PC Men’s Hockey Enters Crucial Stretch for NCAA Tournament Chances

Matchup: No. 11/10 Providence (18-11-3, 11-8-3 HEA) vs. No. 2 Boston University (22-8-2, 16-4-2 HEA)
Faceoff: 7 PM (Thurs.) – Schneider Arena – Providence, R.I.
U.S. Stream: ESPN+
International Stream: Stretch Internet
Play-by-play: Mike Logan | Color: Bridgette Proulx
Radio: 790 The Score | Varsity Network | Play-by-play: John Leahy
Live Stats: Friars.com
Twitter: @Friarshockey

Matchup: No. 11/10 Providence (18-11-3, 11-8-3 HEA) vs. Northeastern (16-15-2, 9-14-0 HEA)
Faceoff: 4 PM (Sat.) – Schneider Arena – Providence, R.I.
U.S. Stream: ESPN+
International Stream: Stretch Internet
Play-by-play: Mike Logan | Color: Bridgette Proulx
Radio: 790 The Score | Varsity Network | Play-by-play: Craig White
Live Stats: Friars.com
Twitter: @Friarshockey

Last Time Out…
– Providence enters Thursday’s matchup with No. 2 Boston University following a split weekend series with Merrimack that saw the Friars emerge victorious 4-2 on Feb. 29 before falling 2-1 in North Andover on March 1.
– On Thursday, Providence’s offense got going late in the first period, as Cal Kiefiuk netted a rebound to give the Friars the 1-0 advantage.
– Merrimack tied the game early in the second period, with a shot in the slot from Ty Daneault rifling its way into the back of the net.
– Just a couple minutes later, Chase Yoder struck from in front of the net to put the Friars back on top 2-1.
– The Friars doubled their lead midway through the third period, as Bennett Schimek got a piece of the puck, sending it under Merrimack’s Ollas while on the power-play to put Providence ahead 3-1.
– With 48 seconds to go in the third period, Merrimack’s Mark Hillier popped off a backhanded shot to pull the Warriors within a score.
– Providence secured the final 4-2 win with 4.4 seconds to go, as Brady Berard netted an empty-net goal from the neutral zone.
– On Friday, the Warriors netted a pair of goals midway through the second period, as both Michael Citara and Mac Welsher broke through within three minutes of each other to give the Warriors the 2-0 advantage.
– The Friars’ comeback bid began early in the third period, as Liam Valente netted one to pull Providence within a goal.
– Merrimack’s Ollas stood tall the rest of the way, resulting in the final 2-1 finish in favor of the Warriors.

Fifteen Current, Former and Future Friars Appear in NHL Development Camps
The Friars boasted 15 past, present and future players that appeared in NHL Development Camps back in July. Riley Duran (BOS), Philip Svedebäck (BOS), Taige Harding (CHI), Connor Kelley (CHI), Braiden Clark* (CBJ), Guillaume Richard (CBJ), Nick Poisson* (CBJ), Brett Berard (NYR), Jaroslav Chmelar (NYR), Luke Krys* (NYR), Chase Yoder (PIT), Max Crozier (TBL), Hudson Malinoski (TOR), Tanner Adams* (VGK), Parker Ford (WPG). * – camp invitee

Max Crozier Makes NHL Debut
– Former Friar captain Max Crozier made his NHL Debut on Jan. 13 for the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the 46th Friar to appear in an NHL game. In 12 games with Tampa, he has posted two assists and 13 shots on goal while averaging 12:59 in ice time.

Leaman Hits Milestone
Head Coach Nate Leaman earned his 249th career victory at Providence on Nov. 11, passing Lou Lamoriello as the program’s winningest head coach all-time. Leaman sits at 397 career victories as a Division I head coach.

McDonald Sets Program Record
Captain Cam McDonald appeared in his 157th career game on Feb. 17 at Boston University, setting the program record for games played. McDonald passed Ross Mauermann ’15 and Brian Pinho ’18 who previously held the record of 156.

Playoff Scenarios
Providence can clinch a first-round bye in the Hockey East Tournament with a single point over their final two games, a point from UMass or less than six points from New Hampshire. The Friars can finish in a range of 3rd-6th depending on the results of the weekend.

Stock Watch
Through 32 games played, Nick Poisson (7-14-21), Chase Yoder (10-9-19) and Tanner Adams (6-12-18) pace the Friars in points this season. Twenty-two Friars have tallied a point this season, including 15 players with at least 10 points.

Quality Check
As of March 6, the Friars boast a 6-8-2 overall record alongside a 3-6-2 conference record when against ranked opponents this season.

