May 7, 2008
Taking a page from the Boston Celtics' playoff playbook, the Providence Bruins have lost three straight road games to the Portland Pirates, and now will have to win two straight at the Dunkin' Donuts Center if they hope to continue their tremendous season.
All three of Providence's losses have been by one goal (after the P-Bruins had won the first two games by a combined 11-1 score), and two of them have come in overtime.
As Steve Solloway writes in today's Portland Press Herald, no one who follows the AHL thought a week ago that these teams would be at this point today.
Posted by Mike McDermott 
at 10:13 AM | Permalink
May 2, 2008
As The Portland Press-Herald reports today, the Portland Pirates will have a very hard task on their hands as they try to climb out of a 2-0 hole in their playoff series with the Providence Bruins. The series resumes tonight in Maine. Click here to read the article by staff writer Paul Betit. Here's an excerpt:
The Providence Bruins made it look easy when they opened the Atlantic Division finals last weekend with two lopsided victories.
At times the Bruins, the AHL's best team in the regular season, looked like they should be playing for the Stanley Cup, not the Calder Cup.
In the two games at Providence, the Bruins outscored the Pirates 11-1 and had a 73-47 edge in shots on goal.
The Pirates are trying to put all of that out of their minds.
"It was a frustrating weekend but at the same time, it's the playoffs," said Portland center Jason King. "We have to leave the last game behind us. You can't change what happened."
Meanwhile, The Boston Herald's Stephen Harris writes today that the P-Bruins "may just be the finest hockey team in the world, outside of the NHL."
Posted by Mike McDermott at 8:59 AM | Permalink
April 30, 2008
Facing a 2-0 deficit in their playoff series with the Providence Bruins, the Portland Pirates are facing an uncertain situation with two of their most important players.
The Portland Press Herald reports today that goaltender J.S. Aubin and center Tyler Bouck are uncertain for Friday night's game in Maine. Aubin missed the first two games of the series because of what Portland coach Kevin Dineen described as "bumps and bruises" sustained in the Pirates' first-round playoff series against Hartford, while Bouck was cut on the leg by a skate in Game Two.
Posted by Mike McDermott at 10:32 AM | Permalink
April 23, 2008
BOSTON -- Providence Bruins goalie Jordan Sigalet will be honored tonight as a Boston Celtics Hero Among Us.
When Sigalet was 23, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a disease which affects the central nervous system and haunts over 400,000 Americans and 2.5 million people worldwide.
During a game on Nov. 16, his body completely shut down in response to the MS. Sigalet refused to let that be the end of his career, and through his unparalleled determination and positive attitude, he made a stunning recovery and was back on the ice in less than two months.
Sigalet has dedicated himself to inspiring others with MS to never give up and has founded the "Sigalet Saves for MS" Foundation.
Posted by Rob Lee at 5:28 PM | Permalink
The Providence Bruins will open the best-of-seven Atlantic Division finals against the Portland Pirates at the Dunkin Donut Center on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Game Two is scheduled for Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at the Dunk.
The series moves to Portland for Game Three on Friday, May 2, at 7:05 p.m. Game Four will be Sunday, May 4, at 4:05 p.m. in Portland, and Game Five, if necessary, will be on Tuesday, May 6, at 7:05 in Portland.
Games Six and Seven, if needed, will be in Providence on Friday, May 9 at 7:05 p.m., and Saturday, May 10, at 7:05 p.m.
Posted by Mike McDermott at 11:11 AM | Permalink
March 19, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. — Tuukka Rask posted his first pro shutout by stopping 27 shots and Providence became the first AHL team to reach 100 points this season as the P-Bruins routed the Norfolk Admirals, 7-0, last night at the Scope.
The P-Bruins got one goal apiece from Byron Bitz, Jeff Hoggan, Nate Thompson, Jeff LoVecchio and Matt Hendricks and two from Chris Collins.
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 10:25 PM | Permalink
March 7, 2008
The Providence Bruins goalie is one of five subjects profiled on the organization's Web site for MS Awarness Week, which is next week. Click here to see the bio.
Sigalet returned to action with the P-Bruins in January after missing close to two months following an on-ice collapse due to complications of multiple sclerosis. He was diagnosed with MS in March 2004.
Posted by Mike McDermott at 12:20 PM | Permalink
February 11, 2008
The Providence Bruins announced Monday that left wing Mark Tobin has been assigned to the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL and right wing Alexandre Imbeault has been released from his Professional Tryout Agreement. He will also report to Johnstown. With the moves, the P-Bruins now have 22 players on their roster, including 11 forwards, nine defensemen and two goaltenders.
--PROVIDENCE BRUINS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 6:10 PM | Permalink
January 25, 2008
Providence Bruins' defenseman Brett Skinner has been added to the Canadian team roster for the AHL All-Star Classic. Teammate Pascal Pelletier, who was named a starter for the Canadian squad, will miss the event due to his being called up by the Boston Bruins.
Skinner, 24, joins teammates Tuukka Rask and Matt Lashoff, both starters for PlanetUSA, and coaches Scott Gordon and assistant Rob Murray, who will lead the PlanetUSA team, at the event. The game will take place on Monday, Jan.28 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York, beginning at 7 p.m.
--PROVIDENCE BRUINS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 6:35 PM | Permalink
January 12, 2008
Providence Bruins head coach Scott Gordon and assistant Rob Murray will lead the PlanetUSA team at the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic in Binghamton, N.Y., on Jan. 28. They join goaltender Tuukka Rask, defenseman Matt Lashoff and left wing Pascal Pelletier as Providence’s representatives at the event. The PlanetUSA coaching staff comes from the AHL team with the best points-percentage at the end of play this Sunday.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 10:29 PM | Permalink
January 10, 2008
Providence Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask and defenseman Matt Lashoff have been named starters for the PlanetUSA team in the AHL All-Star Classic, which will be play on Jan. 28 in Binghamton, N.Y.
