The Bridgeport Islanders sounded a defiant tone even after a heart-breaking 7-6 double-overtime loss to the Charlotte Checkers in Game 2 of the teams’ Atlantic Division Semifinals series last night.
The Checkers lead the best-of-five series 2-0 going into Game 3 in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon.
“This team’s a long way from being done,” said forward Chris Terry, who contributed a goal and two assists after leading the team in regular-season scoring. “This series is a long way from over, and we’ve been resilient all year.”
Said forward Austin Czarnik after a goal and three assists, “We know what we have in that locker room, and everyone wants to go out there for each other and just give it our all.”
The Islanders overcame Charlotte leads of 4-0, 5-3, and 6-5 to push the game into overtime. The Atlantic Division champion Checkers needed a hat trick from captain Zac Dalpe, including the overtime winner, to finally put away the host Islanders.
Among the hardest-nosed players ever to skate in the AHL, Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson is not easily impressed. But this Bridgeport team impresses Thompson.
“There was no quit in this team,” Thompson said.
Now the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins need some sleep.
Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest’s team has embraced the playoff grind, finishing a stretch of five games in seven nights with a 6-2 loss in Springfield last night. The Penguins will rest today, practice Saturday, and then meet the Thunderbirds on home ice Sunday for Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
In the midst of their busy week was an overtime winner-take-all game against Hershey on Monday and a bus trip to Springfield, Mass., on Tuesday before clashing with the Thunderbirds on back-to-back nights.
Said Forrest, “I think it will be great for us to have a day to just rest and then just look forward to Sunday and playing in front of our own fans and [in] our own building, sleeping in [our] own beds. All that stuff helps.”
Adjustments are part of the playoff experience for prospects as well, and Forrest wants to see his players make Game 3 more difficult for Springfield in net. Thunderbirds netminder Charlie Lindgren limited the Penguins to one goal on 51 shots in Game 1 before Joel Hofer stepped in to stop 34 shots in Game 2.
“We’ve got to find a way to bear down just a little extra to find that extra whatever it is, [an] inch, six inches, put the puck behind the goal line there, get an extra whack at it here and there, fight through some of their box-outs, all that stuff,” Forrest said.
Rockford IceHogs interim head coach Anders Sorensen had his goaltender’s back Thursday night after a 6-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of their Central Division semifinal series.
“He’s been great,” Sorensen said to IceHogs TV of 22-year-old goaltender Arvid Soderblom.
Signed by the parent Chicago Blackhawks to a two-year entry-level contract in May 2021 following a standout season with Skelleftea of the Swedish Hockey League, Soderblom has emerged as one of the organization’s top prospects. He went 21-15-2 with a 2.76 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 38 regular-season appearances for Rockford.
The Wolves had several point-blank scoring chances in Game 1, and Soderblom was further victimized by bad bounces on at least two goals. After leading the IceHogs past the Texas Stars in the first round, Soderblom found himself up against the AHL’s top regular-season team.
Down 5-1 after the second period, Sorensen elected to rest Soderblom in favor of Cale Morris, who played the third.
“There were some strange bounces [for Soderblom],” Sorensen said. “I thought he looked good in net.”
The Colorado Eagles can expect a much different opponent tonight in Game 2 of their Pacific Division Semifinals series with the Ontario Reign.
Reign captain Brett Sutter issued a stern challenge to his team following a 10-1 loss to the Eagles in Game 1. Sutter, a 15-year pro in search of his first championship, knows that the Calder Cup Playoffs present the most difficult challenge that many young prospects have ever faced in their careers, and that the Reign must meet the higher standard of play that a top-tier opponent like the Eagles displayed.
It is all a necessary part of the development process, as rocky as that can sometimes be.
“We need more urgency in our game, more detail, and more accountability,” Sutter told LA Kings Insider after the loss. “I think it’s less about what they’re doing and more about us now. We’ve got to get back to our game, our checking, and our detail. We have confidence in this group, and character in this group. We’ve shown it all year long.”
After tonight’s Game 2 in Colorado, the rest of the series will be played in Ontario.
“After a tough loss, we can rebound and come back and find a way. That’s what we’re going to do here.”
― Patrick Williams
