Trio paces P-Bruins to big win

Matt Fraser scored four times, Craig Cunningham added three goals and Ryan Spooner had four assists in Providence’s 8-5 road win over Hartford at the XL Center on Friday night.

It was the first career hat trick for Fraser, whose 80 goals since the start of the 2011-12 season are the most in the AHL. Cunningham’s hat trick was the second of his AHL career.

The teams traded two goals each in the first 6:44 of the game before Fraser’s second goal of the night gave Providence the lead for good at 10:13 of the opening period.

Fraser, Cunningham and Alexander Khokhlachev scored in a span of 3:43 midway through the second period to open up a 6-2 lead for the Bruins.

Hartford cut the deficit back to 6-5, as Marek Hrivik scored late in the second and Shawn O’Donnell and Ryan Bourque struck 14 seconds apart early in the third.

Cunningham completed his hat trick with 6:09 left in regulation, and Fraser finished off his four-goal night with an empty-netter at 18:40.

Providence went 3-for-4 on the power play in the game.

Fraser and Cunningham became the first AHL teammates in more than four years to have hat tricks in the same game. Jon Matsumoto and Rob Sirianni each scored three times in the Philadelphia Phantoms’ 7-4 win over Grand Rapids on Mar. 28, 2009.