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Providence Friars men's ice hockey

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Providence Friars men's ice hockey
Current season
Providence Friars athletic logo
UniversityProvidence College
ConferenceHockey East
Head coachNate Leaman
14th season, 259–163–62 (.599)
Assistant coaches
ArenaSchneider Arena
Providence, 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

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]

History

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Source:[2]

Early years

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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 NEHL.

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

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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

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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

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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

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Friars pose after winning the NCAA Hockey East Regional at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, March 31, 2019

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

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

Source:[2]

Records vs. current Hockey East teams

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

All-time coaching records

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Nate Leaman

As of completion of 2023–24 season[2]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1926–1927 Dr. Joseph T. Landry[7] 1† 1–1–0 .500
1926–1927 John Graham 1† 0–4–0 .000
1926–1927 Clement Trihey 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 13 259–163–62 .599
Totals 12 coaches 73 Seasons 1104–1007–181 .521

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

Statistical leaders

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Source:[2]

Career points leaders

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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
Mike Boback 1988–1992 131 73 128 201
Kurt Kleinendorst 1979–1983 138 89 103 192
Tim Army 1981–1985 151 71 93 179
Dan Kennedy 1972–1976 105 75 93 168
Chad Quenneville 1991–1995 143 78 89 167
Steve O'Neill 1977–1981 117 74 90 164
Brad Wilson 1975–1979 87 63 96 159
Gord Cruickshank 1984–1988 145 99 60 159

Career goaltending leaders

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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
Hayden Hawkey 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
Jaxson Stauber 2020–2022 60 3597 32 21 7 129 8 .919 2.15
Michael Lackey 2016–2020 76 4382 35 28 11 176 3 .914 2.41

Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 season.

Current roster

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As of September 8, 2024.[8]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Massachusetts John Driscoll Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-04-09 Milton, Massachusetts Northeast Generals (NA3HL) —
2 Czech Republic Tomas Machů Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-03-02 Ostrava, Czech Republic Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) NYI, 221st overall 2021
4 Quebec Guillaume Richard Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-02-10 Cap-Santé, Quebec Tri-City Storm (USHL) CBJ, 101st overall 2021
5 Finland Samo Meritähti Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2003-03-06 Seinäjoki, Finland Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
6 New York (state) Alexander Bales Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2006-07-06 East Amherst, New York Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
8 Ohio Braiden Clark Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2005-04-08 Upper Arlington, Ohio Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) —
9 Saskatchewan Hudson Malinoski Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2004-05-19 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Brooks Bandits (AJHL) TOR, 153rd overall 2023
10 Iowa Logan Will Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-06-14 Ames, Iowa Colorado College (NCHC) —
11 Alberta Graham Gamache Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2002-06-11 Edmonton, Alberta Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
12 British Columbia Nick Poisson Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-08-15 Vancouver, British Columbia Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL) —
13 Illinois Geno McEnery Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-10-21 Geneva, Illinois Oklahoma Warriors (NAHL) —
14 Finland Aleksi Kivioja Freshman F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2003-08-02 Helsinki, Finland Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
15 Ohio Will Elger Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2004-12-29 Westerville, Ohio Omaha Lancers (USHL) —
16 California Trevor Connelly Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2006-02-28 Tustin, California Tri-City Storm (USHL) VGK, 19th overall 2024
17 Texas Chase Yoder Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-28 Fairview, Texas USNTDP (USHL) PIT, 170th overall 2020
18 New Hampshire Cam Gendron Graduate D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1999-02-05 Hampstead, New Hampshire New Hampshire (HEA) —
19 New York (state) Tanner Adams Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2005-09-02 Northport, New York Tri-City Storm (USHL) —
20 Ontario Logan Sawyer Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2006-05-06 Orangeville, Ontario Brooks Bandits (BCHL) MTL, 78th overall 2024
21 Ontario John Mustard Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2006-08-16 Newmarket, Ontario Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) CHI, 67th overall 2024
22 Florida Clint Levens Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 2003-06-19 Windermere, Florida Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) —
23 Pennsylvania Andrew Centrella Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 2004-01-29 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) —
24 Michigan Austen May Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2003-05-19 Woodhaven, Michigan Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) —
25 Minnesota Connor Kelley Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-01-30 Maple Grove, Minnesota Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) CHI, 204th overall 2021
26 Minnesota Carl Fish Graduate D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-11-09 Saint Paul, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten) —
27 Alberta Taige Harding Senior D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2002-01-03 St. Albert, Alberta Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL) CHI, 91st overall 2021
28 Czech Republic Jaroslav Chmelař Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 2003-07-20 Nové Město nad Metují, Czech Republic Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja) NYR, 144th overall 2021
29 Michigan Zachary Borgiel Graduate G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 2000-04-27 Fort Gratiot, Michigan Merrimack (HEA) —
35 Sweden Philip Svedebäck Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-05-28 Växjö, Sweden Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) BOS, 117th overall 2021
39 Texas Ryan O'Reilly Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2000-03-21 Southlake, Texas Arizona State (NCAA) DET, 98th overall 2018

Awards and honors

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NCAA

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Individual awards

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All-American teams

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AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

ECAC Hockey

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team All-ECAC Hockey

Second Team All-ECAC Hockey

Hockey East

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Individual awards

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All-Conference teams

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First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Rookie Team

Olympians

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This is a list of Providence alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name Position Providence Tenure Team Year Finish
Paul Guay Right Wing 1981–1983 United States USA 1984 7th
Chris Terreri Goaltender 1982–1986 United States USA 1988 7th
Chris Therien Defenseman 1990–1993 Canada CAN 1994  Silver

Providence Friars Hall of Fame

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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

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See also: Former NCAA players in the National Hockey League

As of July 1, 2024

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

Source:[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Team Page :: Providence :: Men's Hockey :: USCHO.com :: U.S. College Hockey Online". Archived from the original on 2010-10-20.
  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. ^ "Providence College to Have a Hockey Team". The Boston Daily Globe. October 20, 1926.
  8. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Providence Friars. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Legends of Hockey". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
  10. ^ "United States Hockey Hall of Fame". Hockey Central.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
  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.
  12. ^ "Alumni report for Providence College". Hockey DB. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
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