Hershey Bears Eliminate Providence

Hershey Bears: Eastern Conference Champions
May 26, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

The bigger, stronger, faster, more experienced, more determined Hershey Bears eliminated the young resilient Providence Bruins on Memorial Day afternoon. Hershey never trailed in Monday's game, winning the game 5-2 and the series four games to one. Hershey will now move on to the Calder Cup Finals against the Manitoba Moose. The top team in the East during the regular season meets the top team from the West, the cream of the crop going for the Calder Cup.

The first period was completely dominated by the Hershey Bears and it started on a power play about 2:00 into the game. The puck never left the Bruins zone for what seemed like the rest of the period. Providence netminder, 22 year-old Tuukka Rask, held the Bears off the scoreboard by making thirteen saves in the first period. The Bears had two power play opportunities and outshot the Bruins by a wide 13-3 margin. Providence's best chance occurred with 2:36 left in the period on a Brad Marchand shot that Bears goalie Michael Neuvirth made a nice save on. No score after one period.

In less than a minute of the second period another penalty was called on Providence, an interference call on Martin St.Pierre at the :58 second mark. Rask made a huge save on a blast from Chris Bourque to keep it scoreless. Another call on Providence's captain Jeremy Reich for hooking at 1:23 gave the Bears a five on three advantage. At 2:17, Andrew Gordon scored his 5th goal of the playoffs on the power play with assists to Alexandre Giroux and Bourque to take a 1-0 lead. Providence got their chance on the power play soon after the Bears goal. While on the power play, Bruin's Johnny Boychuk got tangled up with Bears Steve Pinizzotto and was hurt on the play and went to the dressing room. The Bruin's Marchand found the net at 4:45 on the power play with assists to Peter Schaefer and Jeff Penner to tie the score at 1-1. Boychuk later returned to the ice and took his normal shift. Providence outplayed Hershey in the first half of the period but Hershey dominated the latter half. At 16:20, while on the power play again, Giroux scored his team leading 9th goal of the playoffs with helpers given to Bourque and Bryan Helmer. The second period ended with Providence on the power play and the score 2-1 in Hershey's favor. Shots were nearly even at 14-12 in favor of Hershey.

Rookie Mikko Lehtonen scored on a wrist shot over the left shoulder of Neuvirth while on the power play at 1:57 of the third period to tie the score at 2-2. Andrew Bodnarchuk and Reich battled to keep the puck in along the blue line to set up Lehtonen. At 6:46, the Bears scored while shorthanded. Boychuk cheated in along the right boards to try and keep the puck in the Hershey zone but it bounced past St. Pierre at the point and Chris Bourque grabbed the loose puck, skated in, and blasted a slapshot past Rask for an unassisted goal to make it 3-2. Hershey's Darren Reid scored at 10:19 of the third period after forechecking near the Bruin net to make it a 4-2 lead. Hershey played keep away and were satisfied to just clear the puck from their zone for the rest of the period. Quintin Laing, who has been out injured for quite some time, returned to play on Friday night for the Bears, scored an empty netter at 19:03 to seal the victory for the Hershey Bears. The final shot totals were 38-29 in favor of Hershey. Hershey was 2 for 5 on the power play while Providence went 1 for 5 with their opportunities with the extra man. The three stars of the game were Chris Bourque, Alexandre Giroux, and Mikko Lehtonen.

Providence had their chances in this series. They had a 3-0 lead in Game 3 and a 2-0 lead in Game 4, but they witnessed the relentless offensive attack of the Hershey team to overcome and take both games. Nobody scored more goals during the regular season than Hershey, they played true to form and were the more deserving victor. Hats off to Providence and their very young club, they were a resilient bunch all year and first year Head Coach Rob Murray and Assistant Coach "Butch" Cassidy deserve kudos for their efforts this season.

Hershey Comes Back Again

Providence Loses in OT 3-2
May 24, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

Friday night the Providence Bruins grabbed an early 3-0 lead, only to see it evaporate in the third period when Hershey scored four unanswered goals for a 6-4 victory. Sunday night at The Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence was eerily similiar for the Bruins. Staked with a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Bruins could not score again. The Bears scored once in the second and again in the third to force an overtime. Graham Mink scored his second game winner of the series at 15:10 of the first overtime to give the Bears a 3-2 victory and an opportunity to wrap up the series in Providence tomorrow afternoon.

