by The Cowl Editor on November 8, 2018
PCI
By Liza Sisk ’19
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s Ice Hockey Team is speeding towards what already looks like an incredibly successful season. The Friars are currently ranked third in the United States College Hockey online polls, and are dominating with a 5-1-1 record.
PC has been able to dominate its competition to this point in the season as their only loss was against the #2 nationally-ranked University of Notre Dame early in the season. The Friars have crushed Hockey East rivals such as Boston University and the University of Connecticut by scores of 5-0 and 7-2 respectively.
If these scores are any indication for the future, the Friars will have a good chance to find themselves on top of the Hockey East standings.
The Friars only graduated five players last year, leaving their underclassmen powerhouses and strong goaltending to carry on the legacy. The team is led by six seniors this year and welcomed six freshmen to the squad.
This team is loaded with talent at every position and the team’s strong depth separates themselves from the rest of the league. The Friars have multiple players who can score at any moment as 13 have already found the back of the net.
Assistant Captain, Vincent Desharnais ’19, will be the leader on the defensive side of the ice and is one of the top defenders in the conference. Desharnais currently is tied for third in the Hockey East with 14 blocked shots. The 2016 NHL Draft pick, has played in at least 19 games in every season during career at PC.
An asset that separates PC Hockey from other teams is the consistent goaltending of Hayden Hawkey ’19. Hawkey just claimed his third shut-out of the season in a 3-0 victory over the College of the Holy Cross on Nov. 3 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Hawkey tallied 27 saves contributing to his 0.955 save percentage this season. Hawkey’s consistency allows for the Friars to excel both defensively and offensively. He leads from the crease and can be relied on to perform in every game.
In addition to their competitive goal tending, the strength of the freshman class is solidifying the season for the Friars. Jack Dugan ’22 was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for October. Dugan is the first Friar to earn this honor since Anthony Florentino ’17 in March 2014. He is a fifth-round draft pick for the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and has already proven himself to be an incredible asset to the Friars.
The Friars will continue their legacy of success and make a competitive run for the NCAA Frozen Four Championship title, largely because of the reliable goaltending and strong underclassmen assets. Providence men’s ice hockey will be the most successful team this season, and will hopefully bring a championship back to Friartown.