Providence Finishes Season With a Bang

It may have been a short season, but it certainly was a successful one for the Providence Bruins, the minor league affiliate of the Boston Bruins.

Thursday afternoon, Providence finished their American Hockey League season with a 6-3 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts. With the victory, the P-Bruins wrap up their season as Atlantic Division champions for the second straight season.

In Thursday’s win, Dan Vladar made 31 saves and wrapped his AHL season with a 2.19 goals against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%).

Some players who contributed this season in Boston during injuries and COVID-19 issues finished the season on a strong note for Providence. Zach Senyshyn had a goal, as did defensemen Urho Vaakanainen. Jack Studnicka, who started the season on the Bruins’ Opening Night roster before heading to the minors, had two assists. Depending on what happens this offseason with some key free agents, Studncika could find himself in Boston next season.

Jakub Lauko, who made his NHL debut earlier this season in Boston finished with 14 assists in the AHL this season, while Brady Lyle led the defensemen with seven goals and seven assists.

This season was a good one as the Bruins saw a big jump in the play for their goalies. Before bursting onto the scene in the NHL, Jeremy Swayman had a very impressive 1.89 GAA and a .933 SV% in nine games for coach Jay Leach. He won eight of his nine decisions and allowed just 17 goals on 25 shots and had one shutout.

Vladar, despite going 3-4-3, allowed just 22 goals on 287 shots with one shutout.

Even though they lost their home arena, The Dunkin Donuts Center, because of the coronavirus in Providence, the P-Bruins still fought their way to claiming their second straight division title in a shortened season that turned out to be a good one in the development of their goalies.