– No. 5/4 Michigan (10/7/23) – 4-2 W
– No. 5/4 Michigan (10/8/23) – 5-4 L
– No. 2/2 Denver (10/20/23) – 4-2 W
– No. 15/16 New Hampshire (11/3/23) – 1-1 T (1-0 SOW)
– No. 15/16 New Hampshire (11/4/23) – 2-0 W
– No. 15/15 Massachusetts (11/16/23) – 3-2 L
– No. 15/15 Massachusetts (11/18/23) – 2-1 OTL
– No. 14/13 Arizona State (11/24/23) – 4-3 OTL
– No. 14/13 Arizona State (11/26/23) – 2-1 W
– No. 2/3 Boston College (12/9/23) – 5-4 L
– No. 1/1 Boston College (1/12/24) – 7-1 L
– No. 1/1 Boston College (1/13/24) – 4-3 W
– No. 7/7 Maine (2/9/24) – 2-1 L
– No. 7/7 Maine (2/10/24) – 4-3 OTW
– No. 3/3 Boston University (2/16/24) – 2-2 T (1-0 SOW)
– No. 3/3 Boston University (2/17/24) – 5-2 L

Around the Conference
Through 22 conference matchups, Providence (18-11-3, 11-8-3 HEA) sits in a fourth-place tie with UMass in the Hockey East standings with 36 points registered. Boston College (27-5-1, 19-3-1 HEA) currently leads Hockey East with 58 points, followed up by Boston University (22-8-2, 16-4-2 HEA) with 51 points and Maine (20-10-2, 12-9-1 HEA) with 38 points.

Three is the Magic Number
The Friars are 218-24-23 all-time under Nate Leaman when scoring three or more goals in a game.

After 40
The Friars are 195-10-20 all-time under Nate Leaman when holding a lead after two periods.

Scouting the Terriers…
– No. 2 Boston University (22-8-2, 16-4-2 HEA) enters their matchup with No. 11/10 Providence following a weekend away from the ice. The Terriers last played two weeks ago in a pair of games with UConn that saw Boston University emerge victorious in a 6-1 showing in Storrs on Friday (Feb. 23) before returning home and topping the Huskies 6-0 on Saturday (Feb. 24).
– Through 32 games this season, forward Macklin Celebrini (26-22-48) paces the Terriers in goals with 26, followed by 13 goals from Quinn Hutson (13-15-28) and another 12 goals from Lane Hutson (12-27-39). Seventeen Terriers have netted a goal this season, including four players with 10+ goals. The Terriers currently are tied with North Dakota for the sixth-most goals across the NCAA this season with 130 scores. Macklin Celebrini’s 26 scores this season are good for second-most nationally, trailing only Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier with 31.
– Jeremy Wilmer (6-29-35) leads the Terriers in assists this season with 29, followed by Lane Hutson (12-27-39) with 27 and Macklin Celebrini (26-22-48) with 22. Twenty-one Terriers have tallied an assist this season, featuring nine players with 10+ assists.
– Macklin Celebrini (26-22-48) headlines the Terriers in points this season with 48, followed by Lane Hutson (12-27-39) with 39 points and Jeremy Wilmer (6-29-35) with 35 points. Twenty-one Terriers have registered a point this season, including eight players with 20+ points.
– In net this season, the Terriers have turned to senior goaltender Mathieu Caron for the majority of starts. Through 32 games played, Caron has posted a 22-8-2 starting record to accompany his 2.35 goals against average and .916 save percentage. As a team, Boston University ties both Cornell and Minnesota for the eighth-best save percentage nationally, posting a .915 effort.

Series History vs. Boston University
– Thursday meeting will conclude the three-game series between the schools after the teams met just three weeks ago in a home-and-home series.
– On Feb. 16, the Friars and Terriers skated to a 2-2 tie with Providence earning the shootout victory at Schneider Arena. The following night, BU earned a 5-2 victory at Agganis Arena.
– The Terriers currently hold an eight-game unbeaten streak against the Friars (7-0-1) dating back to 2021.

Scouting the Huskies…
– Northeastern enters Saturday contest coming off a weekend split against UConn – a 4-3 loss at home on March 1 and a 4-2 victory on the road on March 2.
– The Huskies currently sit seventh in the Hockey East standings with 26 points as they aim to clinch home ice in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament.
– Northeastern is led by Justin Hryckowian (11-25-36), Jack Williams (17-19-36), Alex Campbell (18-16-34) and Cam Lund (11-19-30) who have all hit the 30-point mark.
In goal, Cameron Whitehead has posted a 2.66 GAA and .916 save percentage in 32 games with a 16-13-2 overall record.

Series History vs. Northeastern
– Saturday will mark the third and final meeting of the regular season for the two schools.
– Back on Nov. 10-11, Providence earned a sweep over the Huskies with a 2-1 overtime win at Schneider Arena, followed by a 5-2 road win at Matthews Arena.
– Providence currently rides a five-game unbeaten streak against Northeastern. Three of the last five meetings have gone to overtime, including last season’s Hockey East Quarterfinal won by Providence on Brady Berard’s overtime game-winner.

For more updates on the Providence College men’s hockey program, follow the team on Twitter @FriarsHockey.