Bridgeport Islanders Start November With Mixed Results
After a mediocre start to the season, the Bridgeport Islanders started November off with a few games in New England, visiting the Hartford Wolf Pack before hosting the Springfield Thunderbirds and the Wolf Pack. They then traveled North to take on the Syracuse Crunch, Laval Rocket, and Belleville Senators and closed it out by visiting Hartford, the same place they began this stretch of games. Let’s take a look at how the Islanders have performed so far this month.
The First Week of November
Bridgeport opened up with a meeting at the Wolf Pack on Nov. 5th. The Islanders really struggled throughout the game, as Hartford led 4-2 after the first, with all goals coming at five-on-five play. While Bridgeport tacked on a power-play goal, the Wolf Pack stormed out in the third with goals by Justin Richards and old friend Tanner Fritz, giving them a 7-4 victory.
The next night, the Islanders hosted the red-hot Thunderbirds, who had yet to lose in regulation. Bridgeport struggled to score as Cory Schnieder gave up three goals in the first five minutes of the game. Springfield won 4-1, scoring four goals on 32 shots.
To close out the three-in-three, the Islanders welcomed back Hartford. Bridgeport led 2-1 after two periods, but Hartford tied it midway through the third. Kyle MacLean gave Bridgeport the lead with 24.8 seconds left on the clock, and they won by a score of 3-2.
A Road Trip up North
Following the 1-2 weekend, the Islanders headed north for their three-game road trip against Syracuse, Laval, and Belleville.
In Syracuse, Gabriel Dumont gave the Crunch the lead midway through the first. Not long after, Grant Hutton fired home his first of the season, and the game was tied after one, and ultimately two. Jakub Skarek was lights out as he made 35 saves. Chris Terry tipped home an Anatolii Golyshev shot, and Kyle MacLean closed it out as Bridgeport won 3-1 in Syracuse.
Next up was the first of two trips to Canada this season, as the Islanders faced off with Cole Caufield and the Laval Rocket. Bridgeport was able to keep Caufield off the scoresheet, with Robin Salo, Arnaud Durandeau, Paul LaDue, and Chris Terry all scoring, but 60 minutes wasn’t enough as Laurent Dauphin scored early in overtime, resulting in a 5-4 Rocket victory.
Bridgeport then went to play against the Belleville Senators. Cory Schnieder’s struggles continued as he made 24 saves on 27 shots. Durandeau and Austin Czarnik both scored but Belleville scored with five minutes left and won by a score of 3-2.
Bridgeport closed out their road trip with another meeting in Hartford. The Islanders started off strong as Blade Jenkins potted two, as after the first period Bridgeport led 3-1. The Wolf Pack clawed their way back, however, as Tanner Fritz tied it, scoring his fourth goal of the season, all four against his former club. Then, Morgan Barron gave them the lead, and Keith Kinkaid stayed strong in goal, giving Hartford a 4-3 win. The Islanders and Wolf Pack have already met for five of their 10 games this year, and Hartford has the season series lead, 4-1.
The Bridgeport Islanders currently sit at 5-7-1-2 on the year.
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.
