Bridgeport Islanders December 2021 Review
After a tough start to the season, the Bridgeport Islanders came into December of 2021 rejuvenated and ready to try to climb their way back up the standings. Bridgeport sat in seventh place out of eight, in which the top six make the playoffs. The Islanders knew that they had a tough month ahead, with some really good teams to play against.
A Solid Start
To open up December, the Islanders played against the league-leading Utica Comets. This was due to Hartford, Rochester, Springfield, Lehigh Valley, and Providence all dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. Bridgeport’s game against Utica in March was moved to Dec. 4th, while the makeup of the original game against Providence was added to a Wednesday night two weeks later. Bridgeport shocked the AHL, as they beat the AHL-leading Comets 3-2 in overtime, off of a goal by Richard Panik. The next night, Bridgeport hosted Charlotte for the first time, and while they led for most of the game, the Checkers came out in front, 3-2.
The following weekend, it was the return of Josh Ho-Sang as for the first time in his career as he was a visitor at Webster Bank Arena. The Isles left Ho-Sang off the scoresheet, and they won by a score of 5-4 off of two goals by Otto Koivula including the eventual game-winner. The next day, the Islanders welcomed Matt Murray and the Belleville Senators, in a game where the Senators took the lead late and beat Bridgeport 3-2. The Bridgeport Islanders opened Dec. 2021 with a record of 2-2 in the first two weeks.
More Back-and-Forth Play
In the middle of the month, the Islanders hosted Providence in a make-up game on Dec. 15. The Islanders played well, but couldn’t get the winning goal, resulting in a 3-2 shootout loss. Following that up was a trip to Charlotte for two games. The Islanders took the first one by a score of 5-1 but lost the next night 3-1. In the middle of the next week, the Islanders went to Hartford, in a game that was dominated by Bridgeport, but the Wolf Pack almost came from behind. Mitch Vande Sompel gave the Islanders the 6-5 win in the shootout.
Two more games were set after the holiday, with matchups at home versus Springfield and Hartford. With seven players in COVID protocols, and another five up with the big club, Bridgeport called up Ross Olsson and Liam Coughlin from Worcester. Even with the call-ups, the Islanders would skate with 17 skaters for the first time in ten years. It was the Thunderbirds who used the Worcester Railers to the best, with all three call ups from Worcester getting on the score sheet, including a goal by Jordan Lavallee-Smotherman, the former Atlanta Thrasher, who scored his first AHL goal in ten years. That tied it up until Tommy Cross scored the eventual winner. 5-1 was the final in favor of the Thunderbirds.
To close December of 2021, the Bridgeport Islanders hosted Hartford, in a game that saw Bridgeport hang around with the Wolf Pack for the majority of the game, until a late goal by Justin Richard with 2:21 left helped give the Wolf Pack the win.
The Baby Isles are currently 10-16-1-3 and hold a .400 points percentage with ten fewer games left to go than both Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Lehigh Valley, and are .039 points percentage out of a playoff spot heading into the new year with the top six teams making the playoffs in the Atlantic Division.
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.
