Tikkanen Shines as Bridgeport Snaps Home Skid with Weekend Split
The Bridgeport Islanders split their games this weekend and earned their first win of 2025 in the process. They lost to the Providence Bruins 4-1 on Friday but dominated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 5-0 on Sunday at Total Mortgage Arena. The win was their first at home since mid-October, with both home victories being shutouts.
Goaltender Jakub Skarek was called up to the New York Islanders due to Ilya Sorokin’s illness. This left the B-Isles relying on Henrik Tikkanen in net. On Friday, Tikkanen struggled, largely due to poor defensive support.
Providence scored two minutes into the game on an unscreened point shot that Tikkanen should have saved. They doubled their lead early in the second period, making it 2-0. Chris Terry cut the deficit to 2-1 with a power-play goal midway through the second period.
Bridgeport never got closer. Providence’s Vinni Lettieri scored twice in the third period, taking advantage of defensive breakdowns. Despite firing 35 shots on goal, the Islanders couldn’t solve Michael DiPietro again. They remain winless against Providence this season at 0-8-0-0.
Friday’s loss also came with injuries to key players. Matt Maggio and William Dufour exited in the second period and didn’t return. Defenseman Aidan Fulp left the game early in the first period. None of the three played on Sunday.
Tikkanen and the Islanders responded with a dominant effort against the Phantoms on Sunday. The Phantoms entered Sunday’s game on a five-game point streak, but they had no answers for the B-Isles. Bridgeport tightened their defensive play, giving Tikkanen the support he needed. Tikkanen stopped all 21 shots he faced, earning first-star honors for his first AHL shutout.
Liam Foudy opened the scoring in the first period with a sharp shot. Brian Pinho and Terry added goals in the second period to extend the lead to 3-0. Gemel Smith and Terry capped off the scoring late in the third period. The Islanders controlled all aspects of the game. Tikkanen’s performance was especially impressive, as he rebounded from a tough season start. With Skarek unavailable, Tikkanen’s strong play was crucial for the team.
🎣: Foudy (10)
🐟: Odelius (8)
🐠: Thompson (6)PP
7:481-0 BRI #Isles I #Gonefishin
— Joey McAuliffe (@Joey_McAuliffe8) January 12, 2025
Tikki spoke to the media postgame with an ear-to-ear grin we haven’t seen from him much this season. It certainly hasn’t been smooth sailing for the young goaltender, and you can see the relief on his face. Despite that, he insists his only focus is on moving forward.
I just want to keep going. I felt a lot better on Friday, and even better today. I just wanna keep going like I did last year
The Islanders will look to build on their win this Wednesday, Jan. 15, against the Springfield Thunderbirds. The game begins at 7 p.m. at Total Mortgage Arena. Fans can stream all AHL games on FloHockey.tv.
featured image courtesy of the Bridgeport Islanders
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.
