Providence Friars men's ice hockey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Providence Friars men's ice hockey
Current season
Providence Friars men's ice hockey athletic logo
UniversityProvidence College
ConferenceHockey East
Head coachNate Leaman
11th season, 203–122–49 (.608)
Captain(s)Mike Callahan
ArenaSchneider Arena
Capacity: 3,030
Surface: 200' x 85'
LocationProvidence, Rhode Island
ColorsBlack, White, and Silver
     
NCAA Tournament championships
2015
NCAA Tournament Runner-up
1985
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
1964, 1983, 1985, 2015, 2019
NCAA Tournament appearances
1964, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference Tournament championships
ECAC: 1964, 1981
HEA: 1985, 1996
Conference regular season championships
ECAC: 1964, 1983 Hockey East: 2016
Current uniform
HE-Uniform-PC.png
Friars pose after winning the NCAA Hockey East Regional at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, March 31, 2019.

The Providence Friars men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Providence College. The Friars are a member of Hockey East. The skating Friars are currently coached by Nate Leaman has been the head coach of the skating Friars since 2011, leading them to a national championship in 2015. They play at the 3,030-seat Schneider Arena in Providence, Rhode Island.[1]

Season-by-season results[]

Source:[2]

Early years[]

Providence began their ice hockey program in 1927 with a 6–4 win over Springfield. Unfortunately it would be over 25 years before the Friars could get their next win. The inaugural season ended with seven straight losses, utilizing three coaches in total, and due to a lack of available ice the program was shuttered until 1952. When Providence did return to the ice they did so in the Rhode Island Auditorium, and with Providence native Dick Rondeau behind the bench. The results were poor at the start, understandably, but Rondeau did get the Friars to produce a winning season in his third year, coincidentally the same year the Friars played in their first conference, the .

Rondeau left after 1956 and turned the team over to Tom Eccleston who continued to build the Friar's resume. In 8 seasons Eccleston only had one losing season and when ECAC Hockey was formed in 1961 he had the team well-positioned. Despite a 14th-place finish (out of 28) Providence was selected as one of the 8 teams to participate in the first conference tournament. The Friars shot up the standings the following year, finishing 5th before winning their first conference title in 1964 which they followed up with the Conference Championship. The win sent Providence to the National Tournament for the first time but the Friars lost both games to finish a disappointing 4th.[3]

Lamoriello Years[]

Eccleston retired from coaching in 1964 and turned the team over to former NHLer Zellio Toppazzini but, after a good first season, the Friars plummeted to the bottom of the conference and remained their for three years before former Friar all-star Lou Lamoriello was installed as head coach. The team began to recover in Lamoriello's second season and made the conference tournament the following year. After a few seasons oscillating up and down the standings Lamoriello recruited Ron Wilson to Providence and the defenseman paid immediate dividends. Wilson won the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year in 1974 and then exploded for 87 points in just 27 games during his sophomore season. Wilson led the entire conference in scoring and finished second in the nation and set an all-time NCAA record for assists (61) and points (87) by a defenseman both overall and per game. While the overall totals have both been surpassed, Wilson still has the records for assists and points per game for a defenseman (as of 2019). Wilson was named the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year but without much help (as evidenced by his contributing on 72.5% of Providence's goals that season) Wilson couldn't get the Friars past the conference quarterfinals in any of his 4 seasons.

After Wilson graduated in 1977, Lamoriello was able to keep the team in the conference playoffs and win their first postseason game since Eccleston and then upset 26–1 Boston University in the semifinal to guarantee the Friars a trip to the 1978 NCAA Tournament. When Boston College won the ECAC Championship Providence was given the second eastern seed, however, because BU had such a stellar season the NCAA selection committee gave them an at-large bid. Providence was forced to play the nation's top team a second time to earn a berth in the national semifinal and, with the Terriers looking for revenge, Providence couldn't pull off the upset a second time. Despite the setback success stayed with the Friars and PC made the conference tournament each of the following six seasons. Lamoriello got the team to post its first 20-win season in 1979–80 and followed that up with a surprising tournament championship. Unfortunately the Friars still could not win a tournament game and were swept out by Michigan State in the quarterfinals. After a second 20-win season Lamoriello was promoted to Athletic director in 1982 but remained as coach for another season while he found a suitable replacement. In his final season the Friars demolished the previous program by posting 33 wins, albeit with 9 games more than they had ever played, and finished atop the conference for the second time. Lamoriello's team finished as the conference tournament runner-up and made the NCAA tournament where they finally managed to win a game, sweeping Minnesota–Duluth out of the quarterfinals. Providence was stymied by Wisconsin in the semifinal but the team redeemed itself with a 3rd-place finish.