The Bruins came out flying in the first period and got the crowd into it with their first goal at the 5:32 mark. Peter Schaefer's third playoff goal with assists to Mikko Lehtonen and Adam McQuaid got the Bruins on the board for a 1-0 lead. Less than three minutes later on the power play, red hot scoring rookie defenseman Jeff Penner netted his sixth goal of the playoffs and third in two games. Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand assisted on Penner's goal for a commanding 2-0 lead on home ice. Providence played spirited hockey in the first and held the 2-0 lead as they headed into period two.

Hershey began the second period with several power plays, they did not cash in on the first one but Bryan Helmer made sure the Bears got on the board with their second chance. Chris Bourque set up Helmer for his third playoff goal at 7:31 with McQuaid in the box for hooking. Providence's lead was now cut in half at 2-1. Hershey outshot the Bruins 10-6 in the second period and 20-16 in the game.

The Bruins had defensively shut down league MVP Alexandre Giroux and his linemates to this point in the game, but the Bears continued to extend pressure on the young Bruins in the third period. At 13:12, Keith Aucoin scored his third goal with assists to Giroux and Bruin nemesis Graham Mink. The score was now tied at 2-2 with time running out. No penalties were called in the final period and Hershey outshot Providence by an 11-5 margin. Shots were 31-21 in favor of Hershey after three periods of play. Providence and Hershey were both 1 for 3 on their power play opportunities during regulation.

Entering the overtime, Providence carried the play early and almost scored five minutes into the extra session. But once again, Hershey began to outchance the Bruins and had the better scoring opportunities. At 15:10, Mink knocked the puck past Tuukka Rask, for his fifth playoff goal and a 3-2 victory. His second consecutive game winner was assisted by Giroux and Aucoin. Mink was named the number one star, followed by Penner and Helmer. Hershey outshot the Bruins 43-27 and now has a commanding 3-1 series advantage. Game 5 is at "The Dunk" on Monday, Memorial Day, at 4:00 pm. Hershey can wrap up the series and head to the Calder Cup Finals if they can beat the Bruins one more time. It's clear that no lead is sufficient for Providence or any team when they face the very talented, high scoring Hershey Bears.

Hershey Takes Game 3 From Providence

Hershey Overtakes Providence, Leads Series 2-1
May 22, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

The Hershey Bears had every reason to believe it was not going to be their night. Down three goals after 23 minutes, it would seem that the Bears had reason to worry. "The Dunk" was rockin' and the Bruins were flying, and then things began to change.

Only 1:56 into period one, Zach Hamill scored his first playoff goal on a steal in the Hershey end. The first period of hockey was one of the best played periods I've seen all year. Tremendous intensity, heavy hitting, and momentum swings throughout the period. At 15:32, Bruin rookie defenseman Jeff Penner, who has steadily improved all year, scored his fourth goal of the playoffs on the power play with assists to Martin St. Pierre and Vladimir Sobotka to make it 2-0. Providence only outshot Hershey 11-9, yet seemed to carry the play for the most part.

Peter Schaefer scored for Providence at the 3:01 mark of the second period on another power play opportunity, while Bears d-man Bryan Helmer sat for roughing. Assists to Penner and Mikko Lehtonen on the 2nd playoff goal for Schaefer, now making it 3-0. Hershey finally responded with their first goal of the night only :25 seconds later, to make the score 3-1. League MVP Alexandre Giroux netted his 7th goal of the playoffs and 2nd against Providence with a helper to former Bruin Keith Aucoin. Hershey answered the bell again at 9:05 with a Chris Bourque tally with assists to Jay Beagle and Patrick McNeill to close the gap to 3-2. The Bears outplayed the Bruins in the second period and now enjoyed an emotional edge heading into the third period.