Rask is 14-3-0 in AHL play with a 2.04 goals against average and .907 save percentage.
Lashoff, who will be making his second straight All-Star appearance, had 4 goals, 16 assists and 20 points in 28 games.
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 5:10 PM | Permalink
January 9, 2008
Providence Bruins winger Pascal Pelletier has been named a starter for the Canadian Team in the AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held on Monday, Jan. 28, at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y. Fans voted for the staring lineup via online balloting while a committee of AHL coaches selected the remainder of the roster. Pelletier leads the league in goals with 23 and is ranked fourth in points at 45.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 7:42 PM | Permalink
December 14, 2007
By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer
PROVIDENCE _ Jordan Sigalet will return to the practice ice on Sunday.
The Providence Bruins’ goaltender, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, collapsed during the third period of a game on Nov. 16 and was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital. At the time of his collapse the 26-year-old lost all feeling in his legs and it wasn’t until recently he could walk on his own. He was released from St. Joseph’s rehab center on Thursday and was back at the rink last night.
“It’s been a long road,” he said prior to last night’s P-Bruins game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. “Leaving the ice [on a stretcher] that night I couldn’t move my toes. It was pretty scary, but slowly things have started to come back.”
After a few days at Rhode Island Hospital, Sigalet was finally able to move his toes, which he says was a big relief. During his rehab stint at St. Joseph's he walked around the halls with his skates on because he wants to return to game action.
After he collapsed that night it took a few minutes until he regained consciousness, and it was at that point he thought his career was over.
"I was definitely out cold for a bit," he recalls. "Waking up with [trainer] Mike Poirier asking me if I knew where I was, and what the score was, I didn't remember much at all. As soon as I woke up I knew I couldn't move anything from the waist down. I had no sensation at all and it was pretty scary. I have had the part with no sensation before, but never this kind of muscle weakness. Right then I stopped thinking about hockey completely and was worried about my health and getting better."
Sigalet was dianosed with MS in 2004 during his junior year at Bowling Green and he has never let the disease beat him. Even now.
He's hoping and attempting to continue his promising pro career. The former Bowling Green standout and Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2005 was selected by the Boston Bruins in the seventh round (209th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He began his pro career with Providence in 2005.
"There's still a lot of hard work ahead of me, but most of the battle is over," he said. "Hopefully everything is straight up from here."
Posted by Joe McDonald at 6:19 PM | Permalink
May 14, 2007
P-Bruins coach Scott Gordon said he didn’t want to talk about last night’s game after Providence lost to the Manchester Monarchs, 2-1, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The loss ended the P-Bruins’ season as the Monarchs won the Atlantic Division Finals, 4-2, but Gordon didn’t want to reflect on his team’s final 60 minutes.
And for good reason.
Providence dealt with more adversity this season, unlike any other in Gordon’s seven-year tenure here. The P-Bruins had a team loaded with young, but inexperienced talent. There were continuous lineup changes during the season. Still, they made it to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
“We pushed them hard all year and they responded,” said Gordon. “By far they exceeded my expectations from Day 1 right down to the wire. . . the bottom line is our guys played their hearts out and that’s all I’m going to say about the game. I’m not going to pick the team apart.”
Sitting in the stands for the P-Bruins’ playoff run was Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. He was able to get an up-close-and-personal look at the young talent the organization has, and he was quite impressed by the job the coaching staff, training staff and players did all year.
After all, the job of the P-Bruins is to make the parent club better and Gordon and his boys were able to accomplish that. Numerous times this season Providence lost its top players to call-ups or to injuries or via trades made by Chiarelli and in the end the P-Bruins were able to prevail through all the adversity.
“I thought they had a very good year, considering the amount of players that came up to us and we ended up keeping,” said Chiarelli after last night’s game. “Scott and Rob (Murray) did a very good job. When ever I saw [Providence] play they always played very hard and it’s too bad some of our guys couldn’t have played in the last two series. But, the team played very well and that’s a testament to the coaches.”
Unlike in year’s past, the 2006-2007 version of the P-Bruins faced a ton of adversity. With that said, if Providence had the services of the players who began the season here, maybe the end result could have been different. But, the guys who finished the season deserve a lot of credit.
“I can’t say enough,” said P-Bruins captain Jay Leach. “With all the lineup changes we really stuck together. I don’t think we cheated one fan who came to see our games. Even in the last minute (last night) we didn’t quit and I’m very proud to be a part of this. I’m very proud of everyone in this room.”
“We left it all out on the ice,” added P-Bruins assistant captain Nate Thompson. “There’s not one guy who didn’t bring their all. We worked hard all year.”
Entering last night’s game, the P-Bruins has successfully killed off all seven penalties in Game 5 at Manchester, but couldn’t stifle the Monarchs attack on their first man-advantage last night. Just six seconds into the power play, Manchester’s Brian Boyle slipped the puck 5-hole on Hannu Toivonen for a 1-0 lead at 7:29 of the first period.
The P-Bruins knotted the game at 1-1 at 10:20 of the opening period as Jeff Hoggan received a nifty pass from David Krejci and beat Monarchs goaltender Jason LaBarbera to the 5-hole on a shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
Manchester regained its lead, scoring at 6:09 of the second period when the Monarchs’ Marty Murray fed Tim Jackman, who chipped it past Toivonen from point-blank range for a 2-1 advantage.
The P-Bruins were awarded a power play with 1:49 remaining in regulation and Gordon pulled Toivonen for a second extra attacker. Providence kept the pressure on put could not convert. As a result, the Monarchs will face the Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference Finals, beginning Saturday at Hershey.
As the Monarchs celebrated down the hall from the P-Bruins’ locker room, every Providence player – albeit disappointed – were happy with this season’s results.
