| 15 October 2011
The Providence Bruins were downed 7-1 by the Manchester Monarchs Friday night in Providence. Josh Hennessy scored the only goal for the home team in his debut wearing black and gold.
“We gotta put this one behind us and focus on the positives,” said head coach Bruce Cassidy, “There are some [positives] even if the score doesn’t indicate it. We generated more offense tonight than we did last weekend but we just didn’t finish.”
Though there were positives, Cassidy said, “When you lose 7 to 1, I’m not going to start patting a lot of guys on the back but I’m not going to throw them under the bus either.”
Both teams came out hard in the opening frame but it was the Monarchs who opened the scoring. Linden Vey won the faceoff back to David Meckler and he shot it right away to get it past Anton Khudobin at 2:41.
On the penalty kill because of a slashing penalty to Kevan Miller, Khudobin stood on his head. He made multiple saves in only a few seconds where he was diving and sprawling out in the crease that earned him a standing ovation by the crowd.
Despite those saves, Manchester scored again at 7:58 with a goal when Richard Clune deflected a shot from David Kolomatis from the blue line. Cam Paddock got the secondary assist on that goal that put his team up 2-0.
Colby Cohen and Justin Johnson mixed it up halfway thru the period and Cohen went down. He was helped by a trainer after laying on the ice but was then brought to the penalty box for a cross-checking penalty. Johnson received a double minor for roughing to give Providence their first power play of the night.
The score got cut in half thanks to a goal from Hennessy at 10:03. He scored on Jones on the wrap around from behind the net for his first of the season. The Monarchs answered in the last minute of play on the power play to make it 3-1 as teams headed to the dressing room for the first intermission.
A power play goal was something significant to come from Providence as it has been a struggle in the young season. Cassidy said it had some looks to it and there were opportunities there even if the numbers were not showing it.
Providence generated a lot of offense in the middle frame but could not hit the back of the net. Jamie Arniel had a good chance and Andrew Bodnarchuk had a 1-on-1 opportunity but lost control of the puck about midway through the period.
Slava Voynov upped the score to 4-1 at 10:57 on the shorthand for the Monarchs that left Khudobin sitting in his crease and visibly rattled. Just over two minutes later Clune got his second of game to make it 5-1.
Being down so many goals was not something new for the Bruins this early in the season as they dropped both of their last games 4-1.
“We create a lot of our own problems with a young team that you have to eliminate as quickly as you can,” Cassidy said.
Though the team is very young, Cassidy knows he needs more out of his veteran players as well. “Our younger players need to recognize that it’s a man’s league and our older players need to lead and manage the puck better when they get the opportunity to show the young guys the way,” he said.
Following the fifth goal, Khudobin, 20 saves, was relieved by goaltender Karel St. Laurent. St. Laurent spent last with the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL and Saint John Sea Dogs and started this season in the ECHL with the Reading Royals. Tonight was his AHL debut when he went in for Khudobin due to an injury Michael Hutchinson sustained in practice. Coach Cassidy says that he is day-to-day and he won’t see any action this weekend .
St. Laurent, 12 saves, was solid between the pipes but Justin Azevedo got his second of the night with 20 seconds to go in the period. He went post-to-post but the puck still got past St. Laurent to make it 6-1 heading into the final period.
Cassidy liked what he say out of St. Laurent and said he “played well.”
“He went in on a moment’s notice and he competed in there so we were happy to see that,” he said of the goalie providing relief.
Scoring was capped at 7-1 at 5:56 with a goal from Kolomatis with assists to Clune and Vey. It finished off a 3-point night for Kolomatis and Clune.
The power play struggled tonight as the squad went only 1-for-7 but the Bruins only gave the Monarchs two power play opportunities where they killed one off.
Fans can expect lineup changes when the team travels to Springfield Saturday night to take on the Springfield Falcons. They return to the Dunk Sunday afternoon against the Portland Pirates.
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