That edge was short lived, however, when Jeff Penner scored his second goal of the game just :38 seconds into period three on another power play goal with assists to Johnny Boychuk and St. Pierre. That made the score 4-2 for the Bruins and momentum back on the Providence side. About five minutes later though, the whole game turned. Andrew Gordon scored for Hershey at 5:32 to make it 4-3. Giroux netted his second goal of the night at 6:52 to tie the score at 4-4. As the young Bruins held their sticks a little tighter, the scoring continued for Hershey. Graham Mink, who threw his weight around all night, tipped in his 4th playoff goal at 13:58, for a 5-4 lead for Hershey. Helmer got back a power play goal himself at 18:25 to stake the lead to 6-4. That score was the final.

Hershey scored four unanswered goals in the third period and now hold a 2-1 series lead in the best of seven series. Final shots on net favored the Bears 32-28. Providence was three of four on the power play, while Hershey went one for four on their chances. The three stars of the game were Giroux, Penner, and Helmer. Game 4 is on Sunday night in Providence and Game 5 is on Monday afternoon, Memorial Day, at 4:00 PM EST in Providence as well.

Providence Preview

Providence & Hershey Pretty Evenly Matched
May 15, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

Providence has won 8 of their last 10 games. They are 8-3 in the playoffs, Hershey is 8-3 also and rookie goaltender Michal Neuvirth just had back to back 3-0 shutout victories. Neuvirth, a 21 year-old Czech, faces 22 year-old Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask from Finland. Their stats in the playoffs are nearly identical, 11 games played, Rask has played 663 minutes to 661 for Neuvirth. They have each faced over 320 shots, Rask has allowed just 19 goals to 21 for Neuvirth. Rask's GAA is 1.72 compared to 1.91 for Neuvirth. Rask's save percentage is just a little bit better at .943 to .936. Consider the goaltending a wash as they face off on Saturday night in Hershey.

Providence has several players at the top of the AHL Playoff scoring stats. Three time All-Star Martin St.Pierre leads the Bruins in scoring and is tied for 2nd in the league with 13 points, consisting of 5 goals and 8 assists. Rookie super-pest Brad Marchand has 6 playoff goals, 2nd in the league and 12 points total. Vladimir Sobotka has 10 points and along with high scoring defenseman Johnny Boychuk who has 3 goals and 4 assists helping to lead the team as they head to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The teams faced off during the regular season twice, each winning on home ice. Hershey had the best record in the AHL when they faced the Bruins at "The Dunk" in Providence on January 2nd, 2009. Providence handily beat the Bears from start to finish, winning 7-2. Hershey paid back the Bruins on March 1, 2009 with a 6-4 beating that was not as close as the score would indicate. All things considered, this is match up that appears to be quite evenly matched and should make for some great hockey.

Providence To Tangle With The Hershey Bears

Eastern Conference Finals
May 14, 2009
by T. Chace

The Providence Bruins have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and will face the Hershey Bears. The Bears were tied with Bridgeport with 106 points to finish atop the East Division. The Bears and the Providence Bruins have never faced each other in the playoffs. They split their two games played during the regular season, each winning on home ice. Hershey led the league in attendance this year and always has had a great fan base. The series begins on Saturday night May 16th in Hershey, Pennsylvania and continues with Game 2 on Sunday May 17th in Hershey as well. The schedule is as follows:

Eastern Conference Finals – Best-of-7
Hershey Bears vs. Providence Bruins
Game 1 – Sat., May 16 – Providence at Hershey, 7:00
Game 2 – Sun., May 17 – Providence at Hershey, 5:00
Game 3 – Fri., May 22 – Hershey at Providence, 7:05
Game 4 – Sun., May 24 – Hershey at Providence, 7:05
*Game 5 – Mon., May 25 – Hershey at Providence, 4:05
*Game 6 – Wed., May 27 – Providence at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 7 – Thu., May 28 – Providence at Hershey, 7:00

Providence Eliminates Worcester

Providence Reels In Sharks 5-1
May 13, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

The Providence Bruins eliminated the Worcester Sharks on their own home ice at the DCU Center in Worcester by a 5-1 score. Providence won the best of seven series 4 games to 2. The Bruins will now face the Hershey Bears for the Eastern Conference crown, and a chance to compete for the Calder Cup.

