ANAHEIM A year ago, Frederic Brune and Michael DiPietro were playing with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, trying to prove they had what it took to make their dreams come true.
Brunet scored his first NHL goal and Di Pietro secured his first NHL win in the Boston Bruins’ 4-2 comeback win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at the Honda Center.
Oh, how times have changed.
“We’ll probably say, wow, wow, this is crazy, there’s no way. But as it turned out today, I couldn’t have asked for a better night. And the way I did it with Mikey, it’s great,” said Brunet. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve played with and I don’t think anyone deserves it more. The way he played in Providence, it was only a matter of time before he made the big move, and I’m very happy for him.”
DiPietro, who spent one season in the ECHL and six in the AHL before getting his chance in the B’s, made 25 saves in his second start of the year. The 27-year-old shut the door after a first half in which Tim Wash and Beckett Seneca scored in the last minute to make it 2-0.
“Definitely a dramatic way to get the first one, it didn’t make it easy for me,” DiPietro said with a smile. “I think for me, I’m sure I’ll have more time to tell and kind of sit with it and see how long the road really is. Obviously it’s just one, and obviously you want to build on it. But you’re definitely going to enjoy the moment and I’m really looking forward to calling my dad and my wife and just talking to them.”
Brunet put the Bruins up 2-1 at 3:15 of the second on a power play. The 23-year-old rookie defenseman took a pass from James Hagens and fired a shot from the point past Anaheim netminder Lucas Dostal.
“Probably the worst shot of my career. No, it was great. Everyone just came to congratulate me afterwards, which was awesome. It was such a special night for me and I think just getting the win was even better,” said Brunet. “It was a burger, so I said, ‘Hey!’ “There’s no way it’s going in…” but it did, so I’m happy about that.
Head coach Marco Sturm gave Brunei the power play duties early on. Brunet looked more than comfortable as the second unit quarterback.
“For me, his legs are elite. The way he drags and even comes over the blue line and with his hands, a little bit too. It’s just fun to watch,” Sturm said. “He shows a lot of good things.”
