Providence tried to mount a comeback in the third, outshooting the Falcons 17-1 in the third, but Springfield’s lone shot found the back of the net to ice this one.
“It wasn’t what I expected,” said Providence coach Rob Murray. “I thought we’d be better, as far as just having a better start. The first period wasn’t bad. We just weren’t able to crack a goal in there that might have made a difference in the game.”
Providence will get a shot at redemption Saturday night with a rematch at Springfield.
Third Period, 16:11, Falcons 5-1: And Springfield’s first shot of the third goes in, with Grant Clitsome scoring another short-handed tally.
Former Bruin Ben Guite gets the assist on this one, which should put this game out of reach for Providence.
Third Period, 15:00, Falcons 4-1: The Bruins will have a chance to add to that shot total, as Springfield’s Blunden is set off for interference.
Hutchinson must be getting lonely down the other end, as he has yet to see a shot since coming in at the start of this period.
Third Period, 15:00, Falcons 4-1: Things have settled down again, though Springfield has still yet to get a shot on goal this period.
Providence has 14 and leads 36-16 overall, but the B’s still trail 4-1 where it matters most.
Third Period, 10:00, Falcons 4-1: The Bruins can’t convert on the power play, and still trail by three midway through the third.
Providence is dominating play in the third, outshooting Springfield 10-0 so far in this period.
Third Period, 8:00, Falcons 4-1: The momentum continues to swing Providence’s way, as Springfield’s Nate Guenin gets called for boarding.
Providence will have a 5-on-3 for 22 seconds.
Third Period, 6:21, Falcons 4-1: MacDonald nearly had a second short-handed goal,but his backhander on a breakaway was denied.
He did draw a slashing call, however, which evens the sides and will give the B’s a brief power play.
Third Period, 5:46, Falcons 4-1: And the Bruins are finally on the board, thanks to a great play by Lane MacDermid on the penalty kill.
MacDermid stole the puck and took it down the left wing, then found Kirk MacDonald with a perfect crossing pass. MacDonald buried the short-handed tally from the right circle.
Some nice skills from the tough guy to set that one up.
Third Period, 4:38, Falcons 4-0: The Bruins finally kill of a penalty, then go right back in the box as Hamill is called for tripping.
On a positive note, the crowd here at the Dunk was just announced at 10,461. That’s an impressive turnout for a minor league game.
Third Period, 1:41, Falcons 4-0: The sloppy play continues for the Bruins, as Wyatt Smith is sentoff for hooking early in the third.
Special teams have been a struggle for the B’s in this one, with Springfield scoring twice on the power play, once on a delayed call and another short-handed.
Third Period, 0:00, Falcons 4-0: The final period is about to get under way, and the Bruins have made a goalie change.
Michael Hutchinson takes over for Dalton, who finishes with four goals on 16 shots.
End Second Period, Falcons 4-0: And a rough middle frame mercifully comes to a close in Providence.
The Bruins and Falcons each had 11 shots in the second, and Providence actually leads 22-16 overall. But four of Springfield’s second-period shots found the back of the net to break this one open.
It was a sloppy period that saw Providence come unraveled as Springfield scored in just about every way possible. The Falcons opened the scoring short-handed in the first minute, struck on the power play and on a delayed penalty 33 second apart, then on another man-advantage in the final second.
The Bruins have a lot of talent on this squad, but it’s a young group and there are going to be some growing pains. It will be interesting to see how they respond in the third and if they can come out with a solid finish to have something to build off of in this one.
Second Period, 19:59, Falcons 4-0: Springfield strikes with a back-breaking goal with 0:00.1 second left on the clock.
The Bruins lost a key face-off in their own zone with three seconds left, and Sigalet picks up his third assist with a point shot tipped in by Kolarik in front just before the end of the period.
Second Period, 19:12, Falcons 3-0: More trouble for the Bruins, as Alexandrov gets sent off for interference in the final minute.
Second Period, 16:38, Falcons 3-0: Excellent shift from Zach Hamill’s line, creating several good scoring chances, but the Bruins still can break through.
Max Sauve started it off with a nice move cutting to the middle, then ripped a shot just wide. Hamill was robbed with a shot from the slot and the Bruins fired another bid in before Falcons goalie Dan Taylor could tie it up.
Shots are 21-13 in favor of Providence now, but the B’s still trail 3-0.
Second Period, 15:00, Falcons 3-0: Providence’s Roussel has gone from hitter to hittee in the second.
The B’s rookie agitator was leveled three times on one shifts, the biggest hit courtesy of Ben Guite behind the Bruin net, as the ex-Bruin buried Roussel with a huge shot.
Second Period, 12:12, Falcons 3-0: Things have settled down after that Springfield flurry at teh start of the period, but Providence has yet to mount a counterattack.
The Bruins still lead the shot count 17-11 and Dalton has come up with a couple nice saves since letting in the three goals, but momentum is definitely on the side of the Falcons now.
