The netminders stole the show for the first 40-plus minutes of play, with both sides trading chances up and down the ice but neither team ceding the opening tally.
Providence finally broke the ice early in the third by converting on a breakaway, then broke things open with a pair of strikes just 10 seconds apart midway through the frame.
That would prove too steep a hill for the Checkers. Santtu Kinnunen put a shot through from the top of the circle with just under seven to play to give the home team some life, but Providence would squash out the Checkers’ hope for a rally.
QUOTES
Coach Geordie Kinnear on the difference in the third periodWe talked after the second about not losing focus and being mentally tough, because it was a playoff-type game. It takes one mistake and it ends up in the back of your net, and case in point the first goal against we lost focus for a little bit, they executed a play and we were chasing it from there.
Kinnear on the chances his team created
You’ve got to give their goalie credit, but that’s hockey. The goalie is supposed to make big saves and he made some big saves, but we just have to stick with it, be mentally tough, and continue to play the right way. We lost focus there, it’s a 1-0 hockey game, we start chasing it, and then we’re really chasing it after giving up the next two.
Kinnear on his depth players
I thought Franco, Bezeau and Patty Giles had a really important game. Really good minutes, but the bottom line is that it’s not about one line and it’s not about depth guys. It’s about everybody going and giving us the best chance to win. I didn’t feel like I had everybody going, but we pride ourselves on being a group that has everybody going all the time. A good hockey game, we ended up falling on the short end of the stick. Pick up, move on, get better and respond tomorrow.