Providence jumped on Worcester in the opening period after the second Worcester penalty of the period was called on Brett Westgarth for tripping. Super pest Brad Marchand scored his 6th playoff goal, off a pass from Vladimir Sobotka and Martin St.Pierre at 4:59 of the period, on their second power play. Peter Schaefer set up Bruin's Jamie Arniel for his first professional goal at 10:05, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. Matt Marquardt also assisted on the Arniel's first goal of the playoffs. Worcester responded with better play in the second half of the period but netminder Tuukka Rask was up to the challenge, keeping the score 2-0 after one period.

In the second period, at the 5:32 mark, Kirk MacDonald tipped in a shot for his 3rd goal of the playoffs, with assists to Jeremy Reich and d-man Adam McQuaid to open up the lead to 3-0. Bruin Jordan Knackstedt continued the scoring with his 2nd playoff goal at 13:29, with helpers from Zach Hamill and Levi Nelson for a 4-0 lead. Five seconds later an altercation led to thirty minutes of penalties called on Worcester's Riley Armstrong. Five minutes for boarding, five minutes for spearing, and two game misconducts for each offense gave the Bruins a ten minute power play. Jeremy Reich also squared off with the Shark's Brad Staubitz and each player received majors for fighting. St.Pierre scored his 5th playoff goal on the extended power play at 14:10 with Sobotka and Marchand getting assists. Providence now held a 5-0 lead, which was erased with a shorthanded goal by Andrew Desjardins at 19:48 on a breakaway to bring it to 5-1 heading into the final period.

It was the final period for the Worcester Sharks. Despite playing desperate early in the period and outshooting the Bruins 11-3 at one point, it was not meant to be as Rask stood tall. The Bruins played keep away with the puck for most of the period and held on for the 5-1 victory. Worcester's Desjardins and McLaren were penalized with 1:00 minute remaining for trying to engage the Bruins bench into an altercation. Both were given the gate, as Providence remained disciplined to the end. Shots favored Worcester by a 35-30 margin. Providence struck twice on the power play, Worcester was scoreless on their chances. The three stars were St.Pierre, Marchand, and Rask, who raised his playoff record to 8-3 this season.

Providence faces the Hershey Bears in Pennsyvania on Saturday May 16th and Sunday May 17th before returning home to The Dunkin Donuts Center on Friday May 22nd. This is the fifth time Providence has made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in the last eleven years.

Bruins Rebound To Take Series Lead

Providence Drowns Sharks 4-3
May 11, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

The Worcester Sharks were down two games to none in their previous series against Hartford, then won four straight. That scenario won't be repeated in this series against the Providence Bruins. Providence dominated the second period, netting three goals and then held on to win 4-3. That victory enabled Providence to take a 3-2 series lead as the rivals head back to Worcester for a game on Wednesday night, May 13th.

Worcester scored the only goal in the first period. The Bruins found themselves shorthanded three times in the opening stanza. The Sharks connected on their third opportunity as defenseman Patrick Traverse went high over Tuukka Rask's right shoulder for a 1-0 lead with just :38 seconds left in the first period. Dan DaSilva set up Traverse with a second assist credited to Ryan Vesce. The first period ended with a little pushing and shoving resulting in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and also had opposing coaches having words. Neither team in this series is willing to give an inch.

The second period was dominated by the Bruins, as they scored three goals on netminder Thomas Greiss to take the lead 3-1 after two periods. At 3:07, Martin St.Pierre got his 4th playoff goal on an assist from Johnny Boychuck. Rookie pest Brad Marchand scored his team leading 5th goal of the playoffs at 10:55, with assists given to Jeff Penner and Jordan Knackstedt. Captain Jeremy Reich scored after a nice pass from Wacey Rabbit at 14:08 to make the score 3-1. Defenseman Adam McQuaid also garnered an assist on the play. Providence outshot the Sharks 19-7 in the period.

The third period saw the Bruins having to withstand a Shark attack. Worcester carried the play, even hitting two posts as they swarmed the Providence end of the ice. Finally, Worcester's Jamie McGinn scored his 4th playoff goal in this series against Providence at 10:28 of the third period with an assist to Dan DaSilva. The resilient Bruins countered immediately with a score :14 seconds later by Levi Nelson, who was playing his first game in the series. Nelson scored his 1st goal on a rebound after a shot by Andrew Bodnarchuk. An assist was credited to Bruin Zach Hamill as well, giving Providence a 4-2 lead. Play got rough at the 11:43 mark and actually evolved into a battle between Bruin goaltender Tuukka Rask and Frazer McLaren.

