Providence College Athletics

Friday, October 9
Providence, RI
7:00 P.M.

Providence College

vs

St. Lawrence

Men's Hockey Team Huddle around the net against Stonehill
Photo by: Foley Photography

No. 9 Men's Hockey Opens Regular Season At Home Against St. Lawrence And Clarkson

10/8/2026 2:59:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

The Friars will host the North Country opponents at Schneider Arena this weekend.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The ninth-ranked Providence College men's hockey team is set to open the 2026-27 season this weekend against ECAC opponents St. Lawrence (Oct. 9) and Clarkson (Oct. 10).
 
GAME COVERAGE
Matchup: #9 Providence (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) vs. St. Lawrence (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC)
Faceoff: 7:00 PM (Fri.) – Schneider Arena – Providence, R.I.
TV: ESPN+
U.S. Stream: ESPN+ | Play-by-play: Mike Logan, Color: Mike Mancuso
International Stream: HockeyEast.tv
Radio: 790 The Score | Varsity Network | Play-by-play: Mike DeMars
Live Stats: Friars.com
X: @Friarshockey
 
Matchup: #9 Providence (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) vs. Clarkson (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC)
Faceoff: 6:00 PM (Sat.) – Schneider Arena – Providence, R.I.
TV: ESPN+
U.S. Stream: ESPN+ | Play-by-play: Mike Logan, Color: Rob Ciambra
International Stream: HockeyEast.tv
Radio: 790 The Score | Varsity Network | Play-by-play: Mike DeMars
Live Stats: Friars.com
X: @Friarshockey
 
Preseason Notes
 
- Coming off their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025-26, the Friars enter the 2026-27 campaign as reigning Hockey East Regular Season Champions after posting an 18-5-1 record in league play and finishing 11 points ahead of second-place UMass. The team posted a 13-3-1 record on the road last season, including a nine-game road winning streak to close out the season.
 
- The Friars return eight of its top-10 scorers from 2025-26 – John Mustard (Oradell, N.J., 17-12-29), Logan Sawyer (Orangeville, Ont., 14-14-28), Tanner Adams (Northport, N.Y., 11-13-24), Will Elger (Westerville, Ohio, 9-13-24), Julius Sumpf (Munich, Germany, 4-17-21), Graham Gamache (Edmonton, Alta., 3-15-18), Aleksi Kivioja (Espoo, Finland, 8-10-18) and Jonathan Fauchon (Saint-Claire, Que., 8-10-18). Adams and Sawyer both were named Hockey East Third-Team All-Stars, while Quinn Mantei (Weyburn, Sask., 2-9-11, +21) and Jack Parsons (Ithaca, N.Y., 13-5-0, 2.05 GAA, .922 save pct.) were both named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.
 
- Providence welcomes nine newcomers to the roster for 2026-27, highlighted by five NHL Draft picks in the freshmen class – Ryder Cali (Penetanguishene, Ont., Florida – 48th overall in 2026), Blake Zielinski (Berlin, N.J., Los Angeles – 80th overall in 2026), Thomas Vandenberg (Nepean, Ont., Los Angeles – 103rd overall in 2026), Carter Klippenstein (Lethbridge, Alta., Minnesota – 123rd overall in 2025) and Everett Baldwin (Providence, R.I. – Tampa Bay – 151st overall in 2025). Penn State transfer Cade Christenson (Edmonton, Alta.) adds to the Friar blue line while graduate transfer Gibson Homer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) provides a veteran presence in goal after three seasons at Arizona State and one season at North Dakota.
 
- The team was selected to finish first in the 2026 Hockey East Preseason Coaches' Poll released on Wednesday (Sept. 16). Providence earned eight first-place votes while tallying 106 points in the poll. The Friars also begin the season ninth in the initial USCHO.com Poll and seventh in the USA Hockey/AHCA Poll.
 
- The Friars announced senior Graham Gamache and junior Aleksi Kivioja as the team's captains for the 2026-27 season. Junior Tomas Machu will serve as an alternate captain for the second-consecutive season.
 