Second Period, 5:03, Falcons 3-0: And Springfield strikes again, this time Matt Calvert scoring from Savard and Sigalet on the delayed call before the next power play can even start.
That’s two assists for the former Bruin Sigalet in less than a minute as the B’s now face a very big hole.
Second Period, 4:30, Falcons 2-0: And the Falcons convert quickly, making it 2-0 with a power-play strike by Chad Kolarik.
Former Bruin Jonathan Sigalet and Tom Sesito pick up the assists, while the Bruins pick up another penalty shortly after the goal.
Second Period, 3:24, Falcons 1-0: Things go from bad to worse for the Bruins, as Roussel is sent off for interference.
It’s Springfield’s first power-play chance of the night, and the B’s start with Smith and MacDonald up front and Bodnarchuk and Kampfer on defense on the PK.
Second Period, 1:00, Falcons 1-0: The second period is under way and it’s not off to a good start for Providence, as Springfield opens the scoring with a short-handed tally a minute in.
Michael Blunden gets the goal with a shot from the right that Dalton got a piece of, but it just barely trickled over the line. Trevor Frischmon gets the assist for Springfield.
End First Period, 0-0: The first period of the season ends without a goal, but certainly not without a lack of action.
Providence had the best of the play in the first, outshooting the Falcons 11-5. And they’ll carry 1:30 of power-play time into the start of the second period.
There was plenty of intensity in the first frame with lots of hitting and a pair of scraps. That’s certainly pleased the near-capacity crowd that has packed the Dunk on this night. Excellent atmosphere overall in this one as New England fans certainly seem hungry for hockey to be back in full swing.
On the ice, the Bruins youngsters had a solid start. Colborne has made a couple of nifty plays and Hamill and Arniel have created scoring chances. Roussel looks like he has the makings of a good agitator and MacDermid stood up well to his first heavyweight challenge of the year. It ws also good to see Alexandrov respond well to being targeted with a few big hits. It will be an adjustment for the Russian defenseman playing his first season in North America, and while he’s not a physical player himself, so far he doesn’t see intimidated by the more robust play on this side of the Atlantic.
First Period, 19:30, 0-0: Tempers flare again here in the final minute of the first as the heavyweights get in on the action.
Providence’s Lane MacDermid and Springfield’s Kyle Neuber drop the mitts as Neuber issues the challenge after MacDermid shoved a couple of Falcons making a line change. Neuber came on the ice and made a beeline for MacDermid, and the old OHL rivals hook up for a dandy. Both guys land big rights, with MacDermid getting in the best shot, but Neuber got him tied up in his jersey late before they wrestled to the ground.
Springfield’s Davd Savard also picked up a slashing call on the play, so the Bruins will go on their second power play.
First Period, 17:00, 0-0: Still scoreless here, but the Bruins nearly struck for the first goal after a nice play by Joe Colborne.
Colborne took a big hit to make the play, drawing the defense over and getting it up to Smotherman, who then sent a pass across the crease to Reich, but his shot went just wide.
First Period, 13:36, 0-0: With a break in the action here, thought I would point out that this game is being officiated with two referees, as is done in all NHL games.
The AHL has stuck with the one-ref system, but this year is going to implement two refs in 25 percent of the games. Each team with play 10 games with two refs this season.
First Period, 8:50, 0-0: The Bruins had a 2-on-1 chance with Jeff LoVecchio breaking out with Kirk MacDonald.
But LoVecchio lost control of the puck down the left wing and the Bruins don’t get a shot out of the play. LoVecchio is a nice energy player, but he’ll need to improve his stick skills a bit more to have a chance to make the next level.
First Period, 7:05, 0-0: The Bruins can’t convert on the power play, but they did create some nice chances, with Hamill and Arniel each nearly banging it home in a scramble in front.
After the penalty, Providence sent out its fourth line, and center Antoine Roussel shows some promise for developing into a first-rate pest. He’s hitting everything in sight and getting under the Falcons’ skin.
First Period, 5:05, 0-0: The Bruins get the first power-play chance with Springfield’s Frischmon off for holding.
The first power-play unit for the B’s is Hamill, Arniel and Smotherman up front, Alexandrov and Smith at the points as Providence goes with four forwards.
First Period, 3:03, 0-0: And we’ve got our first fight of teh season, as Nathan McIver drops the gloves with Springfield’s Steven Goertzen.
Goertzen took a run at Alexandrov and McIver immediately came over to stick up for his defense partner.
It was a wild swinging affair in front of the Falcons bench with both guys landing some decent blows in an even bout. The most important thing was just seeing McIver jump to his new teammate’s aid so quickly.
First Period, 1:10, 0-0: Welcome back to the AHL Zach Hamill.
On his first shift of the season, the Providence center takes the worst of a huge collison with Springfield’s Trevor Frischmon. Hamill lost his helmet, but stayed with the play and finished the shift.
7:20 p.m.: You come for a hockey game, and you get a Fourth of July concert as a bonus.
