Spooner batted Boston's first goal out of midair to tie the Bruins' second rookie game against the Islanders at 17:37 of the second period. Then he went with a more traditional shot through the pads to win it in overtime as Boston completed a sweep of the Islanders with a 2-1 victory.
"No, I think I've played two games of baseball in my entire life, so it's definitely not because of that," said Spooner of his first goal.
That one came off a rebound of a Max Sauve shot, which popped up off New York goalie Kevin Poulin at the right post, and Spooner swatted it in from along the goal line.
Spooner's big night upstaged top prospect Tyler Seguin and 2009 first-round pick Jordan Caron, who netted a hat trick on Wednesday, but Spooner was quick to share the credit for his success.
"It's kind of intimidating I guess, but also to play with them is great," said Spooner. "There are so many good players here. There's Seguin, Sauve, [Jamie] Arniel. There's so many guys that I guess I can look up to and take tips from, and that's what I did the last couple games."
Spooner forged a quick chemistry with Sauve, as that duo combined again for the winner when Sauve sprung Spooner down the right wing with a perfect cross-ice pass. Spooner cut to the net and slipped the puck between Poulin's pads at 4:21 of overtime, sending the crowd of 14,180 home happy.
"I didn't really look at the goalie, I just kind of knew I was going five-hole the whole way," said Spooner. "It's a move that I use and it worked out."
Everything seemed to work out just fine for Spooner on Thursday night. His Boston debut on Wednesday was another matter. The 2010 second-round pick struggled at times in the Bruins' 5-2 win that night, as the big stage and bigger crowd proved a bit intimidating initially.
"I think that rewatching [Wednesday's] game, Ryan probably wasn't around the puck as much as he needed to be last night," said Providence coach Rob Murray, who ran the bench for the Bruins' rookies. "A guy with the skill set that he has obviously needs the puck to make things happen. Somehow he found a way to do that tonight. Good hand-eye coordination on the first goal. Even the goal he scored, I had no doubt he was going to score having watched him in practice here. But the previous shift when he threw the backhand saucer pass to [Yuri] Alexandrov in the slot, that was a great example of what kind of skill this kid has."
Alexandrov had a chance to end it himself just before Spooner's second tally, thanks to a spectacular setup by the 18-year-old center. But Spooner made sure the packed house, which included his own parents who came down from Ontario for the games, weren't disappointed.
"It was awesome out there," said Spooner. "The crowd was awesome.
"I never thought that would happen," added Spooner of the size of the turnout for a rookie game. "With my junior team [in Peterborough] I only play in front of about 2,500 each night, so to come in here in front of that many people was great. They gave us awesome support."
Spooner could get used to playing in front of crowds like that, but he knows he still has a long way to go to earn a spot on Boston's regular-season roster.
"It's a big step for me, but you can't get too confident from it," said Spooner. "It's just one game. I did play well, but you've got to be consistent. Obviously playing two games like this against the talent we played against and with the guys on my team, it's going to make me a better player."
How much better is something he'll find out in the coming days. The veterans report for the fitness testing on Friday, signaling the start of the main training camp. Many of the participants from this rookie camp will get to join those vets, though the first rounds of cuts will come down hard.
Spooner is likely to be spared this time around, but it's a whole new ballgame once the real camp begins.
"Now we turn the page — main camp is a whole different story," said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. "But for the next day, half a day, I'll feel good."
And Ryan Spooner, and the rest of the Spooner family, will feel even better.
