P-Bruins Power Their Way Past Hershey at the Dunk

 P-Bruins news release…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence Bruins scored twice on the power play against the best penalty killing unit in the league and defeated the Hershey Bears 2-1 Friday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Paul Carey and Zack Phillips each had points in their respective P-Bruins debuts, and Seth Griffith scored the game-winner.

Rob Flick had a chance to put his team in front in after a Chris Breen slapper from the top of the slot with 10:18 left in the first, though Philipp Grubauer made the stop. Later in the frame, Carey notched a man-advantage goal. He ripped a wrister past Grubauer from the right wing side of the zone to give Providence a 1-0 lead at 12:45. Joe Morrow had a hand in the play, and Phillips had the secondary helper. While on the penalty kill, the Bruins blocked three shots in less than ten seconds, as David Warsofsky blocked a couple, then Chris Casto stopped one with his helmet (but did not appear shaken up). The Bruins had 10 of the game’s first 13 shots and took their 1-0 edge into the dressing room.

In the middle period, the Bears had a few more decent scoring chances, including two shots on the right doorstep, but Jeremy Smith made two of his 29 saves to preserve the lead. Griffith gave the home team a top-shelf wrister for some temporary insurance at 6:17.

The Bears had an answer of their own later in the frame, also on the power play. Tim Kennedy registered a goal, courtesy of a wrister from the right wing circle after Stan Galiev fed him from the top of the slot. The lamp-lighter cut the deficit in half at 9:53, but neither team scored in the second half of the game.

Hershey had a 6-on-5 for more than 90 seconds in the third, but Smith made two big saves on the right side of the zone, including batting a puck away with fewer than 10 ticks to go.

The “W” is the P-Bruins’ ninth in a row at home and their third consecutive overall. It comes on the heels of the team’s longest road trip of the season (five games), which featured a 5-4 overtime loss to the Bears in their only other matchup this regular season.

The Bruins will continue their home three-in-three Saturday at 7:05pm against the Springfield Falcons.

PROVIDENCE SCORING

#28 Paul Carey (#7 Joe Morrow, #16 Zack Phillips, PPG)

#17 Seth Griffith (#13 Alexander Khokhlachev, PPG)

PROVIDENCE GOALTENDING:

#30 Jeremy Smith (29 saves on 30 shots)