Gilmour Leads PC Hockey To Weekend Sweep Of UConn
Providence College Press Release
HARTFORD, Conn.– Senior defenseman John Gilmour’s pair of goals in the second period paced the fifth-ranked Providence College men’s hockey team to a 3-2 win and a weekend sweep over UConn at the XL Center on Saturday.
The 21st win of the season for the Friars (21-5-4, 12-3-3 HEA) also marked the 100th career victory at Providence for Head Coach Nate Leaman, as he became the fastest Friar head coach to reach 100 wins.
The Huskies fall to 9-17-4 (4-10-4 HEA).
Nick Ellis made 22 stops for the Friars to improve to 19-5-4, while UConn’s Rob Nichols turned away 25 shots to fall to 7-14-2.
The teams skated to a scoreless first period with the Friars holding a 9-6 edge in shots. Erik Foley claimed two of the better scoring chances of the period for the Friars with nearly identical power moves from below the goal line to net that Nichols was able to turn away.
After missing the last three games, Gilmour nearly gave the Friars the lead on the power play as he cut to the backdoor before his shot found the post. After a night off, Nick Ellis had to be sharp in the early going, especially on Tage Thompson’s breakaway that the junior denied with the left pad.
Moments after Jake Walman ripped a shot off the crossbar, the Friars got on the scoreboard first on Gilmour’s wrist shot through traffic. On the play, Mark Jankowski recorded his 100th career point to become the 51st Friar to the hit the century mark for his career.
Ellis came up huge again on the penalty kill as he stymied Tage Thompson again with a right pad save off a one-timer from the top of the circles.
The Friars cashed in once again on Gilmour’s second of the night with just 1:02 left in the period. A key faceoff win and support by Steve McParland set up the one-timer by Gilmour for his eighth of the season.
UConn got on the board for the first time this weekend just 23 seconds into the third period on Tage Thompson’s snap shot over the shoulder of Ellis. Undaunted, the Friars responded seven minutes later to regain the two-goal cushion on Ryan Tait’s tap-in at the top of the crease. Slick work by Walman at the blue line created space for his shot from the slot that re-directed right onto the stick of Tait, who buried it at 7:29.
With Rob Nichols pulled for the extra attacker, Sean Pauly brought the hosts within one with 1:16 to play to make it a 3-2 game. UConn pressed in the final moments before Steven McParland blocked a shot and cleared the zone in the waning seconds to seal the win.
Up next, the Friars will entertain first-place Notre Dame for a pair at Schneider Arena next weekend.
HOW THEY SCORED
1-0 (PC) Goal scored by John Gilmour (Jankowski, Walman): Back-up wrister through a screen from the point.
2-0 (PC) Goal scored by John Gilmour (McParland, Rooney): One-timer from the point off a faceoff win.
2-1 (UC) Power play goal scored by Tage Thompson (Letunov, Pauly): Loose puck at the bottom of the circles, snapped over the shoulder of Ellis.
3-1 (PC) Goal scored by Ryan Tait (Walman): Tap-in at the top of the crease after a Walman shot.
3-2 (UC) Goal scored by Sean Pauly (Kirtland, Letunov): Finished off a loose puck at the top of the crease.
NOTES
Gilmour recorded his first two-goal game since October of 2013 … Jake Walman chipped in with two assists to run his Hockey East scoring lead for defensemen to 28 points (13g, 15a) … Jankowski became the 51st member of the program to reach 100 points … the Friars have held opponents scoreless in 10 of the last 12 periods … Power Plays: Providence – 0/4, Connecticut 1/3 … official shots on goal: Providence 28, Connecticut 24 … Attendance: 6,844.?
