Springfield Thunderbirds Withstand Rocky Third, Win 5-4 Shootout Over Islanders

Thomas Bordeleau's opening-round shootout backhand and Springfield goalie Zherenko's three successive stops on Adam Beckman, Julien Gauthier, and Pierrick Dube lifted the Thunderbirds to a 5-4 shootout victory over the Bridgeport Islanders at the MassMutual Center, giving Springfield its first shootout win of the season and moving the club to 19-25-4-2.

The game began slowly but erupted late in the first period. Bordeleau broke the ice at 14:54, winning a draw, darting into the right wing circle and rifling home a feed from Calle Rosen to make it 1-0. Just 1:16 later, less than 30 seconds into Springfield’s first power play, Chris Wagner jammed a loose puck through the legs of Bridgeport goalie Marcus Hogberg from the blue paint for a 2-0 lead. Julien Gauthier cut the margin to 2-1 with a goal at 19:05 to close out the opening frame.

Springfield extended its lead early in the second when Aleksanteri Kaskimäki scored at 26:53 to make it 3-1. That goal gave Springfield a two-goal cushion heading into the third period and set the stage for Bridgeport’s late rally.

The third period produced four goals and a dramatic momentum swing. Hunter Drew opened the comeback for Bridgeport with a goal at 45:02 to make it 3-2. Liam Foudy tied the game at 48:42, and Pierrick Dube put Bridgeport ahead 4-3 at 51:31. Facing a deficit, Springfield got a critical response from Hugh McGing at 54:28 when he crashed the low slot and fired a forehand over a fallen Marcus Hogberg off a centering pass from Juraj Pekarcik to knot the score 4-4.

Overtime produced no goals, sending the game to a shootout where Bordeleau "put his stamp on the night with a gorgeous backhand deke to beat Hogberg in the opening round." Springfield’s Zherenko then stood his ground and made three successive saves on Adam Beckman, Julien Gauthier, and Pierrick Dube to secure the 5-4 shootout decision. The result marked the fourth overtime meeting in ten contests between these clubs and the third that reached a shootout.

The win leaves Springfield at 19-25-4-2 while Bridgeport falls to 21-21-3-4. The teams are scheduled to return to action Saturday, Feb. 21, with Springfield facing Providence and Bridgeport hosting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; both matchups were listed for 5:05 p.m. CST in the game-day notes. With the game presented as part of the Thunderbirds’ season presented by MGM Springfield, the late dramatics underscored both individual performances to watch in upcoming call-up considerations and the kind of sellable moments that drive local engagement at the MassMutual Center.