BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Springfield Thunderbirds (1-6-1-1) rode a terrific afternoon from their starting goaltender into a shootout before falling 2-1 to the Bridgeport Islanders (2-5-1-0) on Sunday afternoon inside Total Mortgage Arena.

Bridgeport entered the game as one of the league's most potent first-period offenses with 14 tallies in its first eight opening frames of the season. That trend continued at 8:54 of the first when rookie Joey Larson deflected a Sean Day point shot through Vadim Zherenko, giving the Islanders the 1-0 advantage. 

The T-Birds once again showed good resilience and timely power play success at 17:03 to tie the score. Matthew Peca won the opening draw of the advantage, allowing Samuel Johannesson to get a shot into the blue paint. Marcus Hogberg made the first stop, but Matt Luff was on the scene to jab a backhand rebound home to tie the game, 1-1. The goal, Luff's team-leading fourth of the season, was also his fourth point in the last two games.

Zherenko and Hogberg rose into the spotlight in the second period, as neither team could take advantage on a plethora of power play opportunities. Bridgeport went 0-for-4 on man advantages in the first 40 minutes, including an 0-for-3 spell in period two. Springfield, meanwhile, was unable to break the 1-1 tie on their one chance in the middle stanza.

Zherenko and the T-Birds' penalty kill continued to rise to the occasion in the third, stonewalling the Bridgeport power play once more in the final period to complete a perfect 5-for-5 day. Zherenko went the final 51:06 of regulation without allowing a tally.

As the 1-1 tie carried into overtime, the netminder only raised his game further, as Zherenko came up with high-danger saves on both Marshall Warren and Alex Jefferies in the 3-on-3 proceedings, allowing the T-Birds a chance to win in the shootout. After Chris Terry and Luff traded shootout goals through the first two rounds, the game came down to the third round. After Hogberg turned away Nikita Alexandrov, former T-Bird Matthew Highmore stepped up and whistled a perfect forehander off the inside of the post to ice the game for Bridgeport.

The T-Birds and Islanders renew acquaintances as the two clubs meet at the Thunderdome on Friday, Nov. 7 for a 7:05 p.m. puck drop.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).