Affiliates Report: Providence triumphs, Atlanta stumbles

The two Bruins affiliates experienced opposite results over the long weekend. While Providence swept its three games, the Gladiators dropped a trio of contests in consecutive days.

Providence Bruins

It was a three-win week for Providence with victories over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday, Laval on Sunday, and Bridgeport on Monday.

On Friday, Providence had a big night from goaltender Maxime Lagace, who turned aside 28 of 30 shots by the Penguins affiliate. Josiah Didier also scored his first goal for the team and Oskar Steen had a pair of assists.

With the Laval Rocket in town on Sunday afternoon, Brendan Gaunce got his second goal in as many games while Paul Carey and Ryan Fitzgerald provided early third-period tallies. Gaunce closed out the weekend with the winning goal on Monday while Steen collected two more assists.

Players of the Week: Brendan Gaunce & Oskar Steen – Gaunce scored goals in all three games for Providence, including the winning tally in victories over Laval and Bridgeport. Steen played a big part on Friday and Monday with a pair of two-assist games.

UP NEXT: Providence hits the road for three games this week. On Wednesday, the P-Bruins clash with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7:05 p.m.) followed by trips to Springfield on Saturday (7:05 p.m.) and Hartford on Sunday (3 p.m.).

Atlanta Gladiators

Another week, another host of losses for Atlanta in what is becoming a forgettable season for the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate. That included consecutive losses on the road to the Florida Everblades, 5-3 and 5-2, and a Sunday defeat at the Orlando Solar Bears, 5-2.

Defense and ill-timed goals from opponents were the Gladiators’ kryptonite over the weekend. Atlanta held leads in two of the games last weekend and was tied briefly in the second leg against Florida. On Friday, after cutting the lead to a goal late in the second, Florida scored again on the next shift to pad the advantage again.

The following day, Atlanta rallied to tie the game with a pair of goals in 17 seconds, only for Florida to retake the lead a minute later in the second period. Sunday, Atlanta led, 2-1, after two periods over Orlando but two goals in the opening five minutes of the third stunned the Gladiators.

Atlanta did pick up a 5-4 victory on Tuesday night over Adirondack, but again, a blown lead in the third period forced overtime.

Player of the Week: Derek Nesbitt – After a pointless first game, Nesbitt provided a goal and an assist on Saturday along with another assist on Sunday. An honorable mention goes to Logan Nelson, who had three assists on Friday night.

UP NEXT: It’s a busy weekend for Atlanta. After a home game on Friday against Orlando (7:35 p.m.), the Gladiators travel to face the South Carolina Stingrays on Saturday night (6:05 p.m.) and return home Sunday to face the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (2:05 p.m.).