MEGNA’S FOUR-POINT EFFORT HELPS P-BRUINS OUTLAST T-BIRDS

Feb 24, 2024

Springfield, MA - Forward Jayson Megna recorded four assists to help the Providence Bruins outlast the Springfield Thunderbirds 5-4 on Saturday night at the MassMutual Center. Georgii Merkulov posted a goal and two assists, while Frederic Brunet notched a goal and an assist. Fabian Lysell, John Farinacci, and Reilly Walsh also found the back of the net for the P-Bruins. 

 

How It Happened

• While on the power play, Lysell fed the puck to the crease from the left circle, where it deflected off a defender’s stick and into the back of the net, giving the P-Bruins a 1-0 lead with 8:23 remaining in the first period. Merkulov and Megna were credited with the assists. 
• While short-handed, Megna wrapped the puck around the net and sent a pass to Patrick Brown in the right circle, who quickly zipped it across to Farinacci at the bottom of the left circle, where he one-timed it past the diving goaltender, extending the Providence lead to 2-0 with 5:17 to play in the second frame. 
• With 22 seconds left in the first period, Zach Dean protected the puck around a defender in the left circle and flipped a shot short-side top shelf to cut the P-Bruins’ lead to 2-1. 
• 1:21 into the second period, Merkulov backhanded a pass from the right corner across the ice to Brunet in the left circle, where he one-timed a shot that deflected off a defender’s stick and fluttered over the goaltender and into the back of the net, extending the Providence lead to 3-1. Megna received a secondary assist. 
• Off an offensive zone face-off, Megna won the puck back to Merkulov in the right circle, where he snapped a shot inside the near post, giving the P-Bruins a 4-1 lead with 15:35 remaining in the second period. 
• While playing 4-on-3, Adam Gaudette one-timed a tic-tac-toe passing play from the left circle into the back of the net, cutting the Providence lead to 4-2 with 13:41 to play in the second frame. 
• Dean’s shot was initially stopped, rolling behind the goaltender and sitting in the crease, where Gaudette crashed the blue paint and poked the puck across the goal line, shrinking the P-Bruins’ lead to 4-3 with 5:51 left in the second period. 
• While short-handed, Dean crashed the net and put back the rebound to tie the game at 4-4 with 3:42 remaining in the second period. 
• While on the power play, Brunet collected the puck along the left-side boards and zipped a pass over to Walsh at the top of the right circle, where he stepped into a wrist shot that whistled inside the far post, giving Providence a 5-4 lead with 2:55 to play in the second frame. 

 

Stats

• Farinacci’s short-handed goal was his second of the season and the team’s fourth in the last two games. Providence is tied for the league lead with 12 short-handed tallies this season.  
• Megna’s four-point night is a new career high. He has points in three straight contests with seven total in that span.
• Lysell extended his point streak to three games with four total points in that span. 
• Goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped 25 of the 29 shots he faced. The P-Bruins totaled 33 shots. 
• The Providence power play went 2-for-5, and the penalty kill was 2-for-4.

 

Up Next

The Providence Bruins host the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday, February 25 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Puck drop is set for 3:05 P.M.