PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Springfield Thunderbirds, for a third straight game in these Calder Cup Playoffs, overcame an early 1-0 deficit to storm back and take a 3-2 decision over the Providence Bruins on Friday night at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals, stealing home-ice advantage in the best-of-five series in the process.

The game began with an all-too-familiar theme as former T-Bird Drew Callin surprised goaltender Georgi Romanov with a short side snapper at 3:12 of the first period, tallying the opening goal of the series in his debut game for Providence. 

However, Steve Ott's team once again showed an early blemish was not going to deter them. Providence got itself into penalty trouble with back-to-back minors less than two minutes apart in the back half of the frame. While the Springfield power play did not strike at 5-on-3, Akil Thomas made the man advantage worth its while when he snapped a shot past Michael DiPietro at 15:16 of the first. Thomas was positioned perfectly in the left circle to cap off a brilliant passing play from Dillon Dube and Alek Kaskimaki to set up the equalizer.

After outshooting Providence 11-5 in the first, Springfield's power play created momentum for a go-ahead strike early in the second period. Just five seconds after another T-Birds power play concluded, Zach Dean drove the right-wing goal line before sending a perfect pass across the top of the crease to a crashing Thomas Bordeleau, who one-touched it over DiPietro on the glove side at 3:40 of the middle period. 

Romanov's workload was relatively light, as the Bruins managed just eight more shots in the second for a 40-minute total of 13.

Looking for added insurance, the T-Birds got it at 3:21 of the third when Dylan Peterson wired a wrister over DiPietro's blocker to push the lead to 3-1 with his first Calder Cup Playoff goal.

A gritty, bad-blooded third period progressed with the 3-1 score still in tow heading into the game's final minutes. With DiPietro pulled for an extra skater, Matej Blumel finally got Providence's first goal since the early stages of the night when he connected on a rebound with 37 seconds remaining. 

However, the goal proved to be nothing more than a stat sheet filler, as the Springfield defense killed off the closing seconds, with Romanov closing a third straight victory with 24 stops. The Springfield netminder has now stopped 87 of the 92 shots he has faced in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

With home-ice advantage in their pocket, the T-Birds will try to take a stranglehold on the series when the two teams reconvene on Sunday night at 7:05 p.m. for Game 2 at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Game 3 is set for Tuesday, May 5 at 7:05 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center.

Thunderbirds' Pay As We Play playoff plans are available now for no upfront cost and will still be in effect should the T-Birds advance to the next round. In addition, 2026-27 season tickets are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).