“This is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of,” said P-Bruins forward Ben Walter. “To take it as far as we did, the second round, we might have exceeded everyone else’s expectations, we always known we were a good team.”
Boston Bruins training camp begins on Sept. 13 and with what Chiarelli has seen during the AHL’s postseason, the GM can’t wait for next season.
“There are some good young players here,” said Chiarelli. “I don’t have to mention any names because there are some guys who played very well. What I liked most was their work ethic and they all have their own types of skills that will benefit the Boston Bruins. These guys worked hard and maybe under different circumstances they could have won.”
It was a good season.
--JOE McDONALD
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 9:29 PM | Permalink
May 12, 2007
MANCHESTER, N.H. — It’s not where they want to be, but it’s where the Providence Bruins have been before and lived to tell about it.
The P-Bruins find themselves a game away from elimination, as a result of last night’s 4-3 loss to the Manchester Monarchs, in Game Five of their best-of-seven Atlantic Division final.
Providence trails the series, 3 games to 2, which is precisely where they were in the semifinal set with Hartford. The P-Bruins came back with two straight wins, both on enemy ice, to oust Hartford. Now they’ll have to pull off a similar feat, although the crucial Game Six will be played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center tomorrow night.
“It helps to know that we’ve done it before,” said P-Bruins center Ben Walter. “Obviously we’d rather not be in this position. We’d rather be up 3-2.”
Said Providence coach Scott Gordon, “Just because you’ve done it before, that doesn’t make it easy."
To square the series, Providence will have to avoid the undisciplined penalties that plagued them last night. Officially, the P-Bruins successfully killed off all nine power plays handed to Manchester. Most of those penalties, however, were of the undisciplined, momentum-killing variety. That was what irked Gordon the most.
“Five power plays in the second period are not going to help your cause,’’ he said. “All of them were selfish penalties. We addressed that in the second period when it was 2-2, and we didn’t make it any better in the third.”
It was in that final stanza that Manchester seized control with goals by Marty Murray and Patrick O’Sullivan. Murray’s tally, which came at 4:46, put Manchester ahead to stay. Until then, it was a game very much up for grabs.
Matters were frenetic in the both opening and closing seconds of the opening period, with a high-octane pace in between. The teams traded goals in the opening 55 seconds, with Manchester’s Tim Jackman scoring at the 28-second mark on a goal-mouth scramble. But that was answered promptly by Jeff Hoggan, who made a strong rush down the right boards, fending off Monarch defenseman Doug Nolan, then muscling a backhander past goalie Jason LaBarbera.
Providence proceeded to take the lead at the 19:59 mark, on a play that began with Nate Thompson winning the puck along the right boards. Thompson dished out to Marco Rosa, who in turn found Nate DiCasmirro unguarded at the left post.
DiCasmirro tapped the puck into the open net with no time showing on the clock. But the red goal light had come on, and the tally, which made it 2-1, was allowed.
The P-Bruins’ penalty killers were kept busy in the second period, as they were forced to skate off four straight shortages in the first half of the stanza. They had just polished off the last of those when, at 13:40, Manchester’s O’Sullivan wrested a shot from center ice that crossed up Toivonen and slipped in under the crossbar, knotting the score at 2-2.
After falling behind by two goals, Providence got a tally from David Krejci with 19.5 seconds remaining.
“We’re not playing as well as we should be,” said Jay Leach. “The outlook is that we’re going into Game Six like we were the first series. But the bottom line is that we’ve got to play better."
DAN HICKLING
Posted by Chris Venditto at 11:29 PM | Permalink
May 8, 2007
PROVIDENCE — T.J. Trevelyans power-play goal with 1:48 left gave the Providence Bruins a 2-1 victory over the Manchester Monarchs in Game Three of the teams Atlantic Division championship series.
Providence leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one. Game Four is scheduled for Wednesday night at Providence.
Manchesters Gabe Gauthier was in the penalty box for tripping when the Bruins went on their seventh power play of the game. Ryan Glenn unloaded a slap shot from the right point that was headed wide of the cage. But Trevelyan deflected the puck past Barry Brust (26 saves) at 18:12 for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Manchester had tied the game 1-1 on a power-play goal by Greg Tverdosky at 17:51.
Patrick OSullivan sent the puck in from the right point and Tverdosky, who was positioned in the slot, tipped it past a screened Hannu Toivonen (24 saves) for his second goal of the playoffs.
Providences Nate DiCasmiro broke a scoreless tie while the Bruins were skating short-handed late in the second period.
After Brust came out of his cage to play the puck, DiCasmiro broke in from the right circle and stole the puck. DiCasmiro then scored on a wrap-around at 16:17.
Providence outshot Manchester, 28-25, but only was 1-for-7 with a man advantage.
ASSOCIATED PRESS --
Posted by Thom Cahir at 10:39 PM | Permalink
April 26, 2007
PROVIDENCE — Nigel Dawes scored a power-play goal midway through the second period and Al Montoya made it stand up as the Hartford Wolf Pack beat the Providence Bruins, 1-0, and took a one-game lead in the teams' Atlantic Division semifinal series.
Hartford leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2, and can advance to the division finals by beating the Bruins in Game 6 which is scheduled for Saturday night at the Hartford Civic Center. Game 7, if necessary, would be played Sunday night at Hartford.
Providence's Jason Platt was in the penalty box for holding when Hartford scored the only goal Montoya would need. Hannu Toivonen made a pad save on a slap shot by Corey Potter but the rebound came to Jarkko Immonen who slipped the puck to Dawes. Dawes slid the puck under Toivonen at 8:01 for his fourth goal of the series.
The Bruins had killed off 22 of 23 power plays in the series prior to Dawes' goal.
Montoya made 24 saves for the shutout which came almost one year to the day when he last posted a playoff shutout. Montoya made 30 saves while blanking Manchester, 7-0, on April 23, 2006.
