P-Bruins defense earns 3-0 win

(WPRI) - The Providence Bruins shut out the Worcester Sharks on Friday evening at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The game was the 12th and final meeting between the two teams this season. The P-Bruins saw goals from Josh Hennessy, Andrew Bodnarchuk, and Kevan Miller.

Though the Worcester Sharks recorded the first shot of the game early in the first, the game's fast pace and physical play didn't lead to a goal until late in the opening frame. The Sharks' Jimmy Bonneau went off for hooking at 18:41 in the first, giving the P-Bruins their first power play chance of the game.

After a few failed chances, Maxime Sauve fed a beautiful pass to Hennessy, who buried it past Sharks netminder Harri Sateri to put Providence up 1-0 with eight seconds left on the clock. The goal, from Sauve and Zach Trotman, was Hennessy's 18th of the season.

The second period opened with more of same physical play from the two Atlantic Division rivals, with the tension finally coming to fruition at 7:25 in the period. Bobby Robins dropped the gloves with Bonneau, and after a few devastating blows by both players, Robins came through with the knockout. Both were assessed five minute fighting majors.

Shortly after the brawl, Ontario Hockey League transplant Ryan Spooner left a clean drop pass for Bodnarchuk, who ripped it past Sateri to put the P-Bruins up 2-0. The goal was Bodnarchuk's fifth of the season, and got a secondary helper from Kirk MacDonald.

Despite a four-minute power play courtesy of the Sharks' Nick Petreki, and the late period kill of a Lane MacDermid penalty, the period timed out 2-0 in Providence's favor.

Providence opened the final frame in the midst of killing off the MacDermid penalty. After a successful kill, Miller got into it with Curt Gogol, immediately tossing him to the ice. Both were assessed a four minute minor for roughing.

The frustration on the Worcester bench exploded after a big on-ice scrum that led to Petreki getting nabbed with a ten-minute game misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct. Worcester pulled Sateri with a minute to go, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Sharks, as Miller sent the puck roaring down the ice and netted his third of the season on an empty net shorthanded chance. The tally came with 01.4 seconds left in regulation, and gave Providence the 3-0 win.

Providence went 1-for-3 on the power play, and 3-for-3 on the penalty for the night. Michael Hutchinson stopped 36 of 36 shots as he earned his fourth shutout of the season and the first star of the game.