Owen Tippett scored a goal and set up two others to spark the Springfield Thunderbirds to a 6-2 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at Mass Mutal Center in their final contest before the AHL All-Star Game.
Tippett now has 40 points (19G/21A) in his rookie professional season and will represent the Thunderbirds at the All-Star Game in Ontario, CA. Goaltender Chris Dreidger was also selected to the Atlantic Division squad, but will miss the game due to injury.
Jake Massie, Dryden Hunt, Daniel Audette and Aleksi Saarela were the other goal-scorers for Springfield, which struck three times in the final period to pull away after Hunt tied the game with 50 seconds left in the middle frame.
Ethan Prow, Adam Rockwood, Joel Lowry, Paul Thompson, Rodrigo Abols, Brady Keeper, Thomas Schemitsch and the aformentioned Hunt picked up assists in the game.
Sam Montembeault stopped 41 of 43 shots and also collected a helper for the T-Birds, who passed the Charlotte Checkers in the standings.
Springfield (25-19-2) is currently in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 52 points, one more than the Checkers, who have played three less games.
The AHL’s midseason showcase will be held on the Pacific coast for the first time as the Ontario Reign and Toyota Arena play host to this year’s event. The 2020 AHL All-Star Skills Competition will take place tonight (8 p.m. ET) and the 2020 AHL All-Star Challenge will be played on Monday (10 p.m. ET) with NHL Network providing the television coverage in the United States.