P-Bruins clinch regular-season title
01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, April 6, 2008
Special to the Journal
LOWELL, Mass. — For the second game in a row, the Providence Bruins were forced to a shootout to determine the winner in their game.
And for the second game in a row, they came through with a win.
Brett Skinner scored the only goal in the shootout session as Providence defeated Lowell, 2-1, last night at the Tsongas Arena.
The P-Bruins got their lone goal in regulation from Jeff LoVecchio
With the victory and a 3-1 Hartford Wolf Pack loss to the Portland Pirates, the P-Bruins, now 51-16-3-4, clinched the Eastern Conference regular-season championship.*
The Devils took a 1-0 lead at the 1:20 mark of the opening period. Jason Ryznar tallied his ninth goal of the season unassisted.
But the P-Bruins battled back and tied the game at the 5:12 mark while short-handed. LoVecchio caused a turnover in his own end, giving himself a breakaway. He backhanded the puck through the legs of Lowell netminder Frank Doyle and into the net for his third goal of the season. The goal was unassisted.
Neither team was able to break the deadlock and after scoreless second, third and overtime periods, the game went into a shootout. Skinner scored for the P-Bruins while Providence goaltender Jordan Sigalet stopped all five shots he faced.
Overall, Sigalet stopped 30 of 31 shots for the P-Bruins, while Doyle made 41 saves for the Devils. The P-Bruins went 0-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
*They've won the whole conference because the highest anyone can go in the East Division is 103 points.
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