Riley Armstrong, with an assist to Ryan Vesce, scored his 3rd playoff goal with 2:12 remaining. Armstrong scored while Worcester was employing an extra attacker on the power play, pulling Greiss from the net to try and tie the game. The Sharks would not score again. Providence hangs on, winning 4-3 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Providence outshot the Sharks by a 33-32 margin. The three stars of the game were Jeremy Reich, Worcester's Dan DaSilva, and Levi Nelson was the third star. Worcester connected on 3 of 5 chances with the man advantage. Providence was 1 for 4 with their chances. Game 6 is on Wednesday night, May 13th at the DCU Center in Worcester. If a Game 7 is necessary it will be played on Thursday May 14th at "The Dunk" in Providence.

Worcester At It Again

Providence Falls 1-0, Sharks Even Series
May 9, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

Rhode Island's own Tom Cavanagh, a native a Warwick, RI, scored early in the first period for the Worcester Sharks and that goal held up for 1-0 victory over the Providence Bruins at the DCU Center in Worcester. Worcester has now tied up the best of seven series at two games apiece with their victory on Saturday night. The series heads back to Providence for Game 5 on Monday night.

Cavanagh, a Toll Gate High School graduate fired a shot from the right slot that beat Bruin goaltender Tuukka Rask high to the glove side at 4:41. Patrick Traverse made the pass to Cavanagh and Riley Armstrong also assisted on the play. Cavanagh's shot was the first of the period for the Sharks, who dominated play and outshot the Bruins 14-2 in the period. Providence's Martin St.Pierre hit the post near the halfway point for their best opportunity. Rask was strong in net for the Bruins, holding them to the one goal.

Play was even in the second period and also featured more fisticuffs which occurred in the last two games as well. Bruin Vladimir Sobotka and Shark Jamie McGinn continued their series long feud when they dropped the gloves at the 12:11 mark. Roughing calls were handed out to Bruin Brad Marchand and Shark's Brett Westgarth, and Dan DaSilva. Adam McQuaid and Westgarth were also tagged with misconduct-unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

The third period was a reverse of the first as Providence outshot the Sharks 13-3. Worcester netminder Thomas Greiss was nothing short of spectacular in holding off the Providence deluge. Greiss now has three shutouts in his last eleven games.

Greiss was aptly named the number one star of the game, Cavanagh the second star, and Rask the third. The shots favored Worcester 27-26, and both teams did not cash in on power play opportunities. Providence was 0 for 5 with the man advantage and Worcester was 0 for 4. The attendance for Game 4 was 3019 at the DCU Center. The two teams will continue their battle back at "The Dunk" in Providence on Monday night May 11th.

Worcester Steps Up With Victory

Worcester Responds With Win Over Providence
May 8, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

Worcester apparently needs to have their backs against the wall to get on track in their playoff series. In the first round against the favored Hartford Wolf Pack, the Sharks dropped the first two games only to win the next four in a row and the series. Likewise, Providence beat Worcester in both of their games so far in this series only to see the Sharks pull off a victory in their effort to settle the Atlantic Division finals. On Friday night at "The Dunk" in Providence, the Sharks beat the Bruins 5-3, to get their first victory in the series.

Veteran defenseman Patrick Traverse scored a power play goal at 14:10 of the first period to open the scoring in Game 3. Traverse scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs with assists from Derek Joslin and Ryan Vesce while Bruin defenseman Adam McQuaid served a high sticking penalty. With less than a minute left in the period, TJ Fox scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs as well with an assist from Brad Staubitz to take a 2-0 lead at the end of the 1st period.

As soon as they dropped the puck for the 2nd period, Providence got on the board with a nifty tip in goal by Brad Marchand. Defenseman Jeff Penner's shot was tipped by Marchand after Vladimir Sobotka set up Penner to make the score 2-1. Marchand netted his 4th goal and the rookie leads the Bruins in goals as well as agitating the Worcester club. A defensive turnover by the Bruins led to an unassisted goal by Andrew Desjardins at the 4:40 mark to get the Sharks two goal lead back at 3-1. Providence battled back, and with Fox in the box for interference, Penner scored on a beautiful feed from Martin St.Pierre and Sobotka to cut the lead to 3-2. The Sharks were clinging to the 3-2 lead till the end of the period.