Hockey East[]

Steve Stirling was introduced as the new coach the following year and kept on rolling with another 20+ win season. In 1984 all 6 teams in the East Division and Lowell left the conference and formed Hockey East. While Providence was mostly a middling team that season, when the playoffs came around, junior goaltender Chris Terreri came into his own. After allowing 2 goals in the two quarterfinal games against Northeastern, Terreri shut down Boston University in the semifinal and led the Friars against Hockey East champion Boston College in the championship. Terreri held one of the nation's top offensive teams to a single goal in his 65-save masterpiece as Providence won in double overtime.[4] Allowing just 5 goals in four and a half games was an astounding effort, especially at a time when most teams were routinely scoring 4 goals per game.

Terreri continued his MVP performance in the NCAA Tournament when the Friars were pitted against Michigan State. The Spartans were the best team all season and entered the tournament having just tied the record for the most wins in a season. In the first game, despite the Spartans potent offense, they only managed to win the game by a single goal, leaving the door open for the Friars in the rematch. Terreri held Michigan State to 2 goals, making 83 saves in the two games, and allowing the 4 his team scored to earn them a trip into the semifinals as one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. In the semifinal Providence met Boston College once more and the two teams battled in a lopsided game. While Terreri was bombarded by shots, BC's Scott Gordon had a much easier time but the teams remained tied after regulation. This time it took three overtime periods and with the Terreri setting an NCAA record for saves in a Frozen Four game (stall a record as of 2019)[5] the Friars won the game and made their first championship appearance. Terreri was again stellar in the final game against Rensselaer, allowing 2 goals on 42 shots, but this time his team couldn't support him offensively and the Friars lost 1–2. Despite the loss, the astounding performance by Terreri (2.14 GAA, .949 sv%) earned him Tournament MOP honors, the only losing player to win the award since 1960.

Middling Results[]

Friar Dom, wearing the traditional cowl of the Dominican brothers, was adopted as the PC Athletics mascot in 2002[6]

After the spectacular finish the team suffered a blow when Stirling resigned to return to Division III Babson and he was replaced by Mike McShane. McShane's tenure was neither good nor bad for the Friars as the team finished with a ~.500 record in his nine seasons but early on Providence lost their leading figure when Lou Lamoriello became the team president for the New Jersey Devils. The Friars continued on with McShane leading them to four consecutive 20+ win seasons in the early 1990s but he was eventually replaced by Paul Pooley in 1994. Early on Pooley looked to be the man to lead the Friars, guiding the team to its second Hockey East tournament title in 1996 but the results soon turned and his tenure with Providence ended with 4 straight conference quarterfinal losses.

After Pooley Providence brought back a name from its past, hoping that Tim Army would be able to succeed as Lamoriello one had, but in six seasons Army produced just one winning campaign (his first) and Providence missed out on the playoffs entirely in his final three years.

Return to Prominence[]

In 2011 former Union bench boss Nate Leaman was brought in and the team responded by winning its first playoff round in over a decade. By year two the team had a winning record and in the third season Leaman had led Providence to its first 20+ win year since 2001. In 2015, led by junior goaltender Jon Gillies, Providence won 26 games (the most since 1983) and finished tied for second in Hockey East. Despite this the team was upset in the quarterfinals by New Hampshire and had to wait to see if they could get in on the strength of their record. The Friars did manage to secure of the last at-large berths and opened the tournament against 4th overall seeded Miami. Providence posted an enormous 4-goal second period in their backyard to build a 6–2 lead but the RedHawks came storming back with three extra-attacker goals late in the third. Brandon Tanev ended the comeback bid with an empty-netter to advance Providence to the Regional Final. After the first game jitters Gillies appeared to find his game and limited Denver and Omaha to a single goal each in the next two contests to lead Providence back to the National Championship game. 30 years after their first title tilt it appears that Providence would again lose out but after BU netminder Matt O'Connor dropped the puck into his own net to tie the game the momentum swing in the Friars' direction allowing Tanev to score the game-winning goal just over two minutes later.

