P-Bruins top Manchester 5-2

(WPRI) - The Providence Bruins defeated the Manchester Monarchs 5-2 this evening at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Jamie Arniel, Craig Cunningham and David Warsofsky all scored and Justin Florek added two goals for Providence.

The P-Bruins and Monarchs both came out of the gate with furious speed and hard-hits in their tenth and final meeting of the season. Arniel began the frame by blasting Jake Muzzin of the Monarchs, which was then followed up by a crushing blow to Zach McKelvie delivered by Richard Clune.

With just 3:54 gone in the first, Arniel drilled a rocket stick-side high past goaltender Martin Jones, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The point was assisted by Florek and Bobby Robins. Florek, a 2010 Bruins draft pick who signed an ATO with Providence earlier in the day, picked up his first professional point with the assist. Robins played in his first game since suffering an injury on the 25th of February against Bridgeport and immediately provided a spark to the team.

Also making an early presence was goaltender Anton Khudobin, who was also playing in his first game since being injured in Bridgeport. Despite consecutive Bruins penalties at 6:31 and 8:01, the Monarchs were unable to capitalize on the advantage. Khudobin's awareness kept a few close shots out of the net.

Midway through the first, the Monarchs picked up their first penalty, giving the Bruins an opportunity to increase the lead. The highlight of the powerplay came when Monarch Andrei Loktionov broke away on the short-hand for a one-on-one opportunity to equalize, only to be denied by the hard-working Khudobin. At 17:40, Justin Azevedo tallied his twenty-first goal of the year to even the count at one a piece.

Despite beginning the second frame with a man advantage, the Bruins were unable to capitalize on any opportunities to re-gain the lead. Soon after the Monarchs' penalty expired, the Bruins went a man down as McKelvie was sent to the sin-bin for tripping. The Monarchs also were unable to score despite the advantage, thanks to the fast-paced penalty kill unit of the Bruins.

The hard hitting and intensity continued throughout the frame, as one would expect from two teams fighting for a playoff birth. Nine minutes into the period, Florek and Carter Camper assisted on a wrist shot fired by Cunningham which snuck right by the pad of Jones, giving the Bruins a 2-1 lead. Less than four minutes later, Florek scored his first professional goal off of an amazing 360 spin pass from Cunningham. Camper was also credited with the assist. Manchester closed out the second firing shots at Khudobin, none of which were successful.

The opening half of the 3rd period was a battle for the offensive zone on both sides. Play went back-and-forth throughout much of the period until Brandon Kozun was able to get Manchester back within a goal. The count stood at 3-2 until Florek converted on his second goal sending the puck five-hole, giving the Bruins a commanding 4-2 lead with 3:37 left to play. Providence sealed the victory with an open-net goal at 18:31 by David Warsofsky, making the score 5-2.

Khudobin earned the win in his first game back, stopping 29 of Manchester's 31 attempts. Jones allowed 4 goals on 30 shots and suffered the loss.