Men's Hockey Set To Open 2009-10 Season

Oct. 7, 2009

Exhibition Game • Friday, October 9, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.Schneider Arena • Providence, R.I.Providence College vs. University of New Brunswick

Game #1 • Saturday, October 10, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.Schneider Arena • Providence, R.I.Providence College (0-0-0) vs. Holy Cross (0-0-0)Coverage: TV • Cox Sports (Mike Logan, Bob Bellemore)Live Internet Audio Broadcast • www.friars.com (Charlie Bergeron)

Providence College Game Notes in PDF Format| |

THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES... Providence College will open the 59th season of Friar hockey this weekend. The Friars will host the University of New Brunswick on Friday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m. in an exhibition game. The following night, PC will play its first regular-season game against Holy Cross on Saturday, October 10 at Schneider Arena.

FRIARS AGAINST CANADIAN TEAMS... The Friars are 24-17 all-time against Canadian teams, including a 1-0 record against New Brunswick. The lone meeting between the two teams was on December 29, 1983 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Friars have not played an exhibition game since October 8, 2005 when they posted a 2-1 overtime victory over St. Thomas University.

FRIARS IN REGULAR-SEASON OPENERS... Providence College is 34-23-1 all-time in season openers. Last season, the Friars opened the season at home against Northeastern and were defeated, 4-0, at Schneider Arena. The Friars are seeking their first season-opening win since 2004 when they defeated Clarkson, 4-2, at Schneider Arena.

FRIARS IN HOME OPENERS... The Friars are 34-24 all-time in home openers. In 2008-09, the Friars opened their home schedule on October 17 against Northeastern and were defeated, 4-0. PC is looking for its first home-opening win since 2005 when they defeated UMass Lowell, 3-0.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST HOLY CROSS... The Friars are 7-1 all-time against Holy Cross. Last season, the Friars posted a 6-4 win at the Hart Center as six different players scored for PC, including Paul Golden (Milton, Mass.) who scored his first collegiate goal. Kyle MacKinnon's (Walnut, Calif.) goal early in the third period proved to be the game winner. The Crusaders' lone win in the series (6-4) came at Schneider Arena on October 20, 2007. Peter Lorinser and Ryan Driscoll each had two goals for the Crusaders.

SCOUTING NEW BRUNSWICK... The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are coming off another successful season as they captured the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) title. The Varsity Reds, who captured their second CIS title in the last three years and third overall, defeated the Western Ontario Mustangs, 4-2, on March 29 to claim the crown. Third-year forward Lachlan MacIntosh scored a hat-trick to help his squad, while Travis Fullerton made 28 saves to lead their team. MacIntosh finished sixth on the team with 23 regular-season points (nine goals, 14 assists), while Hunter Tremblay finished tied for first with 50 points (14 goals, 36 assists). The Reds finished with 21 regular season wins, four losses and three overtime losses. The Varsity Reds, who return 16 players from last season's team, are currently 5-0-0 on the season, with their most recent win coming against McGill on September 26. They have played exhibition games against the Portland Pirates (4-2 loss on September 30) of the AHL, UMass (3-2 win on October 3) and the University of Vermont (3-2 overtime win on October 4).

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS... Holy Cross only lost two players from last season's team that posted a 13-20-5 record, including a 10-15-3 mark in Atlantic Hockey. Jordan Cyr led the team in scoring last season with 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. Brodie Sheahan finished second on the team with 31 points on 12 goals and a team-high 19 assists. The Crusaders also return their top two goalies from last season's team. Adam Roy and Ian Dams combined for a 3.36 goals against average, 1003 saves and two shutouts in 2008-09. Among last season's highlights was a nine-game unbeaten streak in the month of January as the Crusaders posted a 5-0-4 mark in that span. In the nine-game unbeaten streak, the Crusaders skated to a 2-2 overtime tie at No. 5 Denver on January 2.

FRIAR QUICK NOTES • Providence College returns 20 veterans from last season's team and adds 11 freshmen. • The Friars finished with a 7-22-5 overall record, including a 4-18-5 mark in Hockey East action. • As a freshman last season, Matt Bergland (Faribault, Minn.) led the team in scoring 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists). It marked the most points by a PC freshman since Peter Fregoe had 29 points (14 g, 15 a) during the 1999-00 season. • Senior co-captain John Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) recorded a career-high 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) last season. • The Friars posted a 4-2-2 record in the month of January, including a 4-2 victory at then No. 2 Boston University which went on to capture the NCAA title. • The Friars captured their second consecutive Mayor's Cup with a 4-3 win over Brown University on December 9. • Alex Beaudry (Cumberland, Ont.) became the first PC goalie to record consecutive 40-plus saves performances since Nolan Schaefer did it on February 16 and 22, 2002. Beaudry also earned consecutive Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors.

