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AHL Providence Bruins

Boston, Providence Swap Four Players

January 13, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Providence Bruins News Release


Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 17th season in the American Hockey League, announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have recalled goaltender Tuukka Rask and center Martin St. Pierre from Providence on an emergency basis. Defenseman Matt Lashoff and goalie Kevin Regan have been assigned to Providence. With the moves, the P-Bruins have 21 players on their roster, including 12 forwards, eight defensemen and one goaltender.

Rask, 21, earns his second recall of the season. He was called up on an emergency basis on January 10 and backed up Tim Thomas in Boston's 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes that afternoon before being returned to the P-Bruins. The second-year net-minder has a 17-13-0 mark for Providence, adding three shutouts, a 2.42 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage in 30 games. His 17 wins are the second most in the AHL. Rask has won his last five starts on home-ice and is unbeaten in regulation in his last four games overall.

Rask appeared in four games for Boston in 2007-08, going 2-1-1 with a 3.25 GAA, including a win in his NHL debut over the Toronto Maples Leads, the club that drafted him. While in the AHL, the 2008 PlanetUSA AHL All-Star starting goalie compiled a 27-13-2 record over 45 appearances to go along with a 2.33 GAA. Following the regular season and prior to collecting two shutouts and a 2.18 GAA in 10 postseason games, Rask was awarded Providence' Martone Group Rookie of the Year honor as voted on by his teammates. Boston acquired Rask from Toronto on June 24, 2006 in exchange for fellow goalie Andrew Raycroft. The Savonlinna, Finland, native was drafted by the Maple Leafs 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

St. Pierre, 25, returns to Boston for the third time this season, where he has seen action in nine games while registering one goal and two assists. For Providence, the fifth-year pro has amassed 38 points (10g, 28a) in 32 games, earning him his fourth straight AHL All-Star selection. The undrafted native of Ottawa, Ontario, is tied for 14th in the AHL in scoring and tied for fourth in assists. St. Pierre leads Providence with 11 multiple-point games and he has produced four point-streaks of at least four games, including an 11-point (2g, 9a), six-game run in November. His performance earned him the P-Bruins' November Player of the Month award after totaling 16 points, including 12 assists, over 14 games.

St. Pierre was recalled to Boston for the first time on December 20, 2008, making his Bruins debut the following night on the road against the St. Louis Blues in a 6-3 Boston win. The center recorded his first career Boston point that night with an assist and added his first Bruins goal on December 30, 2008 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 5-2 victory. Signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks on November 12, 2005, St. Pierre was acquired by Boston in a July 24, 2008 trade for left wing Pascal Pelletier. Prior to joining Boston, St. Pierre appeared in 21 career NHL games in three seasons for Chicago, scoring four points (g, 3a).

Lashoff, 22, has suited up in 13 games for Boston this season, tallying one assist in his two recalls. The fourth-year Bruin also has 16 points (4g, 12a) in 18 games for Providence, which ranked third among AHL defensemen at the time of his December 1, 2008 call-up. Lashoff enjoyed a five-game AHL point-streak in mid-October, followed by his best game of the season on November 14, 2008 against the Worcester Sharks in which he scored a goal and added three assists for a four-point game and a plus-four rating.

A native of East Greenbush, New York, Lashoff split the 2007-08 campaign between Boston and Providence, earning five points (g, 4a) in 18 games for Boston while matching a career-high with 36 points (9g, 27a) for the P-Bruins. The two-time PlanetUSA AHL All-Star starter was drafted by Boston 22nd overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Regan, 24, was recalled by Boston earlier today and participated in the team's practice this morning at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Massachusetts. The goaltender has appeared in 14 games for Providence this season, showing a 6-4-1 record with a 3.33 goals-against-average and a .875 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, the South Boston native played four years for the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, finishing as the school's all-time leader in wins (70), saves (3,235) and save percentage (.928). Regan also became the only goalie in school history to post back-to-back 20-win seasons. His 2007-08 honors included a unanimous selection as the Hockey East Player of the Year, finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's top collegiate player, First Team All-American honors, a First Team All-Hockey East selection and the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England. Regan was drafted by Boston 277th overall in round nine of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Providence Bruins season tickets, Flex Tix packages and single game tickets are on sale now for the 2008-09 season. To purchase tickets or to learn more information, call the P-Bruins ticket office at (401) 273-5000 or log on to the team website at providencebruins.com.

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