Looking Back at the Sound Tigers 2015-16 Season
The 2015-16 Sound Tigers season featured many new players that the team acquired through trades and signings. This was the 15th Sound Tigers season, and it celebrated both the team’s history and the present.
Roster
The Sound Tigers had one of the best defenses in the AHL. Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield, Ryan Pulock and Kevin Czuczman were in their second seasons and they had some veterans to round out the blue line.
Another new wrinkle was the new affiliation with the Missouri Mavericks of the ECHL. The Sound Tigers sent many players there to start the season including Kane Lafranchise, Jesse Graham and Tanner Fritz. In the offseason, the Islanders traded Michael Grabner to the Toronto Maple Leafs for forwards Taylor Beck and Carter Verhaeghe, defensemen Matt Finn and Tom Nilsson, and goalie Christopher Gibson. Four out of five were important pieces for the Sound Tigers.
The Sound Tigers also acquired more leadership for the 2015-16 season, bringing in Bracken Kearns, Justin Florek, and new captain Ben Holmstrom. Rugged winger and former Quinnipiac Bobcat Connor Jones also joined the team. The most important veteran addition was Joe Whitney, who had the Sound Tigers’ number when he played for the Albany Devils.
A Season to Remember
The Sound Tigers started the season hot. They were 14-7-1 after November, which was the best start to a season in a decade for the Sound Tigers. By January, Bridgeport was still in third place behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey. However, Joe Whitney was injured in a game against Portland and the Sound Tigers lost six straight. However, Bridgeport won eight straight to start February, still without Whitney.
This season there were two ways for Bridgeport to make the playoffs. They had to either be in the top four in the Atlantic Division or finish fifth with a better record than the fourth-place team in the North Division. They chose the latter.
As the season progressed, Bridgeport was clearly going to make the playoffs. However, they would likely face the best team in the AHL, the Toronto Marlies. The Sound Tigers finally clinched a playoff spot on the last weekend of the 2015-16 season, but they had to play Toronto.
Playoffs
Bridgeport got some reinforcements for playoffs including Marc-Andre Cliche, Verhaeghe, Fritz and Kyle Burroughs. However, the Sound Tigers had a tough task ahead of them. It was the first time that they would face a Maple Leafs’ affiliate in the playoffs since 2003. Toronto had an impressive group with T.J. Brennan on defense, William Nylander, Zach Hyman and Mark Arcobello on offense, and Antoine Bibeau in goal.
Game 1 started off well, as Brennan turned over the puck to Justin Florek who beat Bibeau. But Toronto scored four unanswered goals at the start of the second period and won 4-1. In Game 2, Bridgeport was shutout 3-0.
The series shifted to Toronto for Game 3. Gibson started the game after he was sent down from the Islanders. Cliche scored two goals and Mike Halmo added another. Kyle Burroughs also scored his first professional goal. However, Connor Carrick scored two quick goals to tie the game at four. In the third, Toronto scored two more and completed the first-round sweep.
After a successful season, the Sound Tigers struggled against a better team and had to wait another year for a chance at redemption.
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.
