Saturday, April 7, 2012

This Date In Providence Bruins History: April 7

1993: The Providence Civic Center organ dies in the middle of the national anthem, but the fans in Section 109 (later to gain notoriety for their “Hockey! Hockey! Hockey!” puck-drop chant) offer backup to sing the rest of the anthem. From there, the home crowd is treated to an 8-3 blowaway of the Binghamton Rangers, highlighted by defenseman Mark Krys’ playmaker hat trick.

1995: After initially trailing, 4-1, the P-Bruins eventually pull even and proceed to top the Worcester IceCats, 7-6, at the Providence Civic Center.

2002: In a visit to the Lowell Lock Monsters, Zdenek Kutlak becomes just the fourth P-Bruin in the team’s 10 years of existence to suit up for all 80 games in a single regular season.

2004: Rich Brennan’s overtime goal beats Portland, 2-1, and clinches a playoff spot for Providence. Defenseman Zdenek Kutlak suits up for his 253rd P-Bruins game, surpassing Peter Laviolette for the all-time lead in that department.

2006: The P-Bruins record their third consecutive victory, edging the Albany River Rats, 3-2, at the Dunk.

2008: Goaltender Jordan Sigalet receives the AHL’s Fred T. Hunt Award for sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication. Sidelined for two months after his multiple sclerosis erupted during a Nov. 16 game against Worcester, Sigalet returned to action on Jan. 11 and played another 16 games, going 10-4-1 along the way.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

This Date In Providence Bruins History: April 3

1999: The P-Bruins win their final road game at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, topping the Beast, 6-4. The Beast would fold at season’s end and the Coliseum was demolished in 1997.

2002: Bolstered by Andrew Raycroft’s team-record fourth shutout of the season, the P-Bruins cement a playoff spot with a 3-0 win at Bridgeport.

2005: Upon pacing themselves to a 3-2 home victory over Manchester, the P-Bruins extend their winning streak to six games. In addition, after dropping the first four installments of the 10-game regular-season series, the P-Bruins take four of the last six bouts with the Monarchs, including the last two, in a possible Calder Cup playoff preview.

2009: Johnny Boychuk becomes the second P-Bruin of all-time, and the first since Jeff Serowik in 1995, to receive the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman.

Monday, April 2, 2012

This Date In Providence Bruins History: April 2

1993: The New Haven Senators pay their final visit to the Providence Civic Center before leaving New England for Prince Edward Island. The P-Bruins spoil the going-away party with a 6-4 win.

1994: Fan favorite John Blue records only the second shutout in P-Bruins history as part of a 4-0 road win over the Cornwall Aces. With that, Providence ends a seven-game losing streak.

1995: Marc Potvin charges up two goals and two assists to help throttle the visiting Rochester Americans, 8-3.

1999: Peter Ferraro’s hat trick, Aaron Downey’s two goals and Brandon Smith’s multipoint performance highlight a 9-4 home win over Fredericton.

2003: Enforcer Colton Orr makes his Providence debut, Ivan Huml bags a two-goal game and Pat Leahy scores the decider in a 3-2 win at Hartford.

2004: Tim Thomas surpasses John Grahame for the all-time lead in P-Bruins shutouts with his eighth career blanking, a 3-0 win over Springfield at The Dunk.

2005: Hannu Toivonen stops 38 out of 39 shots while a balanced scoring spread beats the Lowell Lock Monsters, 3-1, at Tsongas Arena. With that, the Baby Bs win four out of four consecutive road games.

2006: Five individual multipoint efforts highlight a 6-2 lashing of the Springfield Falcons at The Dunk.

2010: The P-Bruins snap a seven-game winless streak on home ice (0-5-2) with a 3-1 win over Worcester. A threesome of late-season acquisitions from the college and junior ranks factor heavily into the offense cause as Max Sauve converts two passes from Joe Colborne while former Brown University forward Devin Timberlake inserts the eventual clincher. At the other end, Dany Sabourin repels 48 out of 49 shots-faced.

2011: Jamie Arniel and Max Sauve assist on each other’s goals while Lane MacDermid inserts the eventual game-winner to beat the host Worcester Sharks, 4-1.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

This Date In Providence Bruins History: April 1

2005: Hannu Toivonen backstops a 3-2 shootout win at Manchester with 43 saves in the first 65 minutes, plus four out of five in the one-on-one round.

2006: Ben Guite assists on two of the team’s three regulation goals in the second period, then sets up Jonathan Sigalet’s winning strike to beat the host Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 4-3, in overtime.

2011: Jamie Arniel’s second goal of the game, a shortie at 6:46 of the third period, proves to be the game-winner as the P-Bruins hold off the visiting Connecticut Whale, 3-2.