SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The Springfield Thunderbirds just keep chugging, taking game three from the Providence Bruins on Tuesday night. After much of the season felt like the playoffs were out of reach, they sit just one game away from the Calder Cup Atlantic Division Finals.

Resiliency was the word of the night once again for the Springfield Thunderbirds, coming back from a deficit for the second time this series to take game three from the Providence Bruins. Now, they sit just one game away from the Calder Cup Atlantic Division Finals.

“At some point during this year, it looked like we may not have even made the playoffs,” Springfield Thunderbirds President Nate Costa said this heading into game one of this best of five series.

The team was sitting towards the bottom of the leaderboard at points, resulting in a managerial change. Now, the T-Birds have a 2-1 series lead after being the top-seeded Bruins in overtime on Tuesday — continuing to defy the odds.

“Since I got here, we’ve changed a few things. We’ve had some adjustments, you know, learned a game that’s going to, you know, be indicative of winning hockey,” said Springfield Thunderbirds coach Steve Ott.

That winning hockey has been on display throughout the playoffs, first upsetting the three-seeded Charlotte Checkers on the road, and now forcing an elimination game against the AHL’s best regular season team.

It took an other-worldly performance from Springfield’s goalie, making a remarkable save after save, and an extra period tied at 2-2. But the Thunderbirds made sure the third goal was the charm, and the packed-out crowd got the ending that Coach Ott said they deserved, “the fans have been exceptional here. The Thunderdome is rocking. And, you know, the boys feed off that type of energy. The energy allows them to, you know, play through the bumps and bruises, too, when they’re tired, to dig in extra more. And that fan support has been awesome for us.”

The T-Birds now get the opportunity to take the series in front of their home fans, as they look to pack the Thunderdome once again Thursday night.

If they pull it off, they’ll get to compete in the division finals for only the second time in team history, and with tickets still available, you can be a part of the ride. The puck drop for game four is set for 7:05 p.m.