Six Friars Earn Season-Long Hockey East Recognition in 2025-26
Freshmen Quinn Mantei, Roger McQueen and Jack Parsons were named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team while teammates Tanner Adams and Logan Sawyer earned Hockey East Third-Team All-Star recognition. Parsons was the lone unanimous choice on the All-Rookie Team. McQueen was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year while Head Coach Nate Leaman was awarded with Hockey East Coach of the Year accolades.
 
Leaman Records 300th Win At Providence
Head Coach Nate Leaman recorded his 300th win at Providence after the Friars' 5-2 win at Vermont on Feb. 20. The winningest coach all-time in program history, Leaman has now totaled 441 career victories at the Division I level between Union and Providence.
 
Friars Clinch First-Ever Outright Hockey East Regular Season Title
The Friars clinched the program's first-ever outright Hockey East Regular Season crown with a 3-2 win at New Hampshire on Feb. 28. Providence earned its first No. 1 seed in the Hockey East Tournament and was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional.
 
Drafted Friars
Providence boasts a program-record 10 drafted players on the 2026-27 roster: Everett Baldwin (TB - 2026), Ryder Cali (FLA - 2026), Carter Klippenstein (MIN - 2025), Tomas Machu (NYI - 2021),  John Mustard (CHI - 2024), Jack Parsons (WPG - 2026), Julius Sumpf (CHI - 2025), Logan Sawyer (MTL - 2024), Thomas Vandenberg (LA - 2026) and Blake Zielinski (LA - 2026).
 
Three is the Magic Number
The Friars are 257-24-28 all-time under Nate Leaman when scoring three or more goals in a game.
 
After 40
The Friars are 225-13-23 all-time under Nate Leaman when holding a lead after two periods.
 
Scouting the Saints:
- St. Lawrence opened the 2026-27 with a 3-2 setback to new Division I member Maryville (Mo.) at home last weekend. The teams also played an exhibition on Saturday night, which Maryville won by a score of 3-1.
- Cooper Pierson and Luke Posthumus scored the goals for the Saints last Friday night.
- The Saints return top scorers from 2025-26 in Cayden Casey (4-20-24), Pierson (5-15-20), Sam LeDrew (10-8-18) and Filip Juricek (9-9-18). The new roster consists of five freshmen and three transfer student-athletes.
- In goal, Cameron Smith returns after appearing in 13 games last season with a 5-7-1 record, 3.44 GAA and .903 save percentage. Smith stopped 25-of-28 shots he faced in the 3-2 season-opening loss to Maryville last Friday.
- In his eighth season at the helm, Head Coach Brent Brekke has posted a 68-142-26 record.
 
Series History vs. St. Lawrence (28-23-0, .549)
Providence and St. Lawrence will meet for the 52nd time on Friday night. The Friars have won five-consecutive games in the series dating back to 2016, outscoring the Saints by a 24-12 over that span. The teams last met in the 2024 Adirondack Invitational in Lake Placid, N.Y., where the Friars came away with a 2-1 victory.
 
Scouting the Golden Knights:
- Clarkson enters the 2026-27 regular season opener coming off a 5-2 win over the University of Ottawa in an exhibition game last Saturday.
- The Golden Knights return leading scorers in Owen Van Steensel (12-13-25), Remi Gelinas (8-13-21), Jared Mangan (8-12-20) and Justin Cote (11-8-19).
- Returning netminder Shane Soderwall was a mainstay between the pipes for Clarkson last season after posting a 17-14-3 record with a 2.54 GAA and .905 save percentage in 35 starts.
- In his third season at the helm, Head Coach J.F. Houle has registered a 42-29-6 record.
 
Series History vs. Clarkson (20-36-2, .351)
Providence and Clarkson will match-up for the 59th meeting all-time on Saturday night. Providence has won four-straight in the series with all four games at four different venues - Webster Bank Arena (2018 NCAA Northeast Regional), Cheel Arena (2019), Schneider Arena (2022) and Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y. (2024 Adirondack Invitational). The Friars earned a 3-2 overtime win in the last meeting in Lake Placid.
 
For more updates on the Providence College men's hockey program, follow the team on X & Instagram @FriarsHockey.
 
Thursday, March 07
Thursday, February 28
Saturday, February 23
Saturday, February 16