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AHL Springfield Thunderbirds

T-Birds Rattle off Seven Unanswered to Topple Bruins, 7-2

April 14, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Springfield Thunderbirds News Release


Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate win
Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate win
(Springfield Thunderbirds)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (37-25-3-5, 82 points) responded from a poor first period to rattle off seven in a row to topple the Providence Bruins (42-18-8-2, 94 points) 7-2 on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 6,793 inside the MassMutual Center.

Despite the boisterous energy of the home crowd, the visiting Bruins got the first tally just 4:24 into the first when Vinni Lettieri spotted Georgii Merkulov on a cross-ice pass in the offensive end. Merkulov patiently waited for a defender to dive for a shot block before beating Joel Hofer over the stick side to give Providence the 1-0 advantage on the rookie's 24th goal.

The Thunderbirds were given no shortage of opportunities in the first period, but despite six minutes' worth of power play time, Springfield was still limited to just six shots on Kyle Keyser in the opening 20 minutes. Adding to the power play struggles, Providence also added just its third shorthanded goal of the season when Chris Wagner beat Hofer over the glove hand on a 2-on-1 rush to make it 2-0 with less than eight minutes to play in the period.

With 20 flat minutes behind them, the T-Birds came out of the intermission dressing room with a definitive shift in their play, which was rewarded just 44 seconds into the middle period as Matthew Peca parked himself to the side of Keyser's net and fielded a wide Matt Kessel shot off the end boards to chop it home to make it 2-1.

With the crowd back in full throat, the T-Birds rewarded the sellout crowd just 12 seconds later when Hugh McGing shuffled a backhander over a sprawled Keyser after an initial chance for Nikita Alexandrov, and the game was equalized just 56 seconds into the middle period.

Keyser and Hofer settled things for much of the period to follow, as each netminder was under siege; Hofer finished the second stanza a perfect 15-for-15, while Keyser denied 13 Springfield attempts.

After going 0-for-3 to begin the night on the power play, Springfield's man-advantage unit finally found the net for the first time in four games when Adam Gaudette calmly walked the puck off the right-wing half boards into the circle and lifted a perfectly placed wrist shot over Keyser to make it a 3-2 game at 19:05 with his 26th goal of the year.

Armed with a lead for the first time, Springfield made sure Providence would not sniff the lead again. Will Bitten crashed the net at 3:03 of the third to tap home a centering pass from McGing to elevate the lead to 4-2. It was Bitten's 21st of the year.

At 4:59, with another power play to their credit, Mikhail Abramov slipped a close-in shot through Keyser's right arm to push the lead to 5-2. Abramov's 10th of the year also marked his third straight game with a goal.

Alexandrov joined the party at 12:26, crashing the top of the crease to grab a rebound off a McGing dash to the net, and the lead ballooned to 6-2 on Alexandrov's 19th.

McGing capped his career night with a one-time missile from the slot off an Alexandrov dish for his second goal and fourth point of the evening at 16:28.

After giving up two in the first period, Hofer was perfect the rest of the way, stopping all 29 shots over the final 40 minutes to pick up his 26th win of the season.

The T-Birds have a chance to lock up home-ice advantage in the First Round with a win over Hartford on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Thunderdome, with pregame Block Party festivities beginning at 4:00 p.m. at MGM Springfield.

Thunderbirds fans can reserve their seats for upcoming games by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.

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Springfield Thunderbirds celebrate win
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