Bridgeport Sound Tigers Squeak Past Hartford Wolf Pack 3-2 - AHL

Bridgeport, CT, November 29, 2009 - The Hartford Wolf Pack failed to hold a 2-0 lead Sunday afternoon at Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard, and lost 3-2 in a shootout to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
 
Former Wolf Pack captain Greg Moore and rookie Matt Martin scored in the shootout on Wolf Pack goaltender Matt Zaba, and Sound Tiger netminder Scott Munroe stopped five of six Wolf Pack shooters.
 
Trevor Smith had a goal and an assist in Bridgeport's regulation comeback from a 2-0 deficit, and Andres Ambuhl and Paul Crowder scored for the Wolf Pack.  The Pack gained at least a standings point for the fourth straight game (2-0-1-1) and the eighth time in the last nine games (5-1-1-2).  The Wolf Pack are now 1-0-0-1 in the GEICO Connecticut Cup series against the Sound Tigers.
 
Despite being outplayed for much of the first half of the first period, the Wolf Pack would get the first goal of the game, at the 9:17 mark.  Devin DiDiomete was stopped on a good chance by Munroe, but DiDiomete re-gathered the puck in the left-wing corner.  He then found Ambuhl at the left side of the slot, and Ambuhl snapped a quick shot past Munroe's glove.  It was Ambuhl's second goal in three games, after he scored only one in the first 21 contests, and DiDiomete got his first point in four AHL games on the year with the assist.
 
The two teams traded goals in an evenly-played second period, in which shots were even at 13 apiece.  Crowder made it a 2-0 Hartford lead at 1:41, with his sixth goal of the season and his fourth in six games.  Stationed to Munroe's left, Crowder deflected Michael Sauer's right-point shot just inside the post on Munroe's glove side.  Dave Urquhart picked up the second assist, for his first point in 15 games on the season.
 
The Sound Tigers got on the board, though at 13:38, on Smith's eighth goal of the year.  James Sixsmith worked the puck away from Hartford's Jared Nightingale, playing his first AHL game of the year, below the goal line and centered to Smith, who put a shot up under the crossbar.
 
Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Bridgeport evened the score just 1:24 into the third.  Andrew MacDonald, just back to the Sound Tigers from the parent New York Islanders, beat Zaba from the right point, with Smith screening.
 
The tie held up through overtime, and the shootout went to extra rounds, before Martin scored the deciding goal on Bridgeport's sixth attempt.  Corey Locke was the only one of the Wolf Pack's six shooters to beat Munroe, who made a total of 29 saves in regulation and overtime.  Zaba made 39 saves, in just his fifth appearance of the season.
 
The result ran the Wolf Pack's overall record to 13-8-1-2 for 29 points, four points behind first-place Manchester in the Atlantic Division.
 
 
Hartford Wolf Pack 2 At Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 (SO)
Nov 29, 2009 - Arena at Harbor Yard

Hartford 1 1 0 0 - 2
Bridgeport 0 1 1 0 - 3

1st Period-1, Hartford, Ambuhl 3 (DiDiomete), 9:17. Penalties-Byers Hfd (fighting), 9:19; Martin Bri (fighting), 9:19.

2nd Period-2, Hartford, Crowder 6 (Sauer, Urquhart), 1:41. 3, Bridgeport, Smith 8 (Sixsmith, Marcinko), 13:38. Penalties-Owens Hfd (boarding), 1:48; Garlock Hfd (roughing), 10:30; Heikkinen Hfd (roughing), 10:30; Bentivoglio Bri (roughing), 10:30; Nightingale Hfd (cross-checking), 16:33; DiBenedetto Bri (roughing), 16:33.

3rd Period-4, Bridgeport, MacDonald 2 (Kohn, Smith), 1:24. Penalties-Nightingale Hfd (roughing), 9:13; Klementyev Bri (roughing), 9:13; Urquhart Hfd (tripping), 10:21; Smith Bri (tripping), 11:47.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout - Hartford 1 (Weise NG, Byers NG, Crowder NG, Locke G, Ambuhl NG, Owens NG), Bridgeport 2 (Smith NG, Moore G, Mauldin NG, DiBenedetto NG, MacDonald NG, Martin G).
Shots on Goal-Hartford 7-13-7-4-0-31. Bridgeport 13-13-11-4-1-42.
Power Play Opportunities-Hartford 0 of 1; Bridgeport 0 of 3.
Goalies-Hartford, Zaba 1-1-1 (41 shots-39 saves). Bridgeport, Munroe 7-5-1 (31 shots-29 saves).
A-3,808
Referees-Chris Cozzan (68).
Linesmen-Luke Galvin (2), Brent Colby (7

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