(Photo Credit: Providence Bruins / Flickr)

By Carrie Young | Follow me on Twitter @carrieyoung512
The Providence Bruins were back in action at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Friday night for a match-up with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Bruins had just one regulation win in their last six games and were ranked fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 9-7-0-2 record. This was the fourth game between Providence and Bridgeport this season, with the Bruins leading the season series 2-1.

Starting Lineups

Providence:

Frederic – Hughes – Lauko

Sherman – Petrovic

Lagace

Bridgeport:

Bourque – Bardreau – McDonald

Hutton – Wotherspoon

Gibson

Game Recap

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First Period

Providence started strong, looking motivated to get a win in front of the home crowd. Bridgeport struggled to possess the puck and didn’t register a shot on goal through the opening six minutes.
Bridgeport’s Kyle Burroughs was called for slashing at 2:08 of the first, and the Bruins headed to the power play.
After an offensive-zone face-off win, Alex Petrovic sent a shot in on Gibson that bounced around in the crease until it found the stick of Brendan Gaunce, who was playing the net-front role on the power play. Gaunce buried his fifth goal of the season, putting Providence up 1-0.

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With 6:41 remaining in the period, Wiley Sherman sent a long, cross-ice pass to Ryan Fitzgerald at the offensive blue line. Fitzgerald was able to control the bouncing puck and sped down the right side, beating Gibson and scoring his sixth goal of the season.

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Though the Sound Tigers didn’t record many shots in the first, Lagace made a few important saves to maintain the Bruins’ lead.
With just under a minute left in the period, Gaunce scored his second goal of the game after a great passing sequence between Peter Cehlarik, Jakub Zboril, and Robert Lantosi.

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Providence headed into the first intermission up 3-0 and leading in shots 13-6.

Second Period

Jared Coreau replaced Christopher Gibson in goal for Bridgeport to start the second.
Around four minutes in, Trent Frederic collided with Bridgeport rookie Oliver Wahlstrom at center ice and was challenged to a fight by Seth Helgeson. Frederic obliged, dropping the gloves for a good bout in front of the Bridgeport bench. Both players got five minutes for fighting, and Helgeson was also assessed a minor penalty for instigating and a ten-minute misconduct. Frederic was sent to the locker room after the fight as it appeared he had a cut on his forehead that needed to be stitched up. He returned later in the period.
A good forecheck by Providence led to a slashing penalty on Andrew Ladd at 8:56, and the Bruins were awarded their third power play of the night. Despite some good chances, they were unable to convert. A misplay in the offensive zone led to a shorthanded rush by the Sound Tigers, and Cehlarik was sent off for slashing.
Late in the penalty kill, Sherman was able to clear the zone after a good save by Lagace. Jakub Lauko used his speed to beat Bridgeport’s Sebastian Aho to the puck, then passed to Frederic, who was all alone in front of the net. Frederic scored his first goal of the season to put Providence up 4-0.

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The Bruins were assessed their second penalty of the game when Sherman was whistled for tripping at 18:13.
With just under 30 seconds left in the period, Bridgeport turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Alex Petrovic sent a pass into open ice, and Lauko yet again beat a Sound Tigers defender and got a great pass right in front of the net. Jack Studnicka tapped one past Coreau, giving him three straight games with a goal. Studnicka is now tied for second in points among AHL rookies with 7 goals and 7 assists in 19 games.

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Providence went to the second intermission with a 5-0 lead.

Third Period

With two more games coming up this weekend, the Bruins were wise to reduce the tempo in the third period considering their lead. Lagace continued his strong play with some big saves to keep Bridgeport off of the scoreboard. The third period was scoreless for both teams, and Providence earned a big win against a divisional opponent. Lagace got his league-leading fourth shutout of the season. He also leads the league in GAA and is ranked third in save percentage.
The Bruins are now 10-7-0-2. They play in Springfield on Saturday night and are back home on Sunday against the Hershey Bears.

Check out the new Black N’ Gold Hockey Podcast episode 154 that we recorded below! You can find our show on many worldwide platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.

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