Leaman continues to lead the Friars and had led the program to six consecutive tournament berths winning at least one game in four of those years. Leaman currently sits 3rd all-time in program wins and is #1 in winning percentage (as of 2019).

Season-by-season results[]

Main article: List of Providence Friars men's ice hockey seasons

Source:[2]

Records vs. current Hockey East teams[]

As of the completion of 2018–19 season[2]

School Team Away Arena Overall Record Win % Home Away Last Result
Boston College Eagles Conte Forum 52–118–14 .321 27–47–11 21–67–3 1-2 L
Boston University Terriers Agganis Arena 57–110–18 .357 32–47–8 21–59–10 1-1 T
University of Connecticut Huskies XL Center 9–2–2 .769 5–2–1 4–0–1 5-2 W
University of Maine Black Bears Alfond Arena 55–65–7 .461 32–25–2 19–40–4 1-3 L
University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen Mullins Center 48–27–6 .630 32–11–1 16–15–5 3-2 W
University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks Tsongas Center 60–47–11 .555 32–23–4 28–22–7 1-0 W
Merrimack College Warriors J. Thom Lawler Rink 90–32–12 .716 54–15–4 37–17–7 6-0 W
University of New Hampshire Wildcats Whittemore Center 62–90–16 .417 38–33–10 24–54–6 3-1 W
Northeastern University Huskies Matthews Arena 87–54–18 .604 44–22–8 39–31–10 3-0 W
University of Vermont Catamounts Gutterson Fieldhouse 26–28–9 .484 11–11–7 14–15–2 1-1 T

All-time coaching records[]

As of completion of 2020–21 season[2]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1926–1927 1† 1–1–0 .500
1926–1927 1† 0–4–0 .000
1926–1927 1† 0–2–0 .000
1952–1956 Dick Rondeau 4 25–41–0 .379
1956–1964 Tom Eccleston 8 94–72–5 .564
1964–1968 Zellio Toppazzini 4 31–60–1 .342
1968–1983 Lou Lamoriello 15 248–179–13 .578
1983–1985 Steve Stirling 2 44–29–7 .594
1985–1994 Mike McShane 9 151–153–25 .497
1994–2005 Paul Pooley 11 185–187–40 .498
2005–2011 Tim Army 6 66–116–28 .381
2011–Present Nate Leaman 10 203–122–49 .608
Totals 12 coaches 70 Seasons 1048–966–168 .519

† Providence had 3 people serve as head coach during their first season

Statistical leaders[]

Source:[2]

Career points leaders[]

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Ron Wilson 1973–1977 111 78 172 250
Gaetano Orlando 1980–1984 133 95 118 213
Rob Gaudreau 1988–1992 146 103 108 211
1988–1992 131 73 128 201
Kurt Kleinendorst 1979–1983 138 89 103 192
Tim Army 1981–1985 151 71 93 179
1972–1976 105 75 93 168
Chad Quenneville 1991–1995 143 78 89 167
1977–1981 117 74 90 164
1975–1979 87 63 96 159
Gord Cruickshank 1984–1988 145 99 60 159

Career goaltending leaders[]

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 35 of team's games

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Nick Ellis 2013–2016 48 2716 30 9 5 86 5 .931 1.90
2015–2019 125 7321 72 36 13 247 16 .918 2.02
Jon Gillies 2012–2015 108 6433 60 34 13 223 13 .931 2.08
2016–2020 76 4382 35 28 11 176 3 .914 2.41
Bobby Goepfert 2002–2004 41 2391 21 15 4 99 3 .920 2.46

Statistics current through the start of the 2020–21 season.

