8th ranked PC Friars rally from two goal deficit to tie Vermont
PC hockey news release…
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Kasper Bjorkqvist and Scott Conway each scored third period goals as the No. 8 Providence College men’s hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 at Vermont on Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
SCORE
No. 8 Providence – 2 | Vermont – 2
RECORDS
Providence – 17-8-4 (10-5-4HEA) | Vermont – 7-15-5 (4-9-4 HEA)
VENUE
Gutterson Fieldhouse – Burlington, Vt.
GOALIES
Hayden Hawkey (PC) – 19 saves
Stefanos Lekkas (UVM) – 44 saves
NOTES
– The Friars held a 16-4 edge in shots in the opening 20 minutes of play after controlling possession through much of the period.
– Brandon Duhaime and Vimal Sukumaran each had three shots on goal in the first period.
– The Catamounts started off the second period strong and were rewarded as Derek Lodermeier finished off his own rebound off a breakaway attempts to put Vermont up 1-0.
– Providence had multiple chances against Lekkas in the second period, including a bid by Scott Conway walking right down the slot before being denied by the glove of Lekkas to keep the Friars off the board.
– Vermont extended its lead to 2-0 at 13:20 as Liam Coughlin found won a loose puck behind the Friar defense and snapped a shot upstairs.
– Providence drew within one at the 4:16 mark of the third period as Kasper Bjorkqvist jammed a rebound past Lekkas for his 12th goal of the season to make a 2-1 Vermont lead.
– The Catamounts’ Liam Coughlin took a boarding penalty at 10:58 and the Friars knotted things up just 11 seconds later on Scott Conway’s ninth goal of the season.
– The Friars out-shot Vermont by a 21-7 margin over the third period and overtime.
– Brian Pinho nearly ended things with under a minute remaining in the extra session, but his point-blank attempt narrowly went wide.
– Providence rallied from a two-goal third period deficit to force a tie for the second time this season. The Friars also tied Merrimack, 6-6, on Nov. 18 after facing a two-goal deficit.
– Bjorkqvist has points in nine of 11 games since the Christmas break and moved to second on the team in goals with 12.
– Providence is unbeaten in its last six games at Gutterson Fieldhouse (5-0-1).
– Dating back to the 2014-15 season, the Friars are 19-3-3 in the month of February.
– Freshman defenseman Ben Mirageas had a game-high seven shots on goal.
HOW THEY SCORED
1-0 (UVM) – 3:05/2nd – EV – Derek Lodermeier (O’Neil, Grant) – Lodermeier finished off his own rebound after a breakaway opportunity.
2-0 (UVM) – 13:20/2nd – EV – Liam Coughlin (Thomas) – Coughlin got behind the Providence defense and beat Hawkey high to the blocker side.
2-1 (PC) – 4:16/3rd – EV – Kasper Bjorkqvist (Foley, Pinho) – Bjorkqvist slammed a rebound off a Pinho shot past Lekkas right on the doorstep.
2-2 (PC) – 11:09/3rd – PP – Scott Conway (Duhaime, Sukumaran) – Centering pass to Duhaime in the slot and Conway finished off the rebound at the side of the net.
PC GAME HIGHS
Goals: Bjorkqvist, Conway (1)
Assists: Duhaime, Foley, Pinho, Sukumaran (1)
Points: Six players (1)
Shots: Mirageas (7)
POWER PLAYS
Providence – 1/4
Vermont – 0/2
SHOTS
Providence – 46
Vermont – 21
UP NEXT
Providence and Vermont conclude their two-game series on Saturday night beginning at 7:05 p.m.