FAMILY TIES... Providence College freshmen Chris Rooney (Canton, Mass.) and Alex Velischek (Kinnelon, N.J.) are sons of former Friar hockey greats. Rooney is the son of former Friar, Steve Rooney. Steve Rooney scored the game-winning goal as the Friars defeated Boston College, 2-1, in double overtime in the inaugural Hockey East championship game in 1985. Steve, who finished his collegiate career with 124 career points, went on to play in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens team that claimed the 1985 Stanley Cup title. Alex is the son of former Friar Randy Velischek, who is one of the best defensemen to play at the College. He was named ECAC Player of the year in and 1982-83 earned All-America honors. Randy, who helped the Friars to the 1981 ECAC championship and two NCAA Tournament apperances (1981, 1983), played 10 seasons in the NHL (509 games). He played for Minnesota, New Jersey and Quebec.

FRIARS AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES... The game against Holy Cross, a member of the Atlantic Hockey Association, will mark the first of seven non-conference games for the Friars. PC also will play four total games against Notre Dame and Bowling Green from the CCHA and two games against Brown and Dartmouth from ECAC Hockey. Last season, the Friars posted a 3-4-0 record in non-league action.

SOPHOMORE CLASS GOT THE UPPER HAND... In 2008-09, the PC sophomore class led the other classes in scoring with 23 goals and 48 assists. Four sophomores ranked in the top-10 in scoring, led by Ian O'Connor (Londonderry, N.H.), who finished fifth with 16 points (six goals, 10 assists). Matt Germain (Rockland, Mass.), who had four goals and 10 assists, finished seventh with 14 points, while Kyle MacKinnon (Walnut, Calif.), who totalled six goals and seven assists, finished eighth with 13 points. FRESHMAN LED PROVIDENCE COLLEGE IN SCORING IN 2008-09 Matt Bergland (Faribault, Minn.) became the first Friar freshman to lead the team in points since Rob Gaudreau did it during the 1988-89 season. That season, Gaudreau totaled 57 points on 28 goals and 29 assists. Bergland finished the 2008-09 season with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists). Bergland had six multiple-point games, including a three-point performance (one goal, two assists) in a win over Bowling Green on October 18 at Schneider Arena.

FRIARS DRAFTED BY NHL TEAMS... This year's PC team features two players who were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Senior Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) was chosen in the fifth round, 155th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2005 draft. Freshman Alex Velischek (Kinnelon, N.J.) was selected in the fifth round, 123rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

FROM THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES TO THE OCEAN STATE... The 2009-10 Friar squad has six players from Minnesota, more than any other state or province. Last season, Matt Bergland (Faribault) and Rob Maloney (Eagan) were the representatives on the squad from Minnesota. In addition, David Brown (Centennial, Colo.) played high school hockey in Minnesota. This season, the team will have four more players from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." They are: Willie Hess (Lino Lakes), Aaron Jamnick (Hibbing), Tyler Landman (Roseau) and Billy Simon (Burnsville).

OCEAN STATE CONNECTION... The 2009-10 men's hockey team has a strong contingent of Rhode Islanders. In addition to four players, Head Coach Tim Army (East Providence) and Assistant Coach David Berard (Coventry) also hail from the Ocean State. The Rhode Islanders on this season's team are: seniors David Cavanagh (Warwick) and John Cavanagh (Warwick), junior Eric Baier (North Kingstown) and sophomore Justin Gates (Cranston).

FRIAR CAPTAINS... The Friars will be led this season by senior co-captains John Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) and Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.). John Cavanagh, who also served as co-captain during the 2008-09 season and assistant captain in 2007-08, recorded a career-high 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) last season. As an assistant captain last season, Fayne finished with four goals and five assists for nine points.

FRIAR ALUMNI UPDATE... Two Providence College alumni are currently playing in the NHL. Fernando Pisani `00 is playing for the Edmonton Oilers, while Hal Gill `97, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 2009 Stanley Cup title, is currently skating with the Montreal Canadiens. In addition, there are two former Friars who will play an integral part on U.S.A. men's hockey team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Brian Burke `77, who is the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will serve as the general manager of Team U.S.A. Ron Wilson `77, the head coach of the Maple Leafs, will be the head coach of Team U.S.A. Lou Lamoriello `63, former student-athlete, head coach and athletic director at PC, is the current President and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils. Lamoriello will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fall on November 9, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario.

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Vermont on February 7, 2026 , Win , 6, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Northeastern on February 13, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 4

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Northeastern on February 14, 2026 , Win , 4, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey at Vermont on February 20, 2026 , Win , 5, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey at Vermont on February 21, 2026 , Win , 5, to, 3

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus New Hampshire on February 27, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey at New Hampshire on February 28, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus #14/15 UConn on March 7, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Merrimack on March 14, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 3 , (OT)

Completed Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Quinnipiac on March 26, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 5

Providence College Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Eric Baier

Alex Beaudry

Matt Bergland

David Brown

David Cavanagh

John Cavanagh

Mark Fayne

Justin Gates

Matt Germain

Paul Golden

Willie Hess

Aaron Jamnick

Tyler Landman

Kyle MacKinnon

Ian O'Connor

Chris Rooney

Billy Simon

Alex Velischek

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