EYSSIMONT’S HAT TRICK, ZAJICEK’S GOALIE GOAL HELP P-BRUINS POWER PAST CHECKERS FOR FIRST WIN OF SEASON
Providence, RI – Forward Mike Eyssimont netted a hat trick, while goaltender Simon Zajicek was credited with an empty net goal to help the Providence Bruins power past the Charlotte Checkers 6-2 on Saturday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for their first win of the season. Brendan Gaunce posted his second goal of the season, while Lukas Reichel scored the game-winning goal. Defenseman Henri Jokiharju recorded two assists.
How It Happened
Just 1:35 into the game, Robert Mastrosimone received a cross-ice pass in the left circle and fired a wrist shot inside the near post for a power play goal to give the Checkers a 1-0 lead.
Gaunce chased down a mishandled puck by the defenseman at the point and took it on a breakaway, where he snapped a shot into the upper-right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1 just 1:18 after the Charlotte tally.
Brian Halonen skated the puck around a defender and into the left circle, where he slung a backhanded pass towards Eyssimont cutting down the slot, who redirected it inside the left post to give the P-Bruins a 1-0 lead with 1:55 remaining in the first period. Jokiharju received a secondary assist.
Just 11 seconds into the second period, Reichel walked the puck up the middle of the neutral zone, between the defenders, and on a breakaway, where he snapped a shot past the blocker of the goaltender to extend the Providence lead to 3-1. Ty Gallagher and Dans Locmelis were credited with the assists.
Nathan Bastian’s wrist shot from the right circled whistled inside the far post to cut the P-Bruins’ lead to 3-2 with two seconds left in the second period.
Eyssimont stole the puck away in the neutral zone, skated it into the left circle, and fired a wrist shot under the blocker of the goaltender to give Providence a 4-2 lead with 3:49 to play in the third frame.
Zajicek made a save off a shot from the point before the Checkers corralled the rebound and sent an errant pass all the way down the ice and back into their own empty net. Zajicek was credited with the goal to give the P-Bruins a 5-2 lead with 3:11 left in the third period.
Eyssimont scored on the empty net for his third goal of the game to make it 6-2 with 2:47 remaining. Navrin Mutter and Jokiharju were credited with assists.
Stats
Eyssimont’s hat trick is his first in the AHL since April 30, 2022.
Gaunce netted his second goal of the season.
Zajicek is the first goaltender in Providence Bruins history to be credited with a goal. He stopped 30 of 32 shots faced.
The P-Bruins totaled 32 shots.
The power play went x-for-x and the penalty kill was x-for-x.
Trent Whitfield earned his first victory as head coach of the Providence Bruins.
Up Next
The Providence Bruins host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, October 11 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Puck drop is set for 3:05 p.m.
Every minute of Bruins hockey can be watched online with the league’s streaming service, AHLTV on FloHockey. AHLTV on FloHockey provides its subscribers access to not just every regular season and Calder Cup Playoff game for all 32 AHL teams, but also more than 21,000 hockey contests from other professional and junior leagues on FloHockey, as well as access to all other live event streams and replays across FloSports.
10.10.2026
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