Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Simon Fraser (Exhibition) on October 3, 2025 at 7:00 P.M.
Men's Ice Hockey
vs Simon Fraser (Exhibition)
7:00 P.M.
Providence College Athletics
Saturday, March 30
Providence, R.I. / Dunkin' Donuts Center
1:00 P.M.
Providence College
vs
Minnesota State
Photo by: Rich Gagnon
Men's Hockey Set to Battle Minnesota State in NCAA East Regional on Saturday
3/28/2019 11:04:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
FOLLOW THE FRIARS (22-11-6, 14-7-3 HEA)
Matchup: No. 11 Providence College vs. No. 3 Minnesota State (32-7-2, 22-5-1 WCHA)
Faceoff: 1:00 PM (Sat.) – Dunkin' Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. – NCAA East Regional Semifinal
TV: ESPNews/TSN.ca/TSN App | Play-by-play: Leah Hextall, Color: Billy Jaffe
Stream: WatchESPN | Play-by-play: Mike Logan
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Friars.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter:Â @Friarshockey
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Matchup: No. 11 Providence College vs. No. 5 Northeastern (27-10-1)/No. 10 Cornell (20-10-4)
Faceoff: 4:00 PM (Sun.) – Dunkin' Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. – NCAA East Regional Final
TV: ESPNews/TSN.ca/TSN App | Play-by-play: Leah Hextall, Color: Billy Jaffe
Stream: WatchESPN | Play-by-play: Mike Logan
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Friars.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter:Â @Friarshockey
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NCAA TALKING POINTSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Providence owns the second-longest active NCAA appearance streak in the nation, having qualified in six-straight seasons. Denver (12) and Minnesota Duluth (5) are the only other schools that have made the field at least five years in a row.
- The Friars have the most draft picks of any team in this year's NCAA field. Providence has nine draft picks on its active roster, followed by Notre Dame (8) and Minnesota Duluth (7).
- Nate Leaman is one of three head coaches in this year's tournament who has led his team a national title. Jeff Jackson (Notre Dame) and Scott Sandelin (Minnesota Duluth) are the other head coaches to accomplish this feat.
- Minnesota State and Providence are both in the top five in the nation scoring defense. The Mavericks rank first, allowing just 1.71 goals per game, while the Friars rank fifth, giving up 1.97 goals per game.
- Hockey East programs are a collective 177-175-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Four different schools have won National Championships, with Boston College (5) and Boston University (5) leading the way. The Friars are 15-19-0 and captured the league's 13th National Championship in 2015.
- The Friars are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Boston University (36), Boston College (35), New Hampshire (22) and Maine (18) lead Hockey East with the most appearances.
- Providence went 4-4-1 against the other teams in the NCAA field this season, picking up wins over Northeastern (2), UMass and AIC.
- The Friars have the most U.S. states represented on any roster in the NCAA field. Providence has players from 13 different states and four different countries.
- Nate Leaman is 6-4 in the NCAA Tournament while at Providence.
                                                  TALE OF THE TAPE
Providence (NCAA Rank)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Minn. State (NCAA Rank)
        3.13 (14th)                          Goals Per Game                   3.51 (5th)
        1.97 (5th)                        Goals Against Average                1.71 (1st)
        34.4 (5th)               Shots Per Game                  30.1 (24th)
32-158 (.203) (19th)             Power Play              44-191 (.230) (9th)
139-161 (.863) (8th)             Penalty Kill             142-163 (.871) (5th)
        .513 (26th)                 Faceoff %                    .523 (14th)
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SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
• The Friars and Mavericks will meet for the first time since October 2013 when the Friars captured a two-game sweep during the re-opening of the newly renovated Schneider Arena.
• It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams in posteason play. All-time, the Friars have claimed six of eight meetings against the Mavericks. This will be the first meeting at a neutral site.
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SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
• Minnesota State rallied from a 2-0 deficit late in the third period to defeat Bowling Green in overtime, 3-2, to claim the WCHA title last Saturday night in Mankato.
• The Mavericks enter the weekend with the most wins in the nation (32) and most power play goals (44). They finished the season with a 21-1-0 record on home ice and a 11-6-2 record in road/neutral site games.
• Minnesota State is led by a trio of juniors - Marc Michaelis (19-22-41), Parker Tuomie (14-25-39) and Charlie Gerard (11-18-29).
• In goal, freshman Dryden McKay ranks second in the NCAA in goals-against average (1.66) and sixth in save percentage (.931).
• The Mavericks' +74 goal differential is the best in the NCAA, while their power play (.230) and penalty kill (.871) both rank in the top 10.
