BUSSI BACKBONES P-BRUINS TO VICTORY OVER T-BIRDS

Mar 19, 2023

Springfield, MA – Goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced as the Providence Bruins downed the Springfield Thunderbirds 4-1 on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center. John Beecher tallied the game-winning goal, while Chris Wagner notched a goal and an assist. 

How It Happened

• Curtis Hall pulled the puck out of a defender’s skates in the left circle, pushed it between the hash marks, and smacked the rolling puck under the goaltender’s pads to give the P-Bruins a 1-0 lead with 14:16 remaining in the first period. Marc McLaughlin and Dan Renouf were credited with assists on the goal.
• On a 2-on-1, Wagner took the puck up the right wing and found Beecher cutting to the left post for a redirection goal, extending the Providence lead to 2-0 with 12:46 to play in the first period. Joona Koppanen received a secondary assist. 
• Matthew Highmore deflected a shot from the point, sending the puck trickling on edge to the left post, where Martin Frk flipped it across the goal line to cut the P-Bruins lead to 2-1 with 1:59 remaining in the second period. 
• While on the power play, Georgii Merkulov intercepted a clearing attempt in the slot, turned and fired a shot that deflected off a defender and inside the right post, giving Providence a 3-1 lead with 6:32 left in the third period. 
• Wagner deked out a defender and tucked it into the empty net to give the P-Bruins a 4-1 lead with 2:09 to play in the third. 
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Stats

• Hall’s goal was his first of the season.
• Wagner is riding a three-game point streak and has five total points in that span. 
• Merkulov has points in three straight games and three goals in his last two contests.  
• Bussi stopped 32 of 33 shots faced. Providence totaled 36 shots. 
• The P-Bruins power play went…