Toivonen stopped 23 shots including one on a clean breakaway by Greg Moore while Providence was skating short-handed in the second minute of the third period.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Thom Cahir at 10:25 PM | Permalink
April 24, 2007
PROVIDENCE -- At Monday’s practice, Providence coach Scott Gordon told the P-Bruins that getting the first goal in a game is important, especially in a seven-game series.
In the first three games, he said, the team that scored the first goal won. So he wanted Providence to set the tone early and play with the fire of a team that was on the brink of elimination in last night’s pivotal Game Four played at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
They did exactly that and their hard work paid off.
At 11:31 of the first period, Providence center Ben Walter gathered a loose puck in enemy territory, made a slick move to beat his defender, and then fired the puck passed Hartford goalie Al Montoya from between the circles to give Providence a 1-0 lead.
Staying true to form, Providence (45-30-2-4) made a statement by crushing Hartford, 5-1, to even its best-of-seven Atlantic Division semifinals series with the Wolf Pack (47-30-3-1) at 2-2 and receive a standing ovation from the crowd of 2,762.
Providence’s impressive win tied for the second-worst Hartford playoff loss in franchise history.
"That was probably the most complete game that we have played in the playoffs," Gordon said. "I think each team has had their moments in the three previous games but I felt like our guys really got a great jump tonight. We did a lot of little things right and exerted effort that we hadnt been exerting in areas when we needed to do it in blocked shots, hitting, and all of the intangibles that don’t show up on the score sheet."
Walter and Jeff Hoggan each scored a goal and had an assist, and goalie Hannu Toivonen made 23 saves.
"I just tried to stop them all and help the team win," Toivonen said about his performance.
"He did a great job controlling the rebounds," Gordon said of Toivonen. He did a better job of getting out and stopping the puck. He did a lot of the intangibles that make goalies successful."
Said Walter of Toivonen’s performance: "He played unbelievable. He made some big saves and we fed off that and we were able to get some big goals for him. We kind of helped each other out."
In a very physical game, Providence welcomed back defenseman Mark Stuart, who had missed the last four games with a leg injury. Providence outworked and out-skated Hartford all night. The P-Bruins outshot the Wolf Pack, 25-24, and limited Hartford’s high-scoring offense to zero power play goals on six opportunities, while going 1-for-4 on their power plays.
"We didn’t want to say that before the game but we all knew that it was a big game," Walter said when asked if the P-Bruins believed that last night’s game was a must win game. "If we went down 3-1 it would be tough to come back, especially with two games left in Hartford so it was a big game and everyone came through tonight."
Providence, which outshot Hartford 11-3 in the opening session, played the majority of the first period on Hartford’s side of the ice. In fact, the P-Bruins did not allow a Wolf Pack shot on goal until 10:24 after the opening faceoff.
Walter’s goal gave Providence the early momentum but Hartford began the second session playing very physical. Unfazed, the P-Bruins extended their lead to 2-0 by scoring a short-handed goal after P-Bruins left wing Pascal Pelletier was called for interference at 7:02 of the period. Right wing Jeff Hoggan scored the unassisted goal 27 seconds later.
Hoggan stole an errant Hartford pass, skated through the neutral zone and up the left side of the ice, and fired a wrist shot passed Montoya from the top of the left circle.
The Wolf Pack answered less than two minutes later to slash the P-Bruins lead to 2-1. Greg Moore, stationed at the left post, crossed the puck to Dane Byers who was at the right post. Byers flipped it into the net.
Providence regained the momentum with 6:38 remaining in the second period when T.J. Trevelyan, from behind the net, fed the puck to a charging Sean Curry who one-timed it in to give Providence a 3-1 cushion. Petr Kalus added an insurance goal 1:16 into the third period, and Pelletier scored another at 7:35.
Providence is hoping to put on a similar performance tomorrow night in Game Five.
"We are just going to go out and play the same way we played tonight and I think if we do that we’ll have a really good chance," Walter said.
--ROB LEE
Posted by Art Martone at 9:24 PM | Permalink
April 21, 2007
Bryce Lampman scored two goals and
Jarkko Immonen added a goal and an assist as the Hartford Wolf Pack
beat the Providence Bruins, 5-2, in Game 3 of an Atlantic Division
semifinal series Saturday night.
Hartford leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1. Game 4 is
scheduled for Tuesday night at Providence.
Lampman scored both of his goals in the second period which
began with the teams tied at 0-0. The first came 26 seconds after
the faceoff when his shot deflected off a Providence defenseman and
eluded Hannu Toivonen (21 saves).
Hartford was on a power play when Lampman beat Toivonen with a
slap shot from the left circle at 4:48.
Providence pulled within 2-1 when rookie Martins Karsums
finished off a 3-on-2 rush at 5:43. Brandon Dubinksy restored
Hartford's two-goal lead when his shot from the left circle sailed
between Toivonen's pads with 36 seconds left in the period.
Immonen and Providence's Levi Nelson exchanged goals in the
third period before Hartford's Dwight Helminan slid the puck into
an empty net with one second left in the game.
Goalie Al Montoya made 27 saves for the Wolf Pack, who held
Providence scoreless on six power-play attempts.
--AP
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 10:25 PM | Permalink
April 20, 2007
Hartford, Conn. – The Providence Bruins tied their opening round Calder Cup playoff series with a 4-2 win over the Wolf Pack in Hartford last night.
Spreading out the scoring distribution, the P-Bruins got goals from Sean Curry, Sean Bentivoglio, Pascal Pelletier and Nate DiCasmirro.
Dennis Packard carried the puck into the zone and dropped it off behind the net for David Krejci who passed it to Curry at the top of the right face off circle. With traffic in front of the net Curry sent the puck top shelf past Wolf Pack net minder Al Montoya to give Providence a 1-0 lead at 7:55 of the first period.
