By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
Last night, the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins played the final game of the 2024-25 regular season, beating the visiting Bridgeport Islanders by a score of 3-2. Not only was this the final game of the Providence regular season schedule, but it was also the final game at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, and the 8,663 home faithful who were in attendance supporting the team all year.
With Saturday night’s victory over the Islanders, the Providence Bruins clinched third place in the Atlantic Division with a regular-season record of 41-23-5-3 and 90 points. The Hershey Bears captured the Atlantic Division title with a 44-20-7-1 record and 96 points. This is the tenth straight year that the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins’ top minor-pro affiliate has appeared in the Calder Cup Playoffs, minus the pandemic years when seasons were cut short and postseasons canceled.
The Bruins’ goals last night came courtesy of forward Vinni Lettieri, who got the Providence offense going at the 3:11 mark of the first period and finished the season riding a seven-game point streak. The assists on Lettieri’s 21st of the season went to forward Dans Locmelis, who has points in his last four games, and defenseman Frederic Brunet.
Later in the first period, the Bridgeport Islanders would tie the game at open apiece courtesy of former Boston Bruin Gemel Smith, who scored his sixth of the season at the 11:57 mark. Providence would get the 2-1 go-ahead goal via Bruins forward prospect Matt Poitras, who scored his 17th of the season. Locmelis added another point to this game with another assist, and Vinni Lettieri added the secondary helper for his 15th multi-point game of the season.
With no scoring in the second period, Providence would take a 3-1 lead at the 7:00 minute mark of the third period when forward John Farinacci notched his tenth goal of the season and ended his 2024-25 season with 38 points in 58 games. The assists on Farinacci’s goal went to defenseman Max Wanner and forward Riley Tufte, who finished his regular season on a three-game point streak.
Providence goaltender Michael DiPietro got the start in goal for the NHL Bruins affiliate, stopping 33 of 35 Islanders shots for an AHL career-high 26th regular-season victory. The former Vancouver Canucks draft pick was one if not the best netminder all season throughout the league and rode a three-game winning streak to end his 2024-25 campaign.
The AHL Bruins have certainly had their way with the Bridgeport team this season, as the NHL’s New York Islanders affiliate finished the year dead last in the league, losing 50 games while only putting together 15 victories. Providence ended the 24/25 campaign with an 11-1 record against the AHL Isles and outscored them by a 49 to 23 margin.
With the arrival of talent coming down from the NHL B’s, this Providence team looks to be a player in the upcoming 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. Speaking of the postseason, this is the first time in three years that the AHL Bruins won’t have a first-round bye as a higher-seeded team in each division. In both of the previous two bye weeks, the Providence team couldn’t find any momentum, with almost two weeks off between game action (a 12-day average). This year, as the third seed, Providence can build on the momentum of its recent four-game winning streak and points in its last five games to reach the postseason and have a roster boost.
Providence will play Atlantic Division rival Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday night at the AMP to start the best-of-three first-round series. When looking back at the 24/25 regular season matchups between Providence and Springfield, the Thunderbirds hold a slight edge, posting a 6-3-0-2 record against the division foe. When it comes to offensive numbers between the B’s and Birds, it’s pretty much split right down the middle with Providence holding a 32-30 edge.
Game two is scheduled for Friday night at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the final best-of-three series concludes on Sunday afternoon back at the AMP in Providence for an afternoon tilt. Hopefully, with no extended breaks due to bye weeks, this Providence Bruins team will be physically and mentally prepared to make a deep run. The Hershey Bears and Charlotte Checkers will be challenges in the postseason for Providence as higher-seeded teams, but if they can do what the Hartford Wolf Pack did to the B’s in the previous two postseasons and take the sails out of a well-rested club, then who knows?
If I were to choose a series winner between the Providence Bruins and Springfield Thunderbirds, I’d have to say the B’s have the edge in this series. I know that comes with a heavy dose of bias as someone who covers this team regularly, but this team has overcome many obstacles this year and seems driven to be the anchor of hope for many in Bruins Nation after the disastrous campaign at the NHL level. This loaded postseason roster is also an extension of the evaluation process underway in a hectic offseason for the Boston Bruins organization, as many players on the current Providence roster will challenge for NHL jobs in the upcoming training camp. Should be a fun ride…….
Leave a Reply