• Minnesota State is 0-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the opening round last season to eventual national champion, Minnesota Duluth.
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THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL FIELD
In addition to Providence and Minnesota State battling on Saturday, the second game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center will feature the No. 2 seed Northeastern Huskies and the No. 3 seed Cornell Big Red. The winners from each game will play for the right to go to the Frozen Four on Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
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HAWKEY, WILKINS NAMED SEMIFINALISTS FOR WALTER BROWN AWARD
Goaltender Hayden Hawkey and forward Josh Wilkins were named semifinalists for the 67th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. Wilkins recently recorded his 100th career point in the Hockey East Quarterfinal series vs. Boston College.
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PUCKS ON NET
The Friars rank second among all NCAA schools with a +417 shots on goal margin. Overall, Providence has outshot opponents by an average of 10.69 shots per game. Their 23.69 shots on goal allowed per game ranks fourth overall in the NCAA.
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HOCKEY EAST AWARDS AND ALL-STARS
Hockey East announced its annual award winners and all-stars on March 20. Josh Wilkins (First Team), Jacob Bryson (Second Team), Brandon Duhaime (Third Team) and Hayden Hawkey (Honorable Mention) earned all-star recognition. Additionally, Bryson was awarded the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season, while Vincent Desharnais was named the league's Best Defensive Defenseman.
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ESPN'S COVERAGE OF THE NCAA MEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
For the 15th consecutive year, ESPN will present the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship in its entirety, with the 15-game, 16-team tournament beginning with regional action March 29-31 and concluding with the Frozen Four on April 11 and 13. The three-day regional action will be played in Manchester, N.H. (Northeast), Providence (East), Fargo, N.D. (West) and Allentown, Pa. (Midwest) with games on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and ESPN3. The Frozen Four will be in Buffalo, N.Y. with all three games on ESPN2. Every game will be available on the ESPN app.
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Leah Hextall will call the East Regional, becoming the first woman to call play-by-play in the Men's Ice Hockey Championship. Hextall has been around the sport for 15 years, serving as a rinkside reporter and studio host. She previously worked for ESPN in 2016 during the World Cup of Hockey as a reporter. Last season, she transitioned into the play-by-play role and is currently calling the Canadian Women's Hockey League on Sportsnet including its Championship Game (Clarkson Cup). This weekend, she will be paired with Billy Jaffe for all three games and Kessenich will join them as a reporter for the Regional Final on Sunday.
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ALL GAMES TO AIR LIVE ON NEWSRADIO 104.7 FM
Beginning with the 2018-19 hockey season, all Friars men's hockey games, in addition to all pregame and postgame network programming will be carried live on NewsRadio 104.7 FM. The agreement also includes 10 editions of the Nate Leaman Coaches Show that will air throughout the season. Mike Logan, who is entering his 24th season as the voice of the Friars, will call all the live action this season on 104.7 FM. Logan also will host the Nate Leaman Coaches show on 104.7 FM.
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SECOND HALF SUCCESS AGAINST TOP TEAMS
The Friars are 5-0 in the second half of the season against the other top-three teams in the Hockey East standings - UMass (1-0), Northeastern (2-0), UMass Lowell (2-0).
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HAWKEY NAMED MIKE RICHTER AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Goaltender Hayden Hawkey on Thursday was named a semifinalist for the 2019 Mike Richter Award, given to the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's hockey.
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SCHNEIDER SUCCESS
The current group of seniors have dominated at Schneider Arena over the last three-plus seasons, going 50-12-9 over that span (.768).
Â
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
The Friars are 148-14-15 all-time under Nate Leaman when scoring three or more goals in a game.
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AFTER 40
The Friars are 135-5-12 all-time under Nate Leaman when holding a lead after two periods.
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LEAMAN VS. THE WCHA
It will be just the sixth meeting against a WCHA for Nate Leaman's Friars since his arrival in 2011-12. Providence is 1-3-1 against WCHA conference foes during that span.
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HAWKEY ACTIVE NCAA WINS LEADER
Hawkey leads all active NCAA goaltenders with 70 career wins. He is one of three goaltenders in this year's tournament field to be in the top-10 active wins leaders - Jake Kielly (Clarkson, 64), Hunter Shephard (Minn. Duluth, 50).
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EIGHT WITH 20+ POINTS
Eight Friars have posted at least 20 points this season - Josh Wilkins (40), Jack Dugan (37), Brandon Duhaime (29), Kasper Björkqvist (28), Scott Conway (27), Jacob Bryson (25), Tyce Thompson (22) and Spenser Young (21).
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For more updates on the Providence College men's hockey program, follow the team on Twitter @FriarsHockey.