The P-Bruins increased their lead to 2-0 later in the period while on a 5-on-3 power play after Bentivoglio redirected the puck into the net on a Ryan Glenn shot.
Hartford cut the lead in half at the 6:05 mark of the second period on a Hugh Jessiman goal but Providence scored with less than two minutes to play in the period, again on the power play, on a shot by Curry that deflected off the body of Pelletier and into the net.
In the third period, Hartford again moved within a goal at the 12:54 mark as Alex Bourret carried the puck into the zone, passed it to Jarkko Immonen at the right face off circle, who quickly shuffled the puck to Nigel Dawes waiting at the back door to bat it past Bruins goalie Hannu Toivonen.
Providence rounded out the scoring with an empty net goal at 19:39.
Toivonen stopped 22 of 24 shots he faced for the P-Bruins, while Montoya made 11 saves for the Wolf Pack. Providence was 2 for 5 on the power play, while Hartford went 0 for 5 on the man-advantage.
The P-Bruins return to action for Game 3 and Game 4 of the first round at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. and again Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.
Posted by Thom Cahir at 9:47 PM | Permalink
April 18, 2007
The P-Bruins fell 5-1 to the Wolf Pack in the first game of the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs last night in Hartford.
Hartford got on the board early, scoring only :24 seconds into the opening period on a goal by Alex Bourret. Providence bounced back at 15:04 of the first on a power play goal by Sean Bentivoglio. David Krejci and Pascal Pelletier had the assists.
From that point on it was all Wolf Pack with Hartford getting goals from Jarkko Immonen at 8:04 of the second. Nigel Dawes made it 3-1 at 18:39 of the second after redirecting a Corey Potter shot.
In the third period Hartford added two more, Dawes netting his second goal at the 2:06 mark and Bourret closing out the scoring with his second goal at 6:51 of the period.
Hartford leads the series 1-0. The teams return to action Friday at 7 p.m. in the Hartford Civic Center before shifting to The Dunk Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Posted by Thom Cahir at 9:40 PM | Permalink
April 14, 2007
You can’t play for the Calder Cup unless you make it into the playoffs first.
The Providence Bruins assured themselves of at least that much of a shot at the Cup, last night, by clinching their Atlantic Division post-season spot, with their 2-0 win over the cellar-dwelling Springfield Falcons, before 5,716 at the MassMutual Center.
Jay Leach and Matt Lashoff provided the goals, and goalie Hannu Toivonen stopped all 22 Falcon shots for the shutout his second of the season. It was also his 11th of the his career, tying him for the franchise record with his good friend, Tim Thomas.
The P-Bruins’ final seeding won’t be settled until this afternoon’s regular season finale with the Atlantic champion Manchester Monarchs.
They could finish as high as third in the division and face the second place Hartford WolfPack, or remain in fourth and meet the Monarchs.
In either case, they would commence their best of seven series on the road with games Wednesday and Friday, before returning home to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center for games Saturday and Tuesday (both set to face off at 7:05 p.m.).
Providence now has a string of eight straight playoff appearances, and have made the post season in 12 of the 14 years the franchise has been in business.
Still, not content with the notion of backing into their post-season spot, the P-Bruins stormed out of the gate, amassing at one point, a 13-4 shot advantage on Springfield.
But they couldn’t put a shot past Falcon goalie Jonathan Boutin (32 saves) until Leach did it on a power play at 10:53 of the second period.
Leach was stationed in the lower part of the left circle when David Krejci hit him with a deft centering pass from behind the net. Leach promptly laced it past Boutin from a tight angle for just his second goal in 73 games this season.
Matters soon turned contentious when Leach tangled with former Bruin draftee Kyle Wanvig, and later, defenseman Dwayne Zinger traded blows with Mitch Fritz, Springfield‘s 6-foot-8 behemoth.
Providence wound up receiving an extended power play out of the melee, and cashed it in, when Lashoff fired in his 11th goal of the season at the 1:00 mark of the third frame.
Krejci had been stopped twice at the left post by Boutin, but Nathan Dempsey grabbed the rebound and fed it back to Lashoff for the slapshot.
From then on, it was cruise to the finish.
--DAN HICKLING (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 9:34 PM | Permalink
April 13, 2007
With goals from David Krejci, Sean Curry, Marco Rosa and Nate DiCasmirro, the P-Bruins went on to defeat the Worcester Sharks 4-3 in Worcester Friday night. Providence remains in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with 90 points, one point behind the third place Sharks and three points ahead of the fifth place Lowell Devils.
Worcester’s Craig Valette scored the only goal of the first period at the 17:30 mark on assists from Torrey Mitchell and Riley Armstrong.
The P-Bruins tied the game on a power play at 5:44 when Sean Bentivoglio worked the puck down the right boards and into the corner for Ben Walter. Krejci waiting at the backdoor took the pass from Walter and put it in the top of the net as goaltender Thomas Greiss was out of position on the wrong side of the net.
Providence took its first lead of the game at the 16:17 mark. Curry took a shot from the right face-off circle and sent the puck between the legs of Greiss and into the net. Bentivoglio picked up his second assist of the game, while Mark Stuart had the other. The P-Bruins went into the second intermission leading 2-1.
In the third period, Worcester tied the game at three at the 10:13 mark. Armstrong scored on a shot from the point with Patrick Traverse and Brennan Evans grabbing the assists. Providence quickly answered back with a goal 18 seconds later. Rosa held the puck in the right face-off circle and put the puck between the legs of Greiss and into the net. Nate Thompson and DiCasmirro had the assists. The Sharks tied the game at three just over two minutes later. At the 13:34 mark, Mike Iggulden tallied with Tom Cavanaugh and Mathieu Darche earning the assists. Providence took the lead for good at the 16:58 mark. Rosa started a 2-on-1 with DiCasmirro, who took the puck and put it into the net. Dennis Packard had the second assist and the P-Bruins held on for the 4-3 victory.
