PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (6-11-3-2) rode an otherworldly performance from their goalie to a 3-1 win over the Providence Bruins (17-5-0-0) on Sunday inside Amica Mutual Pavilion. 

Vadim Zherenko had the busiest first period of anybody in the building, as the T-Birds goaltender was subjected to 15 attempts in a furious first-period push by the Bruins. Zherenko stood his ground, relenting only a power-play one-timer to Georgii Merkulov.

However, before Merkulov broke through, the T-Birds used their first shot on net of the day to get a fortuitous bounce and a 1-0 lead as Matthew Peca threw a puck off the legs of Hunter Skinner and through Michael DiPietro at 6:20 of the first period.

Providence wound up outshooting Springfield by a 15-2 margin in the opening frame, but the T-Birds responded with a great start to the second, as Chris Wagner found open space in the low slot and wired a perfect wrist shot over DiPietro's glove at 2:04, off a great find from Nikita Susuev. 

The T-Birds played a much more balanced second period, limiting Providence's high-danger chances and allowing Zherenko clear sight lines to deny all 11 Bruins shots that did reach the net. 

The pressure only intensified in the final 20 minutes for Zherenko, as the Providence attack emptied the tank on the Springfield goal mouth with 20 shots on net in the final period, but "Big Z" had responses every single time, including a highlight-reel denial of Christian Wolanin on a one-timer from the right-wing circle in the closing minutes. 

Sam Stange eventually gave the T-Birds a breath with an empty-netter with less than 30 seconds to play to usher the visitors to a victory. Zherenko completed his masterpiece with 45 stops.

The T-Birds are back on the ice next Saturday, Dec. 13, as they pay a visit to Utica to take on the Comets; puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Adirondack Bank Center.

Single-game tickets and ticket memberships for all remaining games in the Thunderbirds' 2025-26 season are available now - fans can order now by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).