After renditions of America the Beautiful, God Bless America AND the National Anthem, we’re finally ready for the opening face-off here in Providence.
7:10 p.m.: Still awaiting the start of this one, but figured I would update the line combinations for Providence in this one, based on the pre-game warm-ups.
Forwards:
Jordan Smotherman-Joe Colborne-Jeremy Reich
Max Sauve-Zach Hamill-Jamie Arniel
Jeff LoVecchio-Wyatt Smith-Kirk MacDonald
Lane MacDermid-Antoine Roussel-Jordan Knackstedt
Defense:
Andrew Bodnarchuk-Steve Kampfer
Nathan McIver-Yury Alexandrov
Jeff Penner-Alain Goulet
Matt Dalton is starting in goal as expected. The LoVecchio-Smith-MacDonald line with also start, with McIver and Alexandrov on defense.
Dan Taylor gets the start in goal for Springfield, with former Bruin Ben Guite starting up front with Tom Sesito and Chad Kolarik, while Nick Holden and Grant Clitsome are on defense.
7 p.m.: There are more people on the ice right now than you sometimes see in the stands at minor league games, as several large contingents from local schools are on hand to sing the National Anthem.
The opening face-off is still a few minutes away, as the there were be some extra opening night ceremonies, including introductions for all the Providence players, followed by the anthem and then however long it takes to get all those kids back off the ice.
6:45 p.m.: The warm-ups have concluded at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence.
The Bruins unveiled their Providence Reds throwbacks for the night, and a few Bruins have some extra decoration on their sweaters.
Jeremy Reich is wearing the C once again, as he has been named Providence’s captain, the same role he served the last time he was here in 2008-09.
Zach Hamill and Andrew Bodnarchuk are wearing the A’s as the club’s assistant captains.
I’d love to tell you more about the Falcons, but they came out for warm-ups in plain white jerseys with no logos on the front and no names or numbers on the back. Hopefully they will have their throwback Indians gear on for the game.
6 p.m.: It’s just about an hour before the opening face-off here in Providence, as the Bruins’ top affiliate prepares to open the 75th season in the American Hockey League against Springfield.
Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons after failing to qualify for the Calder Cup playoffs last year. The Bruins finished seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 36-38-5-1 record (78 points), ahead of only Springfield, which was eighth at 25-39-12-4 (66 points). The good news for the Falcons is that they definitely won’t finish in eighth place this year. With Lowell’s move to Charlotte and the East Division, the Atlantic now has just seven teams, including all of the league’s New England clubs.
The primary role of an affiliate is to develop players for the parent club, but developing those players in a winning environment is also important. To that end, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli vowed that this year’s Providence squad would be much improved, and with the quality of prospects at the Bruins’ disposal this season, that should be an easy prediction to fulfill.
“That’s important,” said Chiarelli of putting a quality team on the ice at the AHL level. “Last year they struggled a little bit. At the end of the day when you’re competitive and you’re winning, it helps development. You don’t have to win the Calder Cup, but we try to ensure that they have a winning team down there. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don’t. But they’re going to be better this year.”
In the opener, Providence will have forwards Levi Nelson and Yannick Riendeau and defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Ryan Donald and Cody Wild as healthy scratches. Bartkowski is still in Prague with the big club and will not report to Providence until the Bruins return after this weekend’s games against Phoenix.
8 a.m.: While the big club is a half a world away getting ready to begin the season in Prague on Saturday, there is a Bruins team that will be playing a little closer to home.
The Providence Bruins kick off the American Hockey League season on Friday by welcoming the Springfield Falcons to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
It will be a special night for hockey fans with an appreciation for the sport’s history, as this is the 75th anniversary of the founding of the AHL. To commemorate the occasion, both clubs will be wearing special throwback uniforms for this one, with the Bruins donning Providence Reds sweaters and the visitors wearing Springfield Indians gear.
Providence finalized its season-opening 25-man roster on Wednesday, though there will still have to be five healthy scratches for this one.
The Providence Journal reported that Matt Dalton is expected to get the start in goal. The game will also mark the return of former Providence captain Jeremy Reich, who re-signed with the Bruins’ organization this summer after spending last season in the Islanders’ system. It could also the Bruins debut for veterans Wyatt Smith and Nathan McIver and rookie Yury Alexandrov. In addition, Joe Colborne, Max Sauve and Steve Kampfer will be starting their first full pro seasons after joining Providence for the final six games at the end of last year.
Springfield is entering the first season of its new affiliation with Columbus, and brings some familiar faces back to the Dunk. Defenseman Jonathan Sigalet spent three seasons in Providence from 2005-08 and played one game in Boston, while forward Ben Guite played two seasons in Providence from 2004-06 and also got in one game with the big club in Boston. The Falcons also have forward Tom Cavanagh, a Warwick, R.I., native who attended Harvard.
The game starts at 7 p.m., so check back throughout the day for updates from the first game of the year in Providence.