Hannu Toivonen stopped 24 of 27 shots for the P-Bruins, while Greiss made 25 saves for the Sharks. Providence was 1 for 3 on the power play, while Worcester went 0 for 4 on the man-advantage.
The P-Bruins finish the road portion of the regular season schedule on Saturday at the MassMutual Center versus the Springfield Falcons at 7:05p.m. The P-Bruins wrap up the regular season with a home game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Sunday, April 15 versus the Manchester Monarchs at 4:05 p.m.
Posted by Thom Cahir at 10:15 PM | Permalink
April 7, 2007
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Jamie Johnson and Allan Rourke scored on Bridgeport’s first two attempts in the shootout as the Sound Tigers beat the Providence Bruins 4-3 Friday night in the American Hockey League.
Bridgeport (35-34-1-5) avenged two shootout losses to the Bruins earlier in the season and stayed tied with Albany for the final playoff spot in the East Division. Providence (41-30-1-4) earned a point and remained in third place in the Atlantic Division.
Sound Tigers goalie Billy Thompson stopped 37 shots in regulation and overtime. He gave up a shootout goal to David Krejci, but stopped Providence’s next four attempts.
Mark Wotton netted two goals for Bridgeport, and Gregg Johnson added another.
The Bruins forced overtime after rallying back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits in the third period. Nate Thompson, T.J. Trevelan and Sean Bentivoglio scored for Providence.
Hannu Toivonen had 23 saves for the Bruins.
--ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:52 PM | Permalink
April 6, 2007
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- The Providence Bruins strengthened their hold on an Atlantic Division playoff berth, last night, even with their 4-3 shootout loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers before 3,667 at the Arena at Harbor Yard.
Bridgeport won the shootout, 2-1, but nonetheless, the P-Bruins, who erased a pair of third period deficits, took home a valuable point.
That result, coupled with the 3-1 loss handed the fifth place Lowell Devils by the Manchester Monarchs, cuts the P-Bruins magic number to seven.
The opening period was scoreless, although Providence , showed plenty of jump from the outset, outshooting the Tigers 11-3.
Dennis Packard had the best scoring opportunity of the period, when, at 7:55, Nate Thompson sent him away on a clean, shorthanded breakaway.
Packard rolled in on Bridgeport goalie Billy Thompson, and tried to tuck the puck between his skates, but couldn’t jam it home.
The P-Bruins’ lot took a sharp down turn in the second period, when the Sound Tigers scored twice on P-Bruin goalie Hannu Toivonen, who had been sent back to the club, yesterday, after a brief, two-game stay with Boston.
Mark Wotton’s wraparound stuffer inside the left post at 4:35 gave Bridgeport a 1-0 lead.
That was followed at 14:49, but Gregg Johnson’s drive from the right point through a screen that came moments after Bridgeport’s Rick Berry rang the post from the left point.
The P-Bruins regained their footing, and generated two dangerous chances in the final 1:28 of the period, the first of which was a breakaway by Sean Bentivoglio that Thompson fended off.
The other came with 54 seconds left, when team captain Jay Leach tried to jam the puck past Thompson. It appeared that Thompson might have taken the puck across the goal line with him as he fell into his net. But referee Francois St. Laurent emphatically waved the play off, and the red goal light never was lit.
That surge carried into the third period, and it led to a pair of P-Bruin goals in a span of 2:29 -- by Bentivoglio and T.J. Trevelyan --, which knotted the score, 2-2.
Wotton scored his second of the game to make it 3-2 at 6:14.
But with Providence working a 5-on-3 man advantage, Bentivoglio scored again, shoveling in his fourth of the year at 11:34, to tie the game again, 3-3.
DAN HICKLING -- Special to the Journal
Posted by Thom Cahir at 10:39 PM | Permalink
April 1, 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rookies T.J. Trevelyan and David Krejci each scored a goal and Hannu Toivonen made 24 saves to help the Providence Bruins defeat the Lowell Devils 2-1 in American Hockey League action Sunday.
The Bruins (41-30-1-3) moved into third place in the Atlantic Division with 86 points, one point ahead of the idle Worcester Sharks who have 85. Lowell (36-27-5-6) remained in fifth place with 83 points.
Providence and Lowell have one game remaining against each other, on April 7. The top four teams in each division qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Trevelyan scored his 26th goal of the season on a first-period power play. Another rookie, Sean Bentivoglio, dug the puck out of traffic in front of the net and passed to Trevelyan who tucked it inside the left post at 14:54.
Krejci added what proved to be the game-winner at 18:13 of the middle period, one second after a Lowell penalty expired. Lowell’s Frank Doyle (32 saves) blocked a shot by Nate Dempsey but Krejci stuffed home the rebound for his team-leading 30th goal of the season.
Chris Minard spoiled Toivonen’s bid for his second shutout of the season when he finished off a 2-on-1 rush with Tomas Harant at 6:15 of the third.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 7:41 PM | Permalink
March 31, 2007
LOWELL, Mass. -- The Providence Bruins are dropping points at precisely the wrong time, to the very teams that can exploit them the most.
Last night, before a rare, near capacity Tsongas Arena crowd of 5,512, the P-Bruins fell in disappointing fashion, 4-3, to the Lowell Devils, who, like themselves are scratching to get into the Calder Cup playoffs.
Providence, one of four teams fighting for the last two Atlantic Division post-season berths, have now lost four of the last five, by a combined total of five goals.
This one was decided by David Clarkson’s goal at 5:26, which gave Lowell its first and only lead.
“We are playing well,” said veteran defenseman Dwayne Zinger. “But everyone on down needs to play a little better. We’re making some mistakes. Right now it’s pretty tight, with every team being so close.”
