SPRINGFIELD ― The Springfield Thunderbirds (5-10-2-2) caught an unfortunate break on a late game-tying goal in regulation before falling, 3-2, in a shootout to the Bridgeport Islanders (7-10-1-1) before a sellout crowd inside the MassMutual Center on Saturday night.

For a second straight night, the Islanders’ first period excellence came to the forefront, and the visitors picked up the lone goal in the first on a weird and painful sequence. Forward Eetu Liukas was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a Sean Day point shot struck him under the visor, forcing him down to the ice injured.

As Liukas lay near the crease, Liam Foudy arrived at the loose puck and fired it off the post behind Georgi Romanov. However, Liukas turned out to be in the right place as the puck glanced off the iro

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