Bridgeport Islanders Edge Lehigh Valley 5-4, Take Sole Fifth Place

Liam Foudy finished with two goals and an assist to power the Bridgeport Islanders to a 5-4 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the SportsCenter of Connecticut on March 8, capping Bridgeport’s final three-games-in-three-days stretch and delivering sole possession of fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Foudy’s multi-point night was the headline as the Islanders held off a late push from Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley struck first when Zayde Wisdom beat Bridgeport goalie Henrik Tikkanen with a shot from the right wing circle at 10:11 of the first period. Bridgeport responded early in the second: Matthew Highmore collected a deflected point shot and buried it 1:10 into the middle frame for his 10th goal of the season, and Gleb Veremyev followed with a sniper’s finish from the slot at 8:03 of the period for his third goal of the year to put Bridgeport ahead.

The second period turned into a back-and-forth affair. Jacob Gaucher pulled the Phantoms even at 11:47 of the second for his 14th goal of the season; just under three minutes later Liam Foudy converted a short-handed goal to restore Bridgeport’s lead. Gaucher then netted his second of the period to send the teams to the locker room tied at three, leaving the score deadlocked after 40 minutes.

Bridgeport grabbed the decisive edge in the third period. At 3:19 of the final frame Matt Luff received a cross-crease pass from Foudy and buried it for his 17th goal of the season, and Foudy put the game on ice with a second goal at 13:43 of the period, “dangling through the Phantoms' defense before beating Carson Bjarnason five-hole.” Boris Katchouk cut the deficit to 5-4 with 1:08 remaining but Lehigh Valley could not complete the comeback.

Foudy’s three-point performance also carried broader context: he has set a career high with 21 goals in 46 AHL contests this season and sits at 36 points, the 26-year-old forward having already surpassed last season’s 20-goal mark in fewer games. Bridgeport’s recap noted Foudy has recorded five goals and an assist in his last two matchups against the Phantoms, and RotoWire highlighted that he has yet to receive a call-up to New York despite the production.

Beyond Foudy, Bridgeport got scoring from Highmore, Veremyev and Luff, while Gaucher’s two goals and Wisdom’s opening tally kept Lehigh Valley within reach until Katchouk’s late attempt. Henrik Tikkanen and Carson Bjarnason were the goalies of record in a game where neither side’s full stat line was provided in the recap. The win sends Bridgeport on the road for two games at Charlotte next weekend before returning home March 21 against the Hershey Bears; tickets are available through the Bridgeport Islanders website.