The P-Bruins did bombard Lowell goalie Jordan Parise with 45 shots, and held the lead twice. But it all amounted to another costly loss.
“We’ve been playing well in all the games,” said winger Dennis Packard. “But we’ve come out on the short end. But we have to put this game behind us, and come ready to play.”
The teams will meet again this afternoon, this time at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
T.J. Trevelyan had staked the P-Bruins to a 2-0 advantage, with the second (his 25th of the year) coming at 9:46.
But by the end of the frame, Lowell had put two shots past P-Bruin goalie Hannu Toivonen (31 saves).
David Krejci restored the Providence lead at 9:48 of the second, after putting a series of jaw dropping moves on both Lowell defender Rod Pelley and Parise.
But with 2:48 left in the frame, Grant Marshall made it 3-3 with a one-timer from the edge of the right circle.
That set the stage for Clarkson’s third period game winner, which came on a power play, as he picked the top left corner from 25-feet away.
“We’re doing a lot of things right,” said Providence coach Scott Gordon. “That’s all you can control. You can’t control the final outcome because there’s a goalie in the way trying to stop the puck.”
--DAN HICKLING
Posted by Chris Venditto at 10:27 PM | Permalink
LOWELL, Mass. -- The Providence Bruins are dropping points at precisely the wrong time, to the very teams that can exploit them the most.
Last night, before a rare, near capacity Tsongas Arena crowd of 5,512, the P-Bruins fell in disappointing fashion, 4-3, to the Lowell Devils, who, like themselves are scratching to get into the Calder Cup playoffs.
Providence, one of four teams fighting for the last two Atlantic Division post-season berths, have now lost four of the last five, by a combined total of five goals.
This one was decided by David Clarkson’s goal at 5:26, which gave Lowell its first and only lead.
“We are playing well,” said veteran defenseman Dwayne Zinger. “But everyone on down needs to play a little better. We’re making some mistakes. Right now it’s pretty tight, with every team being so close.”
The P-Bruins did bombard Lowell goalie Jordan Parise with 45 shots, and held the lead twice. But it all amounted to another costly loss.
“We’ve been playing well in all the games,” said winger Dennis Packard. “But we’ve come out on the short end. But we have to put this game behind us, and come ready to play.”
The teams will meet again this afternoon, this time at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
T.J. Trevelyan had staked the P-Bruins to a 2-0 advantage, with the second (his 25th of the year) coming at 9:46.
But by the end of the frame, Lowell had put two shots past P-Bruin goalie Hannu Toivonen (31 saves).
David Krejci restored the Providence lead at 9:48 of the second, after putting a series of jaw dropping moves on both Lowell defender Rod Pelley and Parise.
But with 2:48 left in the frame, Grant Marshall made it 3-3 with a one-timer from the edge of the right circle.
That set the stage for Clarkson’s third period game winner, which came on a power play, as he picked the top left corner from 25-feet away.
“We’re doing a lot of things right,” said Providence coach Scott Gordon. “That’s all you can control. You can’t control the final outcome because there’s a goalie in the way trying to stop the puck.”
--DAN HICKLING
Posted by Chris Venditto at 10:27 PM | Permalink
March 30, 2007
T.J. Trevelyan scored one goal and assisted on three as the Providence Bruins broke a three-game losing streak by defeating the Springfield Falcons, 5-2, in American Hockey League action Friday.
Trevleyan, a rookie center, earned assists on three of Providences first four goals and scored his 23rd goal of the season on a third-period power play.
Providence (40-29-1-3) moved into third place in the Atlantic Division with 84 points. The top four teams qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs.
Providence also scored on 4-of-7 power-play opportunities while killing off all six Springfield power plays.
Providence broke the game open by scoring three goals in the opening period, the first two by Ben Walter. Rookie David Krejci scored his team-leading 28th goal of the season on a power play at 17:05 of the first for that 3-0 lead.
Sean Bentivoglio scored his second professional goal, on a second-period power play.
Eric Healey and Jacob Mcflickier scored for the Falcons (26-44-1-2) whove lost five in a row.
--ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Corey Bourassa at 10:04 PM | Permalink
March 25, 2007
PROVIDENCE — Al Montoya made 36 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and Alex Bouret scored his 13th goal to lift the Hartford Wolf Pack to a 1-0 victory over the Providence Bruins in American Hockey League action Sunday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.
Montoya made 18 saves in the first period which ended in a scoreless tie.
Bouret scored the game’s sole goal when he finished off a 3-on-2 rush with Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky in the second period to stuff a rebound past goalie Hannu Toivonen (25 saves) at 11:57.
The Bruins (39-29-1-3), who lost their third game in a row, were 0-for-3 on the power play and have scored only two goals in their last 46 times with a man advantage.
Montoya began the game ranked fifth with a 2.25 goals-against average and improved his season record against Providence to 4-1.
The Wolf Pack (41-26-3-0) have now beaten the Bruins for the fourth consecutive game.
Hartford also has increased its lead over Providence to three points in the race for second place in the Atlantic Division.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 7:22 PM | Permalink
March 24, 2007
WORCESTER, Mass. — Thomas Greiss stopped 25 of 26 shots to push the Worcester Sharks to a 3-1 victory over the Providence Bruins in American Hockey League action Saturday.
The win moves Worcester into fourth place in the Atlantic Division. Josh Prudden, Lukas Kaspar and Grant Stevenson had the Sharks goals while Craig Valette added two assists.
Sean Bentivoglio scored for the Bruins, his first professional goal.
Hannu Toivonen made 27 saves in the Providence net.
The Sharks scored a single goal in each period. The Bruins got their consolation in the second period.