Current roster[]

As of August 12, 2021.[7]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Massachusetts Jimmy Scannell Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-06-13 Medfield, Massachusetts Thayer (USHS–MA) —
2 Minnesota Luke Johnson Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-01-07 Edina, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL) —
3 Wisconsin Davis Bunz Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-04 Middleton, Wisconsin Central Illinois (USHL) —
4 Quebec Guillaume Richard Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-02-10 Quebec City, Quebec Tri-City (USHL) CBJ, 101st overall 2021
5 Massachusetts Ben Mirageas Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-08 Newburyport, Massachusetts Chicago (USHL) NYI, 77th overall 2017
6 Alaska Cam McDonald Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-03 Eagle River, Alaska Muskegon (USHL) —
8 Massachusetts Riley Duran Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-01-25 Woburn, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) BOS, 182nd overall 2020
9 Massachusetts Patrick Moynihan Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-01-23 Millis, Massachusetts USNTDP (USHL) NJD, 158th overall 2019
10 British Columbia Kohen Olischefski (A) Graduate F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1998-02-01 Abbotsford, British Columbia Denver (NCHC) —
11 Pennsylvania Michael Citara Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-04-22 New Hope, Pennsylvania Sioux Falls (USHL) —
12 British Columbia Nick Poisson Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-08-15 Vancouver, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL) —
13 Massachusetts Craig Needham Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-31 Medford, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) —
14 Massachusetts Matt Koopman Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-05-01 Marblehead, Massachusetts Waterloo (USHL) —
15 Czech Republic Tomáš Mazura Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-09-23 Sezemice, Czech Republic HIFK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) EDM, 162nd overall 2019
16 Massachusetts Kyle Koopman Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-05-01 Marblehead, Massachusetts West Kelowna (BCHL) —
17 Texas Chase Yoder Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-05-28 Fairview, Texas USNTDP (USHL) PIT, 170th overall 2020
18 Ontario Jamie Engelbert Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-06-21 Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg (OJHL) —
19 Ontario Cody Monds Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-02-09 Brockville, Ontario Fargo (USHL) —
20 Rhode Island Parker Ford (A) Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-20 Wakefield, Rhode Island Sioux City (USHL) —
21 Rhode Island Brett Berard Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-09-09 East Greenwich, Rhode Island USNTDP (USHL) NYR, 134th overall 2020
22 Finland Uula Ruikka Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-05-28 Oulu, Finland Chicago (USHL) —
23 Massachusetts Michael Callahan (C) Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-09-23 Franklin, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) ARI, 142nd overall 2018
24 Alberta Max Crozier (A) Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-19 Calgary, Alberta Sioux Falls (USHL) TBL, 120th overall 2019
25 Minnesota Luke Perunovich Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-05-12 Edina, Minnesota Northeast (NAHL) —
26 Connecticut Alex Esposito Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-06-03 West Haven, Connecticut Vermont (HEA) —
28 Colorado Garrett Devine Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-11-25 Windsor, Colorado South Shore (NCDC) —
29 Minnesota Will Schimek Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-05-22 Mendota Heights, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) —
30 Minnesota Jaxson Stauber Junior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-04-27 Plymouth, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL) —
33 Ontario Austin Cain Graduate G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1996-09-12 Kanata, Ontario Western Michigan (WCHA) —

Awards and honors[]

NCAA[]

Individual awards[]

All-American teams[]

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

ECAC Hockey[]

Individual awards[]

All-Conference teams[]

First Team All-ECAC Hockey

Second Team All-ECAC Hockey

Hockey East[]

Individual awards[]

All-Conference teams[]

First Team All-Hockey East

Second Team All-Hockey East

Third Team All-Hockey East

Hockey East All-Rookie Team

Providence Friars Hall of Fame[]

The following is a list of people associated with the Providence men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.[2]

Friars in the NHL[]

Source:[10]

= NHL All-Star Team = NHL All-Star[11] = NHL All-Star[11] and NHL All-Star Team = Hall of Famers

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ http://www.uscho.com/team/providence/mens-hockey/[bare URL]
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Providence Friars men's Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide". Providence Friars. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "NCAA Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "Former Friar Standout Chris Terreri Earns Hockey East's 25th Anniversary Top Individual Performance". Providence Friars. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "The greatest individual and team performances in Frozen Four history". NCAA.com. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Fleming, Kristen (13 March 2018). "The story behind Providence College's terrifying mascot". The New York Post. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. ^ "2020–21 Roster". friars.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  8. ^ "Legends of Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  9. ^ "United States Hockey Hall of Fame". Hockey Central.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  10. ^ "Alumni report for Providence College". Hockey DB. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""