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AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Conclude Homestand with Pink in the Rink on Saturday

March 3, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (28-15-5-2) conclude a season-long five-game homestand on Friday and Saturday as they welcome the Hershey Bears (26-20-3-3) and Providence Bruins (25-14-3-3) respectively to the MassMutual Center. Both games will drop the puck at 7:05 p.m.

Hershey comes to Springfield for the fourth of six meetings between the clubs on Friday, and the Bears hold the narrow edge with two wins over the prior three meetings in the season series. Goaltender Pheonix Copley propelled the Bears to a 2-0 win in the last meeting in Springfield on Dec. 17 with a 28-save shutout. However, as of late, it has been tough sledding for Hershey. The Bears have dropped four of their last five games and have not won two consecutive games in over a month. They have scored one goal or fewer in each of their four most recent losses, including a 3-0 defeat to Charlotte on Wednesday that saw Spencer Knight turn away 44 Hershey shots.

Springfield, on the other hand, has continued its red-hot roll of late. The Thunderbirds are 9-2-1-1 over their last 13 games, which includes a mark of 7-1-0-0 at home in that time frame. As a result, Springfield has maintained a foothold on first place in the Atlantic Division with a points percentage of .630.

The T-Birds have begun their homestand by winning two of their first three games. They dispatched the Bridgeport Islanders by a 5-3 final score on Feb. 23 behind a 50-shot effort offensively and a three-point night from Mackenzie MacEachern, who had two goals and an assist in the win. The Hartford Wolf Pack got the better of the T-Birds on Friday, 3-1, but it was not for a lack of effort from the T-Birds, who fired 45 shots at Keith Kinkaid in a losing cause.

Less than 24 hours later, Springfield rebounded for a 4-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers behind another 40-shot output offensively and 38 saves from Joel Hofer, who won his second consecutive start. In his last four outings, Hofer has posted a record of 3-0-1 to go along with a 2.21 goals-against average and .929 save percentage. Fellow masked man Charlie Lindgren has been even better over his last four games, going 3-1-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. As a team, the T-Birds have allowed three goals in a game (into a tended net) only one time in their last eight games.

The T-Birds-Bruins matchup on Saturday marks the 5th Annual Pink in the Rink, presented by Baystate Health to benefit the Rays of Hope Foundation. The MassMutual Center ice will be painted pink in recognition of the brave fighters and survivors who have faced breast cancer head-on. The pregame festivities will feature a "survivor circle" at center ice, and upon entry, all fans will receive a pink rally towel for the evening. The T-Birds' specialty jerseys for the evening will be auctioned at the conclusion of the game, with proceeds benefiting the Rays of Hope Foundation.

Since its inception in 1994, Rays of Hope has been helping women and men in the fight against breast cancer by walking alongside them on their cancer journey. Through the Baystate Health Breast Network, Rays of Hope cares for the whole person from diagnosis and beyond by supporting research at the Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, providing funding for state-of-the-art equipment, breast health programs, and outreach and education throughout Baystate Health as well as providing grants for complementary therapies and cancer programs to our community partners throughout western Massachusetts.

For more information on the Springfield Thunderbirds and to learn more about becoming a 2022-23 ticket member, please visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) to speak to a Thunderbirds representative.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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