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Matchup: No. 11 Providence College vs. No. 3 Minnesota State (32-7-2, 22-5-1 WCHA)
Faceoff: 1:00 PM (Sat.) – Dunkin' Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. – NCAA East Regional Semifinal
TV: ESPNews/TSN.ca/TSN App | Play-by-play: Leah Hextall, Color: Billy Jaffe
Stream: WatchESPN | Play-by-play: Mike Logan
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Friars.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter:Â @Friarshockey
Â
Matchup: No. 11 Providence College vs. No. 5 Northeastern (27-10-1)/No. 10 Cornell (20-10-4)
Faceoff: 4:00 PM (Sun.) – Dunkin' Donuts Center – Providence, R.I. – NCAA East Regional Final
TV: ESPNews/TSN.ca/TSN App | Play-by-play: Leah Hextall, Color: Billy Jaffe
Stream: WatchESPN | Play-by-play: Mike Logan
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Friars.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com
Twitter:Â @Friarshockey
Â
NCAA TALKING POINTSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â
- Providence owns the second-longest active NCAA appearance streak in the nation, having qualified in six-straight seasons. Denver (12) and Minnesota Duluth (5) are the only other schools that have made the field at least five years in a row.
- The Friars have the most draft picks of any team in this year's NCAA field. Providence has nine draft picks on its active roster, followed by Notre Dame (8) and Minnesota Duluth (7).
- Nate Leaman is one of three head coaches in this year's tournament who has led his team a national title. Jeff Jackson (Notre Dame) and Scott Sandelin (Minnesota Duluth) are the other head coaches to accomplish this feat.
- Minnesota State and Providence are both in the top five in the nation scoring defense. The Mavericks rank first, allowing just 1.71 goals per game, while the Friars rank fifth, giving up 1.97 goals per game.
- Hockey East programs are a collective 177-175-2 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Four different schools have won National Championships, with Boston College (5) and Boston University (5) leading the way. The Friars are 15-19-0 and captured the league's 13th National Championship in 2015.
- The Friars are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Boston University (36), Boston College (35), New Hampshire (22) and Maine (18) lead Hockey East with the most appearances.
- Providence went 4-4-1 against the other teams in the NCAA field this season, picking up wins over Northeastern (2), UMass and AIC.
- The Friars have the most U.S. states represented on any roster in the NCAA field. Providence has players from 13 different states and four different countries.
- Nate Leaman is 6-4 in the NCAA Tournament while at Providence.
                                                  TALE OF THE TAPE
Providence (NCAA Rank)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Minn. State (NCAA Rank)
        3.13 (14th)                          Goals Per Game                   3.51 (5th)
        1.97 (5th)                        Goals Against Average                1.71 (1st)
        34.4 (5th)               Shots Per Game                  30.1 (24th)
32-158 (.203) (19th)             Power Play              44-191 (.230) (9th)
139-161 (.863) (8th)             Penalty Kill             142-163 (.871) (5th)
        .513 (26th)                 Faceoff %                    .523 (14th)
Â
SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
• The Friars and Mavericks will meet for the first time since October 2013 when the Friars captured a two-game sweep during the re-opening of the newly renovated Schneider Arena.
• It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams in posteason play. All-time, the Friars have claimed six of eight meetings against the Mavericks. This will be the first meeting at a neutral site.
Â
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
• Minnesota State rallied from a 2-0 deficit late in the third period to defeat Bowling Green in overtime, 3-2, to claim the WCHA title last Saturday night in Mankato.
• The Mavericks enter the weekend with the most wins in the nation (32) and most power play goals (44). They finished the season with a 21-1-0 record on home ice and a 11-6-2 record in road/neutral site games.
• Minnesota State is led by a trio of juniors - Marc Michaelis (19-22-41), Parker Tuomie (14-25-39) and Charlie Gerard (11-18-29).
• In goal, freshman Dryden McKay ranks second in the NCAA in goals-against average (1.66) and sixth in save percentage (.931).
• The Mavericks' +74 goal differential is the best in the NCAA, while their power play (.230) and penalty kill (.871) both rank in the top 10.
• Minnesota State is 0-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-2 overtime loss in the opening round last season to eventual national champion, Minnesota Duluth.
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THE NCAA EAST REGIONAL FIELD
In addition to Providence and Minnesota State battling on Saturday, the second game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center will feature the No. 2 seed Northeastern Huskies and the No. 3 seed Cornell Big Red. The winners from each game will play for the right to go to the Frozen Four on Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
Â
HAWKEY, WILKINS NAMED SEMIFINALISTS FOR WALTER BROWN AWARD
Goaltender Hayden Hawkey and forward Josh Wilkins were named semifinalists for the 67th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. Wilkins recently recorded his 100th career point in the Hockey East Quarterfinal series vs. Boston College.
