(Photo Credit: Jackson Sokoloski / Bridgeport Islanders)

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Following a dominant home-and-home sweep of the Hershey Bears, the Bridgeport Islanders returned to their home ice to face the Charlotte Checkers. Getting the start for the third straight game is Henrik Tikkanen, who comes in riding a 2-0 streak. Opposing him is Charlotte’s Cooper Black in what might be the tallest goalie matchup you’ll ever see.

Bridgeport’s lineup sees a few changes, as Isaiah George is unavailable after being called up as a seventh defenseman for the New York Islanders. The Islanders will also be without Parker Gahagen and Gleb Veremyev, both of whom were reassigned to the Worcester Railers earlier today.

The first period slightly leaned in Bridgeport’s favor, as they edged Charlotte 8–5 in shots. The Islanders generated some good pressure and chaos in the offensive zone, but couldn’t find the back of the net. At the other end, Tikkanen was solid, stopping everything and controlling rebounds well. He made his best save as time expired before heading into the locker room for the first intermission.

The second period was all Bridgeport, as they took complete control of the game. Early on, the Islanders caught a lucky bounce off the glass, and Matthew Highmore capitalized, scooping it up and burying it to make it 1–0. Later in the period, a beautiful feed from Liam Foudy set up Adam Beckman, who doubled the lead to 2–0. Charlotte tried to spark some energy—literally—as Hunter Drew dropped the gloves with Colton Huard at center ice, with Drew clearly getting the better of the exchange. To cap off a dominant frame, Highmore struck again, tapping in a great pass from Jeffries to give Bridgeport a commanding 3–0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Unfortunately for Bridgeport, just over a quarter of the way into the third period, Tobias Bjornfot beat Tikkanen to get Charlotte on the board. Not long after, Robert Mastrosimone followed it up by sneaking one under the goalie’s arm, cutting the deficit to 3–2 and shifting the momentum. Bridgeport would continue to chip away, trying to kill as much time as possible, finishing hits whenever the opportunity presented itself. Bridgeport would go on to hold off Charlotte and win 3-2.

Bridgeport continues its homestand Friday against the Laval Rocket before heading on the road to face the Providence Bruins on Saturday.