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Friday, February 07, 2025
The Providence College hockey team continues its brutal schedule, facing nationally ranked Hockey East teams this weekend at Schneider Arena when it entertains the #5 Maine Black Bears. The puck drop for Friday’s game is at 7 PM, and for Saturday’s game, it is 6 PM.
The Friars have managed to maintain a #7 national ranking despite having their worst two weeks of the season. Their record for the last six games—all against nationally ranked Hockey East teams—is 1 win, 2 losses, and 3 ties. The only win in this stretch was last Saturday when the sluggish Friars exploded for 6 goals in a 6-3 win over the Connecticut Huskies at the Hartford XL Center. Two of the three losses in this stretch included two shutouts—a 3-0 loss to BC and a 1-0 loss to UMass Lowell. Before the 6-goal win over Connecticut, the Friars were averaging just 1.4 goals/game in their previous five games.
Also, the Friars were winless at home in this stretch. PC struggled for large periods of their home games to get the puck out of its defensive end. In the Connecticut game at Schneider, which ended in a tie, the Huskies successfully forechecked the Friars during the entire game. The Friars did not respond well and had limited time in Connecticut’s end of the ice. Connecticut out-hustled, out-checked, and outshot PC at Schneider, much to the surprise and dismay of the PC fans.
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The schedule doesn’t get any easier this weekend. #5 Maine is only exceeded by Boston College as the most talented team in Hockey East. Its offense is deep, with eleven players with 10 or more points. And for the Friars who have trouble scoring goals, they have to figure out Albin Boija, Maine’s sophomore goalie who is having a lights-out year. He is allowing only 1.62 goals/game, the best in Hockey East, with a save percentage of .929 %.
Here is how PC matches up with Maine:
The Hockey East schedule this year benefits the Friars this weekend with both games against Maine at Schneider. The Black Bears are tough to beat on their home ice at the Alfond Arena with the usual sellout crowd of over 5,000 Maine fans. PC is 1-4 in its last five games at Alfond Arena on the Maine campus.
It would be a good outcome for PC to come away with a split in the series against Maine. A PC sweep is probably unlikely but would be welcome and provide PC with momentum for next weekend’s home and away series against Boston University.
Some Additional Slapshots
– UConn played its home game against PC this past weekend at the Hartford XL Center before a crowd of 11781, the largest crowd this year for a Friars hockey game. PC’s away game at North Dakota at the beginning of the season drew 11703.
– This week’s national poll reflects the strength of Hockey East this year and why PC is struggling to win games at this point in the season. Five of the top ten teams are from Hockey East.
Bob McMahon is the former Director of Parks in the City of Providence and a lifelong Providence College Friar fan.
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