Prudden scored on a wraparound at 17:51 of the first period. Kaspar later got the puck as he came out of the penalty box and fired a 35-foot wrist shot through Toivonen’s pads at 6:54 to increase the Worcester lead to 2-0.
Bentivoglios goal at 18:15 of the second period was contentious, as the puck entered the net just as it popped off its posts. Referee Conrad Hache initially waved it off, then called it a goal after conferring with linesmen Brent Colby and Kevin Redding.
Stevenson finished off the scoring on a partial breakaway with 15-foot wrist shot to make it 3-1 at 16:16 of the third period.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:35 PM | Permalink
March 21, 2007
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — David Krejci scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Providence Bruins defeated the Portland Pirates, 5-3, in American Hockey League action Wednesday.
Krejci, a rookie center, now has 27-38-65 totals and has recorded 16 multiple-point games.
Providence (38-26-1-3) moved one point ahead of idle Hartford to take second place in the Atlantic Division. The top two teams earn home ice for the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
The Bruins led 3-1 after one period but Portland (29-26-3-9) scored twice in the second to tie the game.
Drew Miller beat Hannu Toivonen (15 saves) on a wrist shot from the right circle and Geoff Peters finished off a 2-on-1 break with Mike Hoffman. Peters shot deflected in off the bottom of the crossbar.
Krejci scored what proved to be the game-winning goal 1:07 into the third period when he deflected in a slap shot by Jay Leach.
Nate DiCasmiro added an insurance goal at 3:56 with a wrist shot from deep in the left end.
Providence had defeated Portland in the teams last six games and has outscored the Pirates by a combined 30-12 margin.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:31 PM | Permalink
March 10, 2007
The Providence Bruins fell to the Springfield Falcons 3-2 Saturday evening at the MassMutual Center. The P-Bruins got goals from David Krejci, and Bill LeClerc. Providence remains in second place in the Atlantic Division with 76 points and a 36-24-1-3 record, one ahead of the third place Hartford Wolf Pack.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:41 PM | Permalink
March 9, 2007
PROVIDENCE -- Daylight savings arrives early this year, but for a few hours last night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center the clock turned back to 1999.
The excitement began late last week when it was announced that fan favorite Aaron Downey was returning to the Providence Bruins after he was acquired on loan from the Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal Canadiens) in exchange for goaltender Philippe Sauve.
Fans all around the state couldn’t wait to see No. 44 back on the ice at the Dunk and when his blades hit the ice for the pregame warmup, the 8,612 in attendance gave him a welcome reception. Once fans settled in after Downey through a couple of checks, the attention turned to the P-Bruins as they extended their winning streak to five with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Read more of this story.
-- JOE McDONALD
Posted by Thom Cahir at 10:09 PM | Permalink
March 3, 2007
The Providence Bruins erased a two goal third period deficit and wound up with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Lowell Devils tonight at Lowell, Mass.
David Krejci scored on both his attempts in the shootout against Lowell goalie Frank Doyle. The last one, which came in the sixth round, provided the club with the margin of victory.
The P-Bruins have won four in a row and five in their past six.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 10:07 PM | Permalink
David Krejci and Petr Kalus each scored twice as the Providence Bruins beat the Worcester Sharks 6-1 in an American Hockey League game Friday night.
Jeff Hoggan and Marco Rosa had the other Bruins goals.
Grant Stevenson scored the lone Sharks goal on a penalty shot. Providence’s Pascal Pelletier missed his own penalty shot.
Hannu Toivonen stopped 18 shots in his first appearance since being sent down from Boston. He also registered his first professional assist and picked up a minor penalty.
Hoggan and Rosa scored in the first period as the Bruins took an early 2-0 lead. It was Krejci at 12:07 of the second period, then Kalus scored on a power play at 16:23. That goal sent Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss to the bench in favor of Dimitri Patzold.
Stevenson scored 11 seconds into the third period, but the Bruins responded with goals by Kalus and Krejci to nail it down.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Chris Venditto at 12:25 AM | Permalink
February 24, 2007
The Providence Bruins got two goals apiece from Marco Rosa and T.J. Trevelyan and defeated the Springfield Falcons, 6-2, Saturday night at Springfield, Mass. Martins Karsums and Sean Curry also scored for Providence, which is now in third place in the Atlantic Division with 68 points and a 32-23-1-3 record - one point behind the third place Hartford Wolf Pack.
Jordan Sigalet stopped 23 of 25 shots for the P-Bruins. Kari Ramo made 15 saves and Jonathan Boutin three for the Falcons. Providence was 2 for 4 on the power play, while Springfield went 0 for 6.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:52 PM | Permalink
The Providence Bruins got two goals apiece from Marco Rosa and T.J. Trevelyan and defeated the Springfield Falcons, 6-2, Saturday night at Springfield, Mass. Martins Karsums and Sean Curry also scored for Providence, which is now in third place in the Atlantic Division with 68 points and a 32-23-1-3 record - one point behind the third place Hartford Wolf Pack.
Jordan Sigalet stopped 23 of 25 shots for the P-Bruins. Kari Ramo made 15 saves and Jonathan Boutin three for the Falcons. Providence was 2 for 4 on the power play, while Springfield went 0 for 6.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 9:52 PM | Permalink
Manchester Monarchs goaltender Jason LaBarbera stopped 41 shots and blanked the Providence Bruins, 1-0, last night at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH.
LaBarbera outdueled P-Bruin net minder Phil Sauve, who also had a strong game, making 27 saves.
“It’s a little frustrating,” said center Ben Walter, one of eight P-Bruins who leveled three or more shots at LaBarbera, “when you get that many opportunities. Especially on the power play where we had a ton of chances. He (LaBarbera) came up big for them. He was definitely the difference.”
La Barbera, the AHL's most valuable player three seasons ago, has a league-best seven shutouts this season.
Posted by Chris Venditto at 12:12 AM | Permalink
