By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
This past weekend, the Providence Bruins continued their six-game road trip, heading to Canada for the first time this season for back-to-back games against the Hamilton Hammers and Belleville Senators in Ontario. Now, the final two games of the road trip have arrived as the Bruins head to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a back-to-back against the Charlotte Checkers. After Saturday’s game against the Senators, the Bruins are looking to regain momentum.
The Bruins travel to Bojangles Coliseum to face the Checkers in their first game of the back-to-back. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and tonight marks the first meeting of the season between the Bruins and the Checkers in Charlotte.
The Bruins headed to Canada riding a three-game winning streak. This past Friday, the Bruins won 5-4 in a thrilling overtime game against the Hammers at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. The Bruins trailed 3-0 heading into the second intermission, then forwards Riley Duran and Alex Steeves scored to cut the deficit to 3-2 before falling behind 4-2 with 3:04 remaining in regulation. Then, forward Mikey Eyssimont scored a hat trick in a span of 1:43 to lift the Bruins to victory. Eyssimont scored the game-winning goal with under 25 seconds remaining.
The next day, the Bruins fell 5-2 to the Senators at CIBC Place in Belleville, Ontario. In the loss, forward Dans Locmelis scored both Bruins goals. Locmelis scored to cut the Bruins’ deficit to 3-2 with 7:50 remaining in the second period, but Senators forward Lucas Ellinas scored six seconds later to stop the momentum. The Senators scored one goal in the third period to ice the game and snap the Bruins’ four-game winning streak. Even with the loss, confidence is back on the Bruins’ side as the team sits at 6-7 and fifth in the Atlantic Division after a tough start to the season.
A Look at the Opponent
The Checkers enter tonight as the Atlantic Division leader with an 8-5-1-0 record. This past weekend, the Checkers lost both games of their back-to-back at home to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Forward Jack Devine leads the Checkers with nine goals and 12 points. Forward Gracyn Sawchyn is second on the Checkers’ roster with ten points, while forward Nate Smith leads the team with six goals. Kirill Gerasimyuk has emerged as the team’s top goaltender, posting a 2.57 GAA and an .890 save percentage in eight games.
Looking to Build Off Oct. 10 Meeting
The Bruins and Checkers have met once this season, back on Oct. 10 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. The Bruins won 6-2, earning their first win of the season. In the win, Eyssimont recorded a hat trick, and goaltender Simon Zajicek was credited with an empty-net goal. Forwards Lukas Reichel and Brendan Gaunce scored the other two Bruin goals. For the Checkers, forwards Robert Mastrosimone and Nathan Bastian each scored a goal and added an assist in the loss.
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