The Captain Delivers Game Winner as P-Bruins Beat Pirates
Ken Bell
P-BRUINS
SINK PIRATES BEHIND WHITFIELD GAME-WINNER
Return to The Dunk' On Sunday for
Matinee Matchup with Springfield
Providence, RI – The
Providence Bruins (17-12-0-2)
defeated the Portland Pirates (19-12-1-1)
by a score of 3-2 this evening at The Dunkin'
Donuts Center. Chris Bourque continued his hot-streak,
tallying his sixth goal in as many games as well as an assist, building upon
his team lead in points with 27. Ryan
Spooner contributed to the scoring sheet, adding two assists of his own. Trent Whitfield provided the heroics,
tallying the game-winner in the final minutes of regulation.
After suffering a crushing 2-1 loss at the hands of the Pirates
on Wednesday at the Cumberland County
Civic Center in Portland, ME, the Bruins returned to a packed house in
Providence with the intent of getting revenge, and more importantly, back in
the win column. This was evident from the moment the puck dropped as the Bruins
fed off the momentum of the crowd and came out flying in hopes of capturing the
elusive opening goal.
Spooner
and Bourque fulfilled their coach's
request, connecting on a 2-on-1 rush 36 seconds after the opening face-off,
beating Portland net minder Chad Johnson. The Bruins rush of momentum
was short-lived as the Pirates struck back moments later, taking advantage of a
Christian Hanson tripping minor, with Alexandre
Bolduc receiving credit on his 15th
goal of the season.
It was no surprise that the Bruins were eager to regain
the momentum; however their plans were foiled, as the Pirates converted on
their second power-play goal in as many attempts with Garnet Exelby sitting in the box. Brendan Shinnimin earned his fifth goal of the season, beating Niklas Svedberg at the 7:03 mark of the opening frame. Spooner and Bourque
would hook up yet again, with Matt
Bartkowski serving as the beneficiary, burying a loose rebound past a
sprawled Johnson for his 2nd goal of the season.
The Dunk' faithful were treated to a heavy-weight bout
between Bobby Robins and Mark Louis, concluding an eventful period
that would come to an end with the 2-2 tie in tact.
The second period served as a goaltending clinic with both
Johnson and Svedberg thwarting every goal scoring opportunity on either side of
the ice. The Pirates and Bruins would head into the intermission dead-locked at
two, setting up for a dramatic finish in the decisive third period.
The puck would drop on the final frame with both teams
paying extreme attention to even the most minute of details, as any error could
lead to the moment that would propel the opposition to ultimate glory in the
showdown of Atlantic Division rivals.
Play would enter the final ten minutes of regulation with
both goaltenders standing tall between the pipes for their teammates. The clubs
exchanged goal-scoring opportunities, however It was becoming increasingly
apparent that Svedberg was not willing to surrender the crucial game-winner.
It would be none other than captain Whitfield who would
deliver the triumphant moment and send The Dunkin' Donuts crowd of 8932 into a
frenzy. The game-winning goal would serve as Whitfield's first of the season. Svedberg
thwarted a last-second flurry of Pirate chances and confirmed that the Bruins
would earn a crucial two points in the Eastern Conference standings.
Svedberg, who improves to 13-6-0-1 on the 2012-13 AHL
season, was credited with 31 saves en route to the victory. Johnson was stellar
despite being handed his 7th loss of the season for the Pirates, stopping 27 of
30 Bruin chances.
The Bruins action continues at The Dunk'
on Sunday, January 6th for
a 3:05 p.m. matchup with the Springfield Falcons on “Stadium Cup Day“. The first 1,000 fans
12 and under in attendance will receive a stadium cup courtesy of Cool Air Creations. The
P-Bruins' complete season schedule can be found on www.providencebruins.com.
Providence Bruins ticket packages are on sale now for the
2012-13 season. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the P-Bruins
ticket office at 401-273-5000 or
log on to the team website at www.providencebruins.com.
For
all the latest Providence Bruins news, updates and special offers, become a fan
of the P-Bruins on Facebook at www.facebook.com/providencebruins or
follow the club on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AHLBruins.
— Bruins —
