T-Birds Earn Point in 5th Straight Game

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -  The Springfield Thunderbirds (36-23-3-5, 80 points) battled back from 2-0 down, but could not secure a victory in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Bridgeport Islanders (32-27-7-1, 72 points) on Tuesday morning at Total Mortgage Arena. 

A desperate Bridgeport club came out with a fiery opening period, taking advantage of their first power play of the night as former Springfield captain Paul Thompson wedged a loose puck through Joel Hofer in the crease to make it 1-0 for the Islanders at 2:30. 

Bridgeport's energetic pressure continued to push the issue, and a 2-on-1 led to another one for the Isles as Reece Newkirk slid a perfect pass to a crashing Jeff Kubiak at 12:02 to up the lead to 2-0. 

The T-Birds' power play had a tough beginning on Tuesday, going 0-for-3 on a trio of chances in the first 22 minutes of game action, but moments after their final effort came to an end, Springfield cut the lead in half as Dmitri Samorukov connected on a long slapper over Jakub Skarek's glove hand to make it a 2-1 game just 2:02 into the middle frame.

Hofer and Skarek calmed down the game considerably, as the two goalies traded saves through the middle frame, with Samorukov's second tally in three games standing up as the only goal of the second. 

The T-Birds got a pair of fortuitous bounces in the opening three minutes of the third to vault to their first lead of the day. First, with the teams skating 4-on-4, Nikita Alexandrov crashed the net front as Will Bitten sent a puck toward the goal crease. Skarek attempted to use his paddle to maneuver the puck ahead, but instead, it struck Alexandrov in the chest and deflected in to tie the game, 2-2, at 1:24 of the third.

Just 1:28 later, with Springfield still threatening in the offensive end, Tyler Tucker took a shot from the left point that ricocheted off of Keean Washkurak and in behind Skarek, and the T-Birds had a 3-2 lead at 2:52 of the final period. 

Hofer seemed to be in the zone, as he made a phenomenal right leg save on an Arnaud Durandeau breakaway a few moments later, and as the game entered the final six minutes of regulation, Springfield continued to hold the 3-2 advantage.

However, veteran winger Chris Terry changed that with a sneaky shot from behind the goal line that skittered in off of Hofer's leg to tie the game at 14:25 of the third.

As the game headed to overtime, Springfield no longer had the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth, but an important second point remained on the line. 

The 3-on-3 extra period showcased some of the most frenetic action of the season, as Skarek and Hofer traded saves back and forth, with Hofer denying William Dufour on a clean breakaway and Skarek coming up large on Mikhail Abramov on a two-man break into the offensive end.

The conclusion of a fantastic hockey game was marred in controversy, as a loose puck battle saw Scott Perunovich desperately trying to prevent a breakout of the Bridgeport zone by Andy Andreoff. As the two jousted away from the puck, Andreoff contacted Perunovich with multiple cross-checks with the T-Birds' blueliner unable to defend himself. However, no call was made, and Andreoff himself moved up in a 2-on-1 moments later and beat Hofer for his 33rd goal of the season, sealing the Bridgeport win at 3:41 of overtime.

Springfield did extend its point streak to five straight games despite the defeat, and the T-Birds can still punch their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs as early as Friday with the combination of a Springfield regulation or overtime win vs. Hershey and a Bridgeport loss of any kind against Hartford. Alternately, the T-Birds could also clinch a playoff berth with an overtime or shootout loss against Hershey, coupled with a Bridgeport regulation loss vs. Hartford. 

The T-Birds return to a sold-out Thunderdome for the first time since March 11 as they welcome in the first-place Bears on Friday. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center. 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.