By: Kenny Kaminsky | Follow me on Twitter/X @KennyKaminsky
A whirlwind of uncertainty surrounded the Providence Bruins as they faced off against the Cleveland Monsters. This follows their impressive performance last week against Connecticut rivals, the Bridgeport Islanders and Hartford Wolfpack. Unfortunately, the Bruins lost two key players to call-ups: Captain Patrick Brown and Assistant Captain Jordan Oesterle were recalled for yesterday’s game in Dallas due to injury troubles affecting the Boston Bruins.
When the game roster was announced, it was revealed that Georgii Merkulov and Riley Tufte were late scratches. This left the Providence coaching staff in a challenging situation, as three of their top five scorers were inactive, and four out of five players on the first power play unit were also out. Michael DiPietro started in goal for the P-Bruins, having ranked among the top five goaltenders in the league. Despite all the problems surrounding the team, the Baby B’s put together a fantastic effort but unfortunately lost 4-3 in overtime.
The first period was strong for the Providence Bruins, as they took a 1-0 lead when Michael Callahan delivered a stretch pass to Riley Duran. Duran made a fantastic move around Cleveland Monsters goaltender Jet Greaves to score. However, the momentum shifted towards the end of the period when Cleveland tied the game with a third-chance goal from James Malatesta, a top prospect for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The assist came from Denton Mateychuk, the 2022 first-round draft pick, who delivered a perfect shot on the net that resulted in a rebound.
The second period began slowly for the Baby B’s when Stanislav Svozil scored, putting the Monsters ahead 2-1. Veteran Rocco Grimaldi assisted with that goal. Shortly afterward, Marc McLaughlin scored a fortunate goal as the puck deflected off himself, marking his third goal in three games. Riley Duran recorded his second point of the game, while Jackson Edward earned his first point of the season with this goal. Unfortunately for the Baby B’s, Denton Mateychuk scored a top-shelf goal, with Rocco Grimaldi notching his third game assist. As a result, the Monsters took a 3-2 lead into the intermission.
The Bruins tied the game with an impressive shot from Frederic Brunet, with assists credited to Marc McLaughlin and Ian Mitchell. This marked McLaughlin’s second point of the game, bringing the score back to 3-3. Rocco Grimaldi almost had his fourth point of the game while also playing heartbreaker as he scored with 25 seconds left, but the goal was waved off due to a high stick. The game was going into overtime.
It was a back-and-forth overtime that ended tragically, as Denton Mateychuk put one short side on Michael DiPietro to give the Monsters the win 4-3.
Despite the loss, the team performed admirably, and the main storyline heading into this game was the debut of Matthew Poitras. Poitras played exceptionally well, showcasing some elite-level skills, even though he did not register a point. He proved to be an excellent addition to the power play, and I look forward to watching him once the team is at full strength.
Frederic Brunet scored his first goal of the season, which was well-deserved. He had several previous opportunities and played a very typical Boston Bruins style of hockey. Finally, Michael DiPietro had ane despite the defeat. H outstanding game made several crucial saves down the stretch that kept the team competitive and turned away 29 of 33 Cleveland shots.
Providence has a quick turnaround as they face the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, tomorrow at 7 p.m. The P-Bruins aim to build on their recent strong performances and climb the Atlantic Division standings. They had a solid effort tonight, earning a point, and they hope to carry this momentum into the next game.
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