The Bridgeport Islanders defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack Sunday afternoon 4-0. The victory split the weekend series between the in-state rivals and gave Bridgeport their first victory of the season.

Following a 5-4 overtime loss on Saturday, Islanders head coach Rick Kowalsky gave the net to 2018 third-round pick Jakub Skarek. Though he’s failed to put up a save percentage over .900 in his first five AHL seasons, the 24-year-old netminder is off to a hot start in 2024-2025.

It will be interesting to see if Kowalsky gives Skarek the primary goalie slot moving forward, as his numbers have been superior to opening night starter Marcus Hogberg.

The game Sunday was scoreless through its first 20 minutes, with the Wolf Pack leading in shots 8-4. With the match not swinging towards either side, a lack of discipline saddled the Islanders’ penalty kill with four kills in the second period.

Though the second of these kills led to the first goal of the contest, it would be the Islanders capitalizing shorthanded. While Isles F Eetu Liukas sat in the sin bin for hooking, AHL veteran F Brian Pinho carried the puck in a shorthanded 2-on-1 with F Liam Foudy. Pinho opted to shoot and ripped a shot off the far post and in, beyond Wolf Pack netminder Louie Dominque. The goal was Pinho’s second goal of the season, both of which were shorthanded. The Isles had the opening goal of the contest at 6:59 of the second. 

At 10:16 of the middle frame, F Alex Jefferies took a Marshall Warren pass up the ice and ripped a shot underneath Louie Dominque’s blocker. For rookie Jefferies, this marked his third goal in five games. The 2020 fourth-round pick has been effective in the young season. Jefferies is currently top-20 in the AHL for points and has goals in three straight.  An assist was also credited to Jakub Skarek on the play, his first.

Two minutes later, F Marc Gatcomb scored his first of the season on a nifty cross-ice pass from Wyatt Newpower. Though not his first AHL goal, it did mark 25-year-old Gatcomb’s first goal with the Islanders. Marshall Warren notched his second assist of the game on Gatcomb’s goal. After two, the Islanders led the Wolf Pack 3-0. 

By the third, it was abundantly clear that the Wolf Pack had run out of gas. Though they had both played the night before, the Islanders were much more energetic than the Wolf Pack throughout the third period.

Bridgeport doubled Hartford in shots, 12-6. With Skarek standing strong against sparse Hartford attacks, the Islanders were poised to send the “Pack” packing.

There were countless opportunities for the Islanders to score in the third period, but F William Dufour was the only man to cash in, which he did at the 18:21 mark of the third period. This was Dufour’s first goal of the season and was assisted by F Chris Terry. This marked Terry’s third helper of the year. 

After the clock hit zeros, all three stars of the game were Islanders. Warren was given the game’s third star for assisting on both Gatcomb and Jefferies’ goals. Brian Pinho earned the game’s second star for scoring the opening goal of the game. Finally, Skarek was given the first star of the game. He stopped all 24 shots he faced, earning him his first shutout and victory of the season. 

The victory bumped the Isles to 1-3-1 on the year and slumped the Wolf Pack to 2-1-1. The Islanders return to action this Friday, Oct. 25, when they face off against the Charlotte Checkers on the road. The Islanders return to Bridgeport on Wednesday, Oct. 30, when they play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. 

Featured image courtesy of Bridgeport Islanders on Flickr

Joey McAuliffe

Joey McAuliffe is a passionate Islander fan pursuing a Masters of Accounting in Buffalo, NY. His favorite player of all time is Jordan Eberle. He has followed the team closely since 2014, but he began regularly attending games during the 2006 season. Outside of hockey, Joey loves music and the Buffalo Bills.