LEARNED NETS OT WINNER
Come from Behind Win at Pics, 4-3

SPRINGFIELD, MA-All was not pretty in Springfield for the first twenty minutes on Saturday night as the B's look to keep pace with Applecore atop the league standings. The B's were down 2-0 after the first and were completely outplayed as the host Springfield Pics came out hungry.

The Bruins came out of the locker room a different team in the second period and controlled play and got the game tied up. The B's got on the board when Brian Morgan finished off a great passing play on the power play from Paul Russell and Kevin McKernan. Just four minutes later Frankie Vatrano picked off a break out pass at the Pics blue line and went in alone on a breakaway and scored his 28th (league games only) goal of the season while short handed.

That short handed goal was the 17th of the season for the Bruins and is tops in the league. The Bruins special teams play has been on fire of late and the B's have the top ranked PK unit in the league with a 91.37% success rate and are second in the league on the PP with a 25.91%. The Bruins are also the most disciplined team in the league with an average of 15.1 penalty minutes per game. By comparison the league leaders in penalty minutes per game are Brewster (28.6) and Springfield (26.4).

The Pics would not go away and scored a power play goal halfway through the third to take the lead again. The B's would again bounce back and it was Vatrano again scoring a power play goal with assists to Zach Luczyk and Cody Learned. The teams would exchange chances in the remaining eight minutes of the third but neither could convert and the teams headed to OT.

The Bruins, in the middle a neck and neck race for the regular season title with Applecore, really could not afford to lose or tie in the extra session. They needed the two points and the team came out possessed in OT and nearly scored off the opening face-off when Morgan and Russell each had quality bids. On the ensuing shift Vatrano won a loose puck battle in neutral ice on the right wing side of the ice nd chipped the puck up to Learned who out raced a Pics player for the puck and went in on a breakaway and scored the OT winner sending the B's piling onto the ice.

The Jersey Hitmen helped the Bruins out on both Saturday and Sunday beating Applecore on Saturday and then again in OT on Sunday. That now puts the Bruin in control of their own destiny as they are now in first place. If both the B's and Applecore win out they will have 76 and 75 points respectively.

The Bruins head to Valley on Thursday night to take on the Valley Jr. Warriors.