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Last-Second Goal Sinks Bridgeport Islanders, Extends Losing Streak to Four

Last-Second Goal Sinks Bridgeport Islanders, Extends Losing Streak to Four
Joey McAuliffe Bridgeport Islanders

The Hershey Bears defeated the Bridgeport Islanders on Tuesday morning, with a final score of 5-4. The game ended in regulation, dropping Bridgeport’s record to 2-9-1-1.

The puck dropped at 10:30 a.m. at Total Mortgage Arena for Bridgeport’s School Day Game, where the Islanders appeared better prepared for the early start than Hershey. They took a 1-0 lead just a minute into the contest. At 1:04, Fredrik Karlstrom redirected a shot from Christian Krygier past Hershey goaltender Hunter Shepard. Karlstrom’s sixth goal of the season is now the second-highest on the team.

After Karlstrom’s tally, the game slowed as both teams settled in. Although the Islanders generated several power-play opportunities, they couldn’t convert them into goals. Forward Brian Pinho, however, appeared determined to extend the lead. At 18:16, he took a backhand pass from William DuFour and slipped the puck under Shepard’s pad, giving Bridgeport a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Hershey, the defending Calder Cup champions, came out strong at the start of the second period. Bears forward Ivan Miroschnichenko fired a one-timer past Islanders goaltender Jakub Skarek to cut the lead in half. Just minutes later, Ethen Frank tied the game with his 10th goal of the season at 4:06.

With the game tied, Bridgeport returned to basics, focusing on getting the puck deep and applying a strong forecheck. This approach paid off at 7:51 when Cole Bardreau’s aggressive forechecking forced a turnover that ended up on Julien Gauthier’s stick. Gauthier tucked the puck past Shepard to restore Bridgeport’s lead.

The advantage didn’t last long. At 15:43, Bears forward Garrett Roe scored off a cross-crease pass from Pierrick Dube to tie the game. Just 57 seconds later, Roe struck again, pouncing on a rebound from an Ethan Bear point shot to give Hershey a 4-3 lead. These were Roe’s first two goals of the season.

Skarek, however, kept the game close. At 17:27, Frank earned a penalty shot after a scoring chance, a moment that could have sealed Bridgeport’s fate. Skarek, however, made the crucial save, keeping his team’s deficit at one.

The 4-3 score held until the second intermission. Desperate to change the outcome, Bridgeport threw a flurry of shots at Shepard in the third period. Their effort finally paid off at 5:40. Liam Foudy fired a cross-ice pass to Bardreau, who managed to get a shot on net while falling. Though he didn’t score, his attempt generated a rebound that Marc Gatcomb buried, tying the game. Gatcomb, who has now found the net in consecutive games, desperately needed to start scoring consistently. Grinning on their way to the bench, the Islanders looked ready to push for a win.

After Gatcomb’s equalizer, both teams tightened up defensively, cautious not to give up a late goal and lose a potential overtime point. For much of the last 15 minutes, it seemed likely that the game would head into extra time. But heartbreak struck in the final seconds.

At 19:52, Bears defenseman Vincent Iorio sent a seemingly harmless shot toward the net from the blue line. The puck might have missed wide if not for the Bears’ Spencer Smallman, who crashed the net and inadvertently deflected it off his body past Skarek. This fluky goal gave Hershey a 5-4 lead with only eight seconds left — a lead they held until the final horn.

With the clock expired, the Bears escaped with a regulation victory. For Bridgeport, now on a four-game losing streak, a win would have been monumental. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Smallman received first-star honors for his game-winning goal. Roe, who scored twice in the second period, earned the second star, while Gatcomb, with a goal and an assist, claimed the third star for the Islanders.

The Bridgeport Islanders will face off against the Hershey Bears again on Friday, Nov. 15, this time at the Giant Center. All AHL games can be streamed on FloHockey.tv.

Featured image courtesy of the Bridgeport Islanders

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