By: Kenny Kaminsky | Follow me on Twitter/X @KennyKaminsky
After a busy week, the Providence Bruins continued an eight-game road trip on Wednesday. Their first stop was in Toronto on Wednesday, where they faced the Marlies at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. On Saturday, the P-Bruins crossed back into the United States to take on the Rochester Americans, and they concluded the first half of the road trip on Sunday against their familiar rivals, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Michael DiPietro started in goal for Wednesday’s and Sunday’s games, while Brandon Bussi took the net on Friday. Both goaltenders are currently performing at a high level, helping to mitigate some of the team’s struggles. However, the P-Bruins must elevate their performance to catch the Hershey Bears for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.
On Wednesday, the team faced off against the Toronto Marlies, hoping to get back on track. The P-Bruins had previously defeated the Marlies at home with a score of 5-2. This game also marked the debut of the Boston Bruins’ top prospect, Fraser Minten. Providence started strong, creating several impressive scoring opportunities, and Tyler Pitlick even hit the post. Fabian Lysell opened the scoring with a beautiful breakaway shot, giving the P-Bruins the lead. However, the Marlies answered back with two consecutive goals before Frederic Brunet scored to tie the game at two. Unfortunately, the Marlies responded by scoring two more goals, putting the game out of reach for the P-Bruins. Ultimately, they suffered their second straight loss, with DiPietro making 23 saves on 26 shots.
On Saturday, the team faced off against the Rochester Americans. In their previous matchup, the Bruins had shut out the Amerks 3-0 at home. This time, they started strong, with Jeffrey Viel scoring two consecutive goals. Newcomer Jake Gaudet contributed two assists during his first period as a P-Bruin.
However, Providence conceded a goal in the second period and another early in the third. Oliver Wahlstrom regained the lead with a powerful shot from the top of the circle. The Amerks fought back, tying the game again after pulling their goalie.
After an exciting overtime, the Americans ultimately won in a shootout. This game was a goaltender’s duel, with Devon Levi and Brandon Bussi making impressive saves until the end. Bussi finished the night with 40 saves on 43 shots.
On Sunday, the game started with a boom as two heavyweights, Kale Kessy and Joey Abate, dropped the gloves three seconds into the game. Both teams tried to gain some energy right off the bat. Late in the first period, Fraser Minten scored his first as a Bruin, Matthew Poitras and Georgii Merkulov assisted on the power play goal. Minten would go off in the second period, scoring two more goals and adding an assist on a Riley Duran goal. Providence took a resounding 4-1 lead into the second intermission. The team would close out the win with Michael DiPietro having another fantastic outing, stopping 24 of 25 shots.
This week’s main storyline was the team’s struggles due to the absence of Vinni Lettieri, Patrick Brown, and Ian Mitchell. These three players have been called up to Boston and have served as the backbone of the P-Bruins all season. They contribute significantly to the team both on and off the ice. Matthew Poitras, Georgii Merkulov, and Fabian Lysell demonstrated strong performances, creating numerous scoring opportunities. Additionally, newcomers Jake Gaudet and Fraser Minten played very well in their debuts with the team. Jake Gaudet tallied two points in his first game, while Fraser Minten exploded for four points in two periods against the T-Birds. The future is exceptionally bright for the Bruins.
Catch the Providence Bruins next week as they continue their road trip to Pennsylvania. They will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. With all six playoff teams within close range of one another, it is crucial to secure every possible point as we approach the end of the season. The puck drops for both games at 7:05 PM.
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