Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 10/16/2015
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – East Longmeadow native Frank Vatrano scored four times – including twice on the power play – and the Providence Bruins beat the Portland Pirates 6-4 at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Oct. 11. It was the second hat trick of the AHL season.
The P-Bruins wasted no time scoring in their second game of the season. After playing more than 58 minutes of hockey on Friday before their first goal, Vatrano scored just seven seconds into Sunday’s contest. Austin Czarnik won the opening face-off, then fed Alexander Khokhlachev. Khokhlachev skated through the right side of the zone and crossed it to Vatrano, who had plenty of open space on the other side. Vatrano scored again while on the power play, as he put a Tommy Cross rebound past Mike McKenna at 18:48.
The Pirates outshot the Bruins 21-4 in the middle period and outscored them 3-1 in the same stretch.
At one point in the frame, Portland took eight consecutive shots that Zane McIntyre saved, but Kyle Rau got the visitors on the board at 9:44. Sena Acolatse swerved into the zone and took a backhand shot. Rau buried the rebound to cut the deficit in half. Acolatse scored a goal of his own six minutes later, when he took two shots in a row, beating McIntyre with his second bid.
Austin Czarnik gave the P-Bruins another lead just 39 seconds later, as he tipped a Chris Casto wrister in top-shelf. Rob Schremp scored the second game-tying goal of the period for Portland with a wrister that came only 46 seconds after Czarnik’s goal.
The Bruins reversed the 3-1 scoring trend in the third, starting with a Ben Youds power play strike from the right wing circle at 2:41. Vatrano completed the hat trick with an unassisted goal two-plus minutes later, which was the eventual game-winner.
Just like he did in the post-season, former P-Bruin Rob Flick scored to pull his team within one at 11:57. Providence capped the scoring with another Vatrano power play bid with fewer than two minutes remaining. The Bruins ended the game a perfect 3-for-3 on the man advantage and 2-for-2 again on the penalty kill.
On Oct. 10, Vatrano scored the game-tying goal with 1:49 remaining in regulation, slipping a wrister past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie Matt Murray, but the Penguins won in overtime.
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Falcons opened up their 2015-16 campaign with a 5-1 loss tonight at the Mass Mutual Center against the Hershey Bears.
The Bears controlled the play for most of the game and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Carter Camper and rookie Riley Barber. The Falcons were unable to turn three Hershey penalties into goals, including a five-on-three opportunity. Springfield did get on the board when Craig Cunningham found the back of the net with assists from Brendan Shinnimin and Derek Smith at the 11:57 mark of the first period.
That would be as close as the Falcons would get though, as Hershey dominated the second period getting goals from Connor Carrick and another from Riley. Springfield grabbed momentum after killing off a full two minute five-on-three Bears power play, but were unable to get anything past goaltender Dan Ellis. The Falcons were even denied once by the cross bar in the period, as the Bears had everything going their way. Springfield only recorded two shots in the second frame.
With the Bears leading 4-1, Springfield was able to edge the Bears in shots in the final period, but Hershey scored the lone goal of the frame, a power play tally off the stick of Chris Bourque at the 13:09 mark.
The Falcons finished the night 0-5 on the power play with 20 shots. Hershey was 2-4 on the power play and finished with 30 shots on goal. Barber was named first star of the game for the Bears for his two-goal effort, including the eventual game winner.