SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Springfield Thunderbirds (29-20-2-4) successfully fended off a furious third-period charge to eke out a 2-1 win over the Providence Bruins (32-18-4-2) on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 6,793 inside the MassMutual Center on Pink in the Rink Night. 

The opening 20 minutes came and went without much to report, as no goals or penalties were recorded. The Bruins had the far more prominent presence in the offensive zone, outshooting Springfield 11-3 in the first period, but Colten Ellis continued his splendid form in turning away every Providence opportunity. Brandon Bussi had little work in blocking the three T-Bird shot attempts.

The Bruins' consistent pressure finally broke them through at 3:40 of the middle period as Joey Abate arrived to a bouncing puck out in front of the crease and chopping a backhand past Ellis to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The only penalty of the first 40 minutes resulted in a tide-changing moment for the T-Birds, as just five seconds into the game's first power play, Samuel Johannesson slipped a wrister through heavy traffic and past Bussi to tie the game, 1-1, at 7:43. 

After extending his point streak to 10 straight games with an assist on the Johannesson tally, Matthew Peca beat the buzzer to get the T-Birds into the lead for the first time with just 1.4 seconds left in the period. Alek Kaskimaki received a pass on the right-wing wall from Hunter Skinner with time dwindling. However, with no panic, the rookie threw the puck to the left corner, where Peca beat his defender to the spot to receive the pass and tuck it inside the near post before Bussi could arrive. 

Providence put the hammer down in the final period, unleashing a barrage of shots on Ellis from all angles, finishing the final 20 minutes with 19 shots. Despite being caught in their zone at times, the T-Birds' defense refused to cave, and the penalty kill survived a late 6-on-4 threat in earning their sixth win in 10 tries this season against their division foes.

Peca's goal went down as his seventh game-winning tally, tying him for the AHL lead in that category, while Ellis became the third goaltender in T-Birds history to reach 20 wins in a season, joining Joel Hofer and Charlie Lindgren.

With their magic number to clinch a Calder Cup playoff berth down to 20, the T-Birds complete their weekend set on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. as they visit the Bridgeport Islanders.

Fans can get their Thunderbirds tickets today by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.