PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Springfield Thunderbirds fell 5-1 to the Providence Bruins in Game 3 of their First Round playoff series on Sunday afternoon at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The loss marks the end of the T-Birds' season.

As they did in Game 1, the T-Birds broke the ice early in the contest, as Corey Schueneman skated into a loose puck after a blocked shot off the stick of Dalibor Dvorsky. At the 4:01 mark of the first, the T-Birds' blueliner ripped a wrister past Michael DiPietro's glove to give Springfield the all-important first tally.

The T-Birds' power play continued to draw chances to add to the lead, but the scuffling unit failed to connect on two attempts in each of the first two periods. Those missed chances proved costly.

Springfield stayed disciplined, except for one sloppy line change early in the second frame, which gave Providence a power play following the too many men on the ice infraction. Just seven seconds into their first power play of the day, the Bruins connected, as Matthew Poitras fired a shot through Colten Ellis on the blocker side at 2:38 of the second period, equalizing the game, 1-1. 

The 1-1 tie carried into the third, but the Providence power play flexed its muscle in the third period to put their rivals away for good, beginning with a one-timer from Ian Mitchell at 7:41 to give Providence its first lead at 2-1. Riley Tufte added a net-crashing goal just 54 seconds later to extend the lead.

With the T-Birds forced to take chances in the name of generating offense, the Bruins added two more in the dying minutes as Tufte and Poitras each potted their second goals of the night to bring the T-Birds' season to a close. 

Fans can lock in their 2025-26 Springfield Thunderbirds memberships for the club's 10th anniversary by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.