T-Birds Defeated by Islanders

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (15-17-1-4) dropped a 6-2 decision to the Bridgeport Islanders (16-15-6-1) on Monday afternoon at the MassMutual Center.

Trying to change their mojo in the early stages, the Thunderbirds' offense went right to work. Austin Osmanski joined a rush to fire a shot just off the glove of Cory Schneider. Steven Jandric, in turn, won a race to a loose puck below the goal line and slipped a feed back to the net-front area. Will Bitten arrived ahead of his defender and blasted a low dart through Schneider's legs to give the T-Birds a 1-0 lead just 1:50 into the game, his 12th goal of the season.

The Islanders, who entered in the midst of a funk with 12 losses over their last 13 games, showed desperation and resolve, and at 4:31, Aatu Raty brought Bridgeport back even with a wrist shot over Joel Hofer upstairs to tie the game, 1-1.

Springfield's power play had a pair of chances to restore the lead, but could not complete the feat. Worse yet, the Bridgeport penalty kill took advantage of a misplay, which in turn led to a shorthanded goal by Jeff Kubiak at 10:41 to give the Isles a 2-1 lead. Both teams finished the first period with 14 shots, but Schneider stopped the last 12 Springfield attempts to keep Bridgeport in front through 20 minutes.

Bridgeport's offensive surge did not relent in the second period, as the visitors connected four times. William Dufour connected by patiently stepping around Hofer along the goal line at 7:33 to make it 3-1. Cole Bardreau followed with a one-timer from the slot on a delayed penalty at 13:38. Exactly three minutes later, Ruslan Iskhakov stuffed home a 2-on-1 pass from Raty. Finally, the Bridgeport power play connected on a one-timer in close by Arnaud Durandeau at 18:14 to make it 6-1.

Springfield finished the night with 43 shots on net, but it took until the closing minutes for the T-Birds to get a second puck behind Schneider. Matthew Highmore produced a late power-play goal at 16:57 of the third to round out the scoring, with assists by Brady Lyle and Martin Frk. Vadim Zherenko came on in relief of Hofer and produced a perfect third period, stopping five shots.

The T-Birds now embark on their first-ever road trip to the Midwest, which begins with an 8:00 p.m. puck drop on Wednesday night in Wisconsin against the Milwaukee Admirals. 

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for the 2022-23 season and lock in the best prices and member benefits by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.