By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
The Providence Bruins secured a gritty 2-1 regulation win over the Springfield Thunderbirds last night at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, in a game marked not only by tight checking and strong goaltending, but also by the professional hockey debut of highly-touted Boston Bruins forward prospect James Hagens. With last night’s road victory, the top minor-pro affiliate of the Boston Bruins is now on a three-game winning streak, and extended their record to 24-6-1 away from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
Hagens, who recently signed an amateur tryout agreement with Providence following a standout year in the NCAA with Boston College, made his much-anticipated professional hockey debut and wasted no time making an impression. Skating on Providence’s first line with team Captain Patrick Brown centering, and Matej Blumel on the right side, the 19-year-old Hauppauge, New York, native displayed his trademark speed and vision, along with an aggressive side, getting involved in puck battles along the boards and around the Springfield goal. Hagens was held pointless in last night’s road win but did have three shots on goal in his debut.
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The left shooting versatile forward was selected in the first round of the 2025 National Hockey League Entry Draft out in Los Angeles, California, and posted 34-50-84 in 71 career NCAA games. The 2025-26 collegiate campaign for the 5’-11” 194-pound forward was the best in his NCAA hockey career, contributing 23-24-47 in 34 games before making the decision to join the pro ranks with the Providence Bruins.
Providence opened the scoring midway through the first period, with big forward Riley Tufte scoring a career-high 28th goal of the season, assisted by fellow forwards Matej Blumel and Matt Poitras. The Thunderbirds responded midway through the second period, as forward Julien Gauthier scored his seventh goal of the season, tying Providence at one apiece.
The game-winning goal for the B’s came early in the third period with 16:04 to go in the game, when AHL rookie and former University of North Dakota forward Jake Schmaltz broke in all alone, deking Thunderbirds goaltender Will Cranley on the breakaway to score his eighth goal of the season, with an intelligent advancing pass forward Joey Abate.
Last night’s starting goaltender, Michael DiPietro, was stellar in net for Providence, turning aside 25 of 26 shots and making several highlight-reel saves, particularly during a late Thunderbirds power play. The Bruins’ defensive corps, anchored by Michael Callahan, Victor Soderstrom, and Christian Wolanin, limited Springfield’s high-danger opportunities and blocked a flurry of shots in the closing minutes.
DiPietro is now 30-7-0 with a 1.90 goals-against-average and .932 save percentage in 39 games played in his third full year with the AHL Providence Bruins. The victory on the road at the MassMutual extends DiPietro’s winning streak to two games, and in his last ten games, he is 8-2-0 with a GAA of 2.60 and a .896 Save%. Regardless of this ten-game slip concerning goals-against and save percentage during this ten-game stretch, DiPietro still remains atop the AHL goaltending ranks as he looks to win his second straight Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the best netminder in the league.
Jake Schmaltz now has goals in back-to-back games and has three points in his last four games. Joey Abate is currently on a four-game point streak, posting 3-3-6 over that span, and has 4-5-9 in his last ten games. With Matt Poitras getting a helper in this game, he extends his point streak to six games with 2-5-7 numbers in that timeframe, and in his last 12 games, he has 4-7-11 numbers. Riley Tufte is on a three-game point streak (3-1-4) and is starting to heat up at the right time for a long Calder Cup Playoff push after going pointless in his previous four games.
With the win, and ten games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, Providence increased its record to 48-13-1 with 97 points. The Eastern Conference Bruins and league-leading Grand Rapids Griffins are four points ahead of the Western Conference leading Grand Rapids Griffins, who were not in action last night.
The upcoming schedule has the Providence Bruins set to appear in back-to-back games this weekend at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in the Ocean State. First up for the B’s this weekend is Saturday night when the team faces the Bridgeport Islanders for the last time as an Atlantic Division member and longtime rival of Providence. The Islanders are relocating their AHL franchise to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and will officially begin play north of the border in the 2026-27 regular season. After beating the NHL’s New York Islanders affiliate 11-1-0 last season, so far this year, Providence has a 10-1-0 record with one game remaining against Bridgeport.
On Sunday afternoon, Providence finishes the weekend’s action as they face the Springfield Thunderbirds for the second-to-last time of the current regular season. So far this year, the B’s have a 6-4-0 record against Springfield, with the Birds beating the Bruins 4-3 the last time they played at the AMP back on March 15th.
If you’re interested in attending one or both of the home games at the AMP this weekend in Providence, please consider using our official StubHub Ticket-affiliated link HERE. This link is connected to the StubHub Ticket’s main page on the website and can be used for other sporting events and concerts throughout North America. Please bookmark for easy access and future ticket needs! We thank you in advance!
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