The Sound Tigers return to the road this weekend with a Friday-Saturday slate of games against the first-place Hartford Wolf Pack (23-10-4-5) and fifth-place Springfield Thunderbirds (23-18-2-0), respectively. Fans unable to travel up I-91 can follow all of the live action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pre-game show 15 minutes prior to each listed puck drop.
The wee k ahead:
Friday, Jan. 24 at Hartford (7:15 p.m.): The Nutmeg State rivalry heats back up on Friday with the sixth of 12 meetings between the Sound Tigers and Wolf Pack this season. It's also the fourth of six matchups inside the XL Center. Bridgeport is 1-2-2-0 against the Rangers' affiliate so far and winless on the road (0-1-2-0). They last met in Hartford on New Year's Eve, in which Otto Koivula and Andrew Ladd each scored in a 3-2 loss. A three-goal first period for the Wolf Pack was just enough to squeeze by.
Saturday, Jan. 25 at Springfield (7:05 p.m.): The Sound Tigers travel to Massachusetts on Saturday night for their final game before the All-Star Break. Bridgeport is 4-4-1-0 in nine outings against the Florida Panthers' affiliate, but Springfield has won three straight meetings dating back to Dec. 20. The T-Birds grabbed a 4-0 win in their last tilt on Jan. 10.
News and Notes:
Mr. 500:Brent Thompson is slated to work his 500th game as an AHL head coach this Friday in Hartford - each of those contests behind the Sound Tigers bench. Thompson is in his seventh season as Bridgeport's bench boss and ninth season in the Islanders organization. He served as an assistant coach on Long Island from 2012-14. In the AHL, Thompson is 246-203-50 in 499 career games and became the Sound Tigers' all-time winningest head coach on Jan. 28, 2017 with his 134th victory. He was hired to coach the Sound Tigers on June 28, 2011 following two seasons with the Alaska Aces (ECHL), where he won the Kelly Cup in 2011.