AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Defense, PK Shine in 5-1 Dispatching of Sens

January 27, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds battle the Belleville Senators
Springfield Thunderbirds battle the Belleville Senators
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (19-17-1-4) put forth a spectacular defensive showing in a 5-1 defeat of the Belleville Senators (16-21-3-1) on Friday night at the MassMutual Center.

Springfield was not kind to Belleville goalie Luke Peressini, who was making his AHL debut in the crease. Martin Frk greeted him just 5:08 into the opening period with a wrist shot that tipped off Peressini's left shoulder before bounding across the goal line for a 1-0 T-Birds lead at 5:08 of the opening period.

2:18 later, the T-Birds' red-hot line of Drew Callin, Jacob Hayhurst, and Anthony Angello found their way to the board again. Hayhurst and Callin combined to send Angello down the right wing with speed. With only Peressini to beat, Angello tucked a backhander between the netminder's legs to make it 2-0 on Angello's sixth of the season. All three skaters extended personal point streaks to three games.

Will Bitten would be the next beneficiary of a Belleville turnover, as he stole the puck in the slot before deking and beating Peressini through the five-hole at 12:43. Bitten's team-leading 13th goal also spelled the end of the night for Peressini, as Logan Flodell came on in relief of the Belleville starter.

Joel Hofer, armed with the 3-0 advantage, played a calm first period, having to only make seven stops. The Springfield penalty kill was put in the spotlight in period two for 1:18 of Belleville 5-on-3 time, but Hofer, combined with great shot-blocking efforts from Tyler Tucker, Steven Santini, and Dmitri Samorukov, kept a potent Senators power play from striking.

Keean Washkurak thought he had gotten Springfield on the board again in the middle period on a power play, but the goal was washed out, as the officials deemed the puck was kicked in behind Flodell. The 3-0 lead remained in place into the second intermission.

Angus Crookshank finally got Belleville on the board with a one-timer just 22 seconds into the third, cutting the lead down to 3-1. A delay of game penalty gave the Senators another power play and a chance to get within one, but again, the T-Birds' penalty killers excelled and the 3-1 lead stayed in place.

Springfield's fourth power play of the night finally put Belleville away for good. Just five seconds into the advantage, Matt Kessel flipped a pass to Bitten in the right circle. Without even stopping the puck, Bitten touched a pass to Washkurak at the top of the crease, where the second-year pro deposited the puck into a wide-open net, making it 4-1 at 8:34.

Washkurak's night was not done. At 16:37, after Springfield fended off yet another 5-on-3 advantage, Matthew Highmore freed up a loose puck in center and sprung Washkurak in on a shorthanded breakaway. Washkurak snapped it by Flodell's right-hand glove for his first career multi-goal game in the AHL and a 5-1 final.

The T-Birds complete the back-to-back set on Saturday for a sold-out M&T Bank Hometown Heroes Night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m., and the game can be seen on CoziTV for fans who did not secure their tickets. CoziTV can be seen on the following channels: over the air on channel 3.8, Comcast channels 293 & 1165, and Charter channel 183.

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for the 2022-23 season and lock in the best prices and member benefits by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

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Springfield Thunderbirds battle the Belleville Senators
Springfield Thunderbirds battle the Belleville Senators
   



American Hockey League Stories from January 27, 2023


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