Distant Replay

You sit back and you look at a game like this, and you see the early 2-0 Penguins lead disappear and the 3-2 Bridgeport lead taken in the second, and maybe you think back to, say, Game 5 of last year, which played similarly albeit more drawn out. That third Bridgeport goal, after all, came in overtime. This one came with four minutes to go in the second.

As it turned out, that was way too much time.

While everyone else of importance was winning, the Sound Tigers were leaving newly minted Penguins captain Micki DuPont alone in the slot twice.

Ryan Stone, killer of Sound Tigers, found him the first time. Stephen Dixon knocked a puck down with what may have been a high stick -- Chris Ciamaga was a lot closer than I was and immediately waved it good -- and fed DuPont in almost the same spot.

Even with a makeshift lineup, with no Colliton or Berry or Fata or Fraser or Comeau or Nolan and barely any Regier, those were two points for the taking going into a week off.

Now you just hope you don't sit back and look at a game like this in April, and see the 3-2 Bridgeport lead taken in the second, and say, man, those two points...

LINEUPS
BRIDGEPORT
F: Tambellini (A)-Nielsen-Boguniecki
Marjamaki-G. Johnson-Magowan
Pitton-J. Johnson-Nokelainen
Regier/Reid
D: Malec-Wood
VanBallegooie-Wotton (C)
Rourke (A)-Martens

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON
F: Nilsson-Schremp-Filewich
Stone-Spurgeon-McLean
Jensen-Dixon-Brodziak
Patrick/Bonvie
D: Young-Skolney (A)
Lannon-Carkner (A)
Rome-DuPont (C)

(I must've re-read that Game 5 gamer 15 times this summer. But I'm obsessive-compulsive that way. Was very happy with it, too.)

Jack Capuano was away on a personal matter again, so Bernie Cassell was on the bench with Dan Marshall again. Capuano should be back this week as it sounds like things are going well.

The newbies all looked fine. VanBallegooie had a fumble or two on his first couple of shifts, but he recovered well on those, and I thought he made a really good play to break up the Penguins' rush and set up Nokelainen's goal.

Albany scored all four goals on the power play. The Rats play their two games in hand this weekend, here Saturday and Sunday at Binghamton.

I didn't get to Nilsson, but the way his old teammates were talking to him, it sounds like That Quote was interpreted the way it was apparently said: without malice intended. This was from a question directed at losing guys at the deadlines, but Rourke said this: "Nilsson's a well-liked guy. Obviously he was a huge part of the team. It's never fun to have to lose your leading scorer, but the Islanders had to do what they had to do. ... Hopefully Robert gets a chance in Edmonton. I wish him the best. And the Islanders got a great player in Smyth."

Kimber Auerbach writes up a nice bit on Paul Camelio and the equipment guys.