T-Birds earn big win against Providence

Story By: Matthew Wiernasz

Photo Courtesy of the Springfield Thunderbirds

SPRINGFIELD, MA- The Springfield Thunderbirds defeated the Providence Bruins 6-3.

Martin Frk got the T-Birds on the board when he fired his signature slap shot to make it 1-0 1:04 into the opening period.

Hugh McGing extended the lead for the Thunderbirds after Adam Gaudette found McGing with the backhand pass.  McGing used the forehand shot to beat Keyser with 10:03 remaining in the second period to make it 2-0 for the Thunderbirds.

The Bruins would get on the board with 7:45 remaining in the first period as Bruins defenseman Michael Callahan flipped the shot over T-Birds goaltender Vadim Zherenko as Oskar Steen changed the direction of the shot to make it 2-1.

T-Birds defenseman Matt Kessel extended the lead for his team when he fired the wrist shot past Keyser with 5:10 remaining in the first period to make it 3-1.

Oskar Steen would score his second goal of the game for the Bruins when he tipped in a shot with 6:41 remaining in the second period to make it 3-2.

The Thunderbirds would go on a roll in the third period. Adam Gaudette would score his first goal as a Thunderbird player. Kessel fired the shot and Gaudette tipped it in 19 seconds into the third period to make it 4-2.

Greg Printz and Mitchell Hoelscher went on a 2-on-0 rush.  Printz made the cross-crease pass to Hoelscher and Hoelscher was able to put it in the back of the net with 16:57 remaining in regulation to make it 5-2.

Jakub Lakko would cut into the T-Birds lead as Dan Renouf made a pass to him and was able to beat Zherenko to make it 5-3 with 10:18 remaining in regulation.

Matthew Peca would round out the scoring for the Thunderbirds with an empty-net goal to make it 6-3.