran in CJ Motte. Skarek made 27 saves on 30 shots in the opener against Providence.
For the Wolf Pack, it will most likely be the third-year pro and former UConn Huskies netminder Adam Huska who manned the net for a large portion of last season in Hartford.
The Sound Tigers look for win number one on the shortened season against their longtime rival in Hartford at the XL Center for a 1 p.m. start time.
A Native of Danbury, CT. Christian is one of the longest tenured Drive4Five writers, Christian Gardecki began writing for Drive4five In May of 2017. Christian covers Minor League Hockey and the Bridgeport Islanders for Drive4Five. Outside of Drive4Five, Christian was the captain of his High School Hockey team and currently attends Hofstra University with a major in journalism. Christian was the play by play broadcaster for the Danbury Westerners summer collegiate baseball team during their 2021 NECBL Championship. Christian also was the Public Address Announcer for the Danbury Hat Tricks Minor Pro Hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League and NAHL Junior team from 2019-21.
