The Final Score

BRIDGEPORT — Even as the Bridgeport Sound Tigers were rolling up a 6-1 victory Friday over the Lowell Devils at the Arena at Harbor Yard, the Hershey Bears were twisting the knife in Philadelphia.
Just as Jeff Tambellini was feeding Tim Jackman for the goal that gave Bridgeport a 3-0 lead at the end of the second period, Kyle Wilson was deflecting in a shot that gave the Bears a 3-2 lead over the Phantoms.
Hershey went on to a 4-2 win that cut away any margin for error if the Sound Tigers hope to make the playoffs.
"We didn't even know (the Hershey score) during our game," Bridgeport centerman Trevor Smith said. "We kept doing what we were doing, to get these two points. We wanted to control what we could control."
Smith succeeded in that. He scored the first goal off a Blake Comeau pass 4:44 into the game, then scored two more in the third to notch his first hat trick since, as best as he could remember, he scored four in his second game of junior hockey in 2004.
"I've had a lot of two-goal games," said Smith, who had one last month against Binghamton, "but never three. It's nice to get."
Smith had three points Wednesday night, when the Sound Tigers beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the road in overtime.
"He's playing with confidence," coach Jack Capuano said. "He's playing in some key spots, and he's taking advantage of his opportunities."
Jackman had two goals and an assist. Tambellini scored his 37th goal, besides setting up Jackman. Comeau and Mark Wotton both had three assists.
But once Philadelphia blew a 2-1 lead in the third period, it put a damper on what the Sound Tigers were doing.
Hershey holds fourth place in the East Division. The Sound Tigers are four points back, and both teams have two games to play. Binghamton is out.
If the Sound Tigers beat Hartford tonight and Sunday, and if Hershey loses at home in regulation to Philadelphia today and Binghamton on Sunday, that's the only way Bridgeport can make the playoffs. Any other result — one point lost for the Sound Tigers, or one point gained for Hershey — and Bridgeport would be out for the second year in a row.
"We've got six periods of hockey left," Capuano said. "We talked about having fun, playing within the team concept, enjoying your teammates. We can't worry about what other guys are doing. We've had a great season. We're going to battle to the end Sunday night."
Attendance was 2,928.
Though the Sound Tigers took that 3-0 lead to the second intermission, Capuano changed up his lines for the third.
"Later in the third, I was trying to get some guys some more ice time," Capuano said, "but midway through the second — the third, really — we changed it up to try to get something going. I didn't like the way our offensive-zone play was going."
Smith scored on a delayed penalty, drawn by Jackman, off Comeau's second assist at 6:12 of the third. Jackman scored off another Comeau pass at 9:52, and Smith deflected in Scott Ford's shot late on a power play at 12:29.
Lowell's Ryan Murphy broke up Mike Morrison's shutout bid with 2:10 to play. Morrison stopped 27 shots.