Â
PUCKS ON NET
The Friars rank second among all NCAA schools with a +417 shots on goal margin. Overall, Providence has outshot opponents by an average of 10.69 shots per game. Their 23.69 shots on goal allowed per game ranks fourth overall in the NCAA.
Â
HOCKEY EAST AWARDS AND ALL-STARS
Hockey East announced its annual award winners and all-stars on March 20. Josh Wilkins (First Team), Jacob Bryson (Second Team), Brandon Duhaime (Third Team) and Hayden Hawkey (Honorable Mention) earned all-star recognition. Additionally, Bryson was awarded the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award for the second straight season, while Vincent Desharnais was named the league's Best Defensive Defenseman.
Â
ESPN'S COVERAGE OF THE NCAA MEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
For the 15th consecutive year, ESPN will present the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship in its entirety, with the 15-game, 16-team tournament beginning with regional action March 29-31 and concluding with the Frozen Four on April 11 and 13. The three-day regional action will be played in Manchester, N.H. (Northeast), Providence (East), Fargo, N.D. (West) and Allentown, Pa. (Midwest) with games on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and ESPN3. The Frozen Four will be in Buffalo, N.Y. with all three games on ESPN2. Every game will be available on the ESPN app.
Â
Leah Hextall will call the East Regional, becoming the first woman to call play-by-play in the Men's Ice Hockey Championship. Hextall has been around the sport for 15 years, serving as a rinkside reporter and studio host. She previously worked for ESPN in 2016 during the World Cup of Hockey as a reporter. Last season, she transitioned into the play-by-play role and is currently calling the Canadian Women's Hockey League on Sportsnet including its Championship Game (Clarkson Cup). This weekend, she will be paired with Billy Jaffe for all three games and Kessenich will join them as a reporter for the Regional Final on Sunday.
Â
ALL GAMES TO AIR LIVE ON NEWSRADIO 104.7 FM
Beginning with the 2018-19 hockey season, all Friars men's hockey games, in addition to all pregame and postgame network programming will be carried live on NewsRadio 104.7 FM. The agreement also includes 10 editions of the Nate Leaman Coaches Show that will air throughout the season. Mike Logan, who is entering his 24th season as the voice of the Friars, will call all the live action this season on 104.7 FM. Logan also will host the Nate Leaman Coaches show on 104.7 FM.
Â
SECOND HALF SUCCESS AGAINST TOP TEAMS
The Friars are 5-0 in the second half of the season against the other top-three teams in the Hockey East standings - UMass (1-0), Northeastern (2-0), UMass Lowell (2-0).
Â
HAWKEY NAMED MIKE RICHTER AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Goaltender Hayden Hawkey on Thursday was named a semifinalist for the 2019 Mike Richter Award, given to the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's hockey.
Â
SCHNEIDER SUCCESS
The current group of seniors have dominated at Schneider Arena over the last three-plus seasons, going 50-12-9 over that span (.768).
Â
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
The Friars are 148-14-15 all-time under Nate Leaman when scoring three or more goals in a game.
Â
AFTER 40
The Friars are 135-5-12 all-time under Nate Leaman when holding a lead after two periods.
Â
LEAMAN VS. THE WCHA
It will be just the sixth meeting against a WCHA for Nate Leaman's Friars since his arrival in 2011-12. Providence is 1-3-1 against WCHA conference foes during that span.
Â
HAWKEY ACTIVE NCAA WINS LEADER
Hawkey leads all active NCAA goaltenders with 70 career wins. He is one of three goaltenders in this year's tournament field to be in the top-10 active wins leaders - Jake Kielly (Clarkson, 64), Hunter Shephard (Minn. Duluth, 50).
Â
EIGHT WITH 20+ POINTS
Eight Friars have posted at least 20 points this season - Josh Wilkins (40), Jack Dugan (37), Brandon Duhaime (29), Kasper Björkqvist (28), Scott Conway (27), Jacob Bryson (25), Tyce Thompson (22) and Spenser Young (21).
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For more updates on the Providence College men's hockey program, follow the team on Twitter @FriarsHockey.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Ice HockeyMen's Ice Hockey vs. Boston College
Thursday, March 07
Men's Ice Hockey vs. Boston University
Thursday, February 28
Men's Ice Hockey vs. Massachusetts
Saturday, February 23
Men's Ice Hockey vs. UMass Lowell
Saturday, February 16
