Bellows’ hot streak turns historic
BRIDGEPORT — The streak is historic in at least one way, and maybe in another in that there was no real sign it was coming.
Certainly, Kieffer Bellows was due, in that cosmic sense that a firstround draft pick with a goalscorer’s history from a hockey family couldn’t be shut out for long, could he?
The fact is, on the morning of the day before Thanksgiving, Bellows hadn’t scored a goal this season with a goalie in the net. And he has 12 goals in 14 games since that night, as many goals as he scored last year in his entire rookie season. His first professional hat trick Saturday night forced overtime and helped get Bridgeport a point.
“I think the biggest thing is I’m making guys turn pucks over. I’m stealing pucks from guys,” Bellows, 21, said Friday night, after a powerplay goal gave him (just) nine goals in 12 games. “I’m just playing fast hockey. I think I was playing that the whole year, but right now it’s finally fully clicking.
“The bounces weren’t going my way at the beginning of the year. Right now, they are. I’ve got to keep shooting. It’s still a small timeframe within a long season.”
Those 12 goals on their own are nothing to sneeze at: Of 519 other alltime Sound Tigers, only 114 have scored 12 goals, period, for Bridgeport.
Jeff Tambellini scored 16 goals in 14 games during his 38goal season of 200708. Jeff Hamilton had a 14in14 stretch, a 16for16 in fact, in his teamrecord 43goal season of 200304. They are the only two Bridgeport players to score more than 30 goals in a season. And they’re Bellows’ general company right now.
For that matter, Colin McDonald scored 15 goals in the last 14 games of 201011 for Oklahoma City, and 17 in the last 16, finishing the season with 42. He’s the AHL’s last 40goal scorer,
and he has been Bellows’ linemate the past 11 games.
“I think if (Bellows) is going to make it, he’s got to be that powerforwardtype player,” McDonald said. “We always talk every game: Dzone out, pucks north, straight lines. I think he’s doing a really good job.
“When you play the right way, you’re going to get rewarded. His work ethic is where it needs to be. He’s engaged. He’s positive on the bench. He’s happy for his teammates, and he’s starting to get rewarded because of all those good things that he’s doing.”
Saturday, Bellows became the first Sound Tiger to score in six consecutive Bridgeport home games. He technically shares the team record at least with Tambellini, who scored in six consecutive home games in which he played in 2007, losing one game in the middle to injury; there may have been others.
Bellows had a powerplay goal in backtoback games before being shut out in
Tuesday’s 32 loss at Hartford. He had two powerplay goals all last season.
“You see how hard he’s working right now, his play away from the puck, his intensity to get to the net. That power play, he went to the net. He was hungry for a rebound,” Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson said Friday; Bellows’ Saturday powerplay goal appeared similar.
“And then just bearing down with the opportunities. It’s a credit to him and his persistence, playing as hard as he does. It’s a credit to him that he’s worked this hard, knowing he was going through a tough time at the beginning of the season.”
Though he scored an emptynet goal in the Sound Tigers’ third game of this season, goalies stopped his first 44 shots against them. Bellows was a healthy scratch for the next two games; Thompson, calling it a “reboot,” said it was supposed to be one, but the team played too well that night to make bigger changes.
Thompson has seen a more aggressive Bellows since.
“It’s breaking habits that happened in junior,” said Thompson, who has said the same thing about more than a few prospects.
“The pace is different. When the pace changes, and you’re not moving your feet, it’s hard. I feel it’s just
breaking junior habits, and some guys break it early, some break it in a year, and some guys break it in two years.”
There’s a comfort level even off the ice, where Bellows has explored the area a little more.
“I tried Colony (Grill) pizza for the first time this year. That was really good, the hot oil,” Bellows said. “I like the cherry red peppers or something? That was spicy. I might not do that again. I’m a big sweet pepper guy.”
And there’s a comfort level on the ice, too, understanding the pro game a little more and getting to know his opponents a little better, too.
Bellows returned to the lineup with a goal at Springfield. He scored again against the Thunderbirds in Bridgeport two nights later. In all, he has 12 goals on 42 shots in these past 14 games. In a week and a half, he’ll have a chance to score in a seventh consecutive home game.