T-Birds' Gutty Effort Brings Victory on New Year's Eve
AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds' Gutty Effort Brings Victory on New Year's Eve

Published on December 31, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds center Chris Wagner vs. the Providence Bruins
Springfield Thunderbirds center Chris Wagner vs. the Providence Bruins
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (11-12-4-2) avenged their defeat from four nights earlier, knocking off the Providence Bruins (21-6-1-0) on Wednesday afternoon inside the MassMutual Center, picking up their second straight win heading into the New Year.

Four days after falling 7-1 to these same Bruins, the Thunderbirds unfortunately got off to a similar start, as Victor Soderstrom connected just 4:01 into the game to put Providence ahead 1-0. The goal came under some scrutiny from the T-Birds bench, as Vadim Zherenko had been knocked over in the blue paint just seconds before Providence connected for the opening goal.

Despite the early deficit, the T-Birds had a much better response on this day, as it took Matt Luff just 1:16 to get Springfield back even in the game. The Bruins turned over a loose puck near the front of the net, and Juraj Pekarcik arrived right in front of Simon Zajicek's crease. Rather than shoot it, though, Pekarcik slipped a neat backhand pass to Luff's blade, and the T-Birds' leading goal scorer flipped a one-timer over Zajicek's blocker for his 10th of the season.

After Springfield killed off a Bruins power play behind strong work by Zherenko and the league's top-rated PK unit, the T-Birds' suddenly booming power play went to work. Again, Pekarcik factored into things as he drove off the rush to the left wing side, opening up a passing lane across the slot. Jakub Stancl, who already rang one shot off the post earlier in the game, slipped into the open spot and wristed a perfect shot over Zajicek to make it a 2-1 game at 12:42.

Zherenko showed no signs of cracking as he finished a sturdy 16-save first period just four days after he was removed from a game after four goals on 16 shots.

Springfield added to its lead at 10:28 of the second as the reliable Sam Stange found his way to an open space inside the right wing circle following a line change. With no Bruins near him, Stange guided a Samuel Johannesson pass through Zajicek, and the T-Birds had insurance and a 3-1 lead heading into the third.

Tempers flared just 20 seconds into the final period when Chris Wagner drilled Georgii Merkulov on a huge hit inside the Springfield blue line. Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel argued with the officials and earned himself an ejection, and as a result, the T-Birds went to a 5-on-3 advantage for two minutes.

Unfortunately for Springfield, the power play could not take advantage of the situation, and the 3-1 score remained until Patrick Brown's fifth goal in five games against Springfield cut the margin to 3-2 at 13:40 of the period on a power play.

Zherenko and the T-Birds' defense ensured the Bruins would not get an equalizer, though, and Alek Kaskimaki sealed matters with an empty-netter at 18:38 to finish the scoring. The T-Birds' netminder finished with 40 saves in picking up his fourth win in his last five starts.

The T-Birds conclude their four-game homestand on Friday night, kicking off the 2026 portion of their schedule against the Bridgeport Islanders at 7:05 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).

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Images from this story

Springfield Thunderbirds center Chris Wagner vs. the Providence Bruins
Springfield Thunderbirds center Chris Wagner vs. the Providence Bruins
   



American Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2025


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