Providence carried the play early in the 3rd period yet it was Bruin killer Jamie McGinn who struck again at 11:39 on only their third shot of the period to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead. Assists were credited to Vesce and Lukas Kaspar. That lead held until Bruin netminder Tuukka Rask was pulled after a timeout with 1:35 left. With 1:00 left, a melee similiar to Game 2 took place. Jamie McGinn slashed St.Pierre which resulted in a scuffle which was broken up quickly but fights took place all over the ice. McGinn got a slashing penalty along with a roughing minor, St.Pierre received just a slashing minor. The only fighting majors were given to Bruin Johnny Boychuk (his first major all season) and Shark Mike Moore. Jeremy Reich and Sobotka received roughing and misconduct penalties as did Brett Westgarth and Vesce for Worcester. Five seconds after sorting out the penalties, Mikko Lehtonen scored for Providence on the power play to cut the lead to 4-3 with :55 left in the game, with assists to Marchand and Zach Hamill. It became a moot point at 19:26 when Riley Armstrong scored an empty net goal to seal the deal at 5-3.

Game 4 is Saturday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, followed by Game 5 on Monday night back at the Dunk. The three stars were Desjardins, Penner and Vesce. Providence was 2 for 4 on the power play, while Worcester went 1 for 4. Shots on goal favored Worcester 31-28 and the attendance was 5167 at "The Dunk".

Providence Defeats Worcester Again

Providence Takes 2-0 Series Lead
May 7, 2009
by T. Chace Jr.

After a long break between games, Providence triumphed again, this time on Worcester ice. Providence won 4-2 on Wednesday night at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The Bruins now lead the best of seven series two games to none as they return to Providence for a game on Friday night.

The Bruins took the lead at the end of the first period on a goal by Martin St. Pierre with just 57 seconds left in the period. The period featured high tempo hockey, with alot of intensity and physical play. The assists on St. Pierre's goal went to Vladimir Sobotka and Brad Marchand. It was the third goal of the playoffs for St. Pierre. The Bruins led 1-0 at the end of one period.

The second period saw the Sharks Riley Armstrong score on a bang-bang play in front of Bruin goaltender Tuukka Rask. Rookie Logan Couture sent the puck in front to Armstrong from behind the net and he wristed it home for his first playoff goal. Providence however, regained the lead with just 19 seconds into a 5 on 3 power play. Defenseman Johnny Boychuck blasted a shot past Thomas Greiss for his third goal of the playoffs and giving Providence the lead back at 2-1 at the 7:36 mark. Boychuck's goal came with assists to St. Pierre and rookie Mikko Lehtonen. Providence outshot the Sharks in the second period by a 14-6 margin with Greiss making many big saves.

Providence took a 3-1 lead, about five minutes into the third period on a goal by Kirk MacDonald with assists to Wacey Rabbit and captain Jeremy Reich. The Sharks would not give up though and cut the deficit to one goal on Dan DaSilva's tally at 11:31 of the final period. DaSilva got the puck just under the crossbar with assists to Andrew Desjardins and Frazer McLaren. The Bruins and Rask held the fort for the remainder of the period. Rabbit scored an empty net goal with 40 seconds remaining in the game to finish it off for a 4-2 final. After the goal, Sobotka and Jamie McGinn were assessed misconduct and unsportmanlike conduct penalties. Then with 13 seconds remaining a donnybrook broke out all over the ice with fists flying. Fighting majors were given to MacDonald of Providence and McLaren of Worcester along with misconduct and unsportmanlike conduct penalties to Bruins' St. Pierre and Brendan Buckley. The Sharks' Brett Westgarth and Bruins' Andrew Bodnarchuck received roughing minors along with misconduct and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. All setting the stage for Game 3, a must win for Worcester.

Providence outshot the Sharks 33-24 and was 1 for 3 on the power play. Worcester was 0 for 1 on their lone power play opportunity. St. Pierre was named first star followed by Rask and Greiss. A small crowd of only 1419 attended the game. The series returns to Providence for Game 3 on Friday May 8th.