Tag: Friar Sports
Sport Shorts Feb. 27-March 5
by The Cowl Editor on March 5, 2020
Sports
Sport Shorts Week of 2/27-3/05
by Cam Smith ’21
Sports Assistant Editor
Indoor Track and Field:
The Providence College Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track Teams turned in impressive performances over the weekend at the Big East Championships in Geneva, OH. Day one of the competition featured an Abbey Wheeler ’20 women’s 5,000-meter victory, the first Big East Championship in her storied PC career. Wheeler maintained her positioning in the lead pack for most of the race before pulling away from the rest of the runners with five laps to go. Day one also featured a remarkable first place finish in the distance medley relay by the grouping of Tessa Hunt ’23, Niamh Gowing ’22, Alex O’Neil ’23, and Lilly Tuck ’23. The foursome started off strong thanks to an explosive push out of the gates from Hunt. The squad never relinquished the lead from that point on. Day two of the event saw Wheeler achieve another Big East Championship, this time in the women’s 3,000-meter. Tuck and Maria Coffin ’21 also finished strong in the same race, placing second and fifth respectively. Day two also saw Michael O’Leary ’19GS finish second in the 3,000-meter on the men’s side due to a strong push on the final lap. The weekend was made all the better for the Friars as it was announced that Wheeler had been named Co-Most Outstanding Track Performer, putting the perfect finishing touch on her Big East career.
Men’s Lacrosse:
The Providence College Men’s Lacrosse Team took home the Ocean State Cup on Feb. 29, defeating Brown University 13-12 in a thrilling overtime contest. The Friars dominated the first half of the game, outshooting Brown 23-14 on their way to a 7-4 halftime lead. The start of the second half would be much of the same, as John Hoffman ’23 started a scoring onslaught for PC that netted three more Friar goals. The Bears would claw their way back into the game, scoring three goals in the final 2:27 minutes of the game to knot the contest up at 12 a piece heading into overtime. PC would escape with the victory on a Sean Leahey ’20 game-winner, a shot that would give him three goals on the day and his second hat trick of the season.
Men’s Hockey:
The Providence College Men’s Hockey Team got a much-needed win on Feb. 29, as they took down the fifteenth ranked University of Maine Black Bears. Jack Dugan ’22 got the scoring going for the Friars, as he exploded out of the box to snag the puck at the blue line before sneaking a backhander past the Maine goalie. Goals by Jason O’Neill ’21 and Greg Printz ’21 would add to the lead, although Maine would keep it close in the third period. In the end, the play of Friar goalie Michael Lackey ’20GS would allow PC to hold on in the third, as he turned away 13 shots in the period on the way to a 3-2 PC victory.
Tennis Looks to Start Spring Season Strong
by The Cowl Editor on February 27, 2020
Sports
Young Team Ready For Spring
by Leo Hainline ’22
Sports Staff
The Providence College Women’s Tennis Team recently got itsseason underway as the squad looks to improve from the previous year and aims to establish itself as a competitive program in the Big East.
Returning veterans Aidan Epstein ’20 and Natalie Pitocco ’20 will need to bring their experience to help lead an underclassmen-heavy roster. In his fourth season as head coach, Jakob Klaeson recruited four freshmen to Friartown to join Mimi Dailey ’22, Haley Gurski ’22 and the two seniors. The squad looks to usher in a new era for the program.
The roster is full of competitors and Coach Klaeson anticipates both their youth and depth as two big potential strengths.
“One of our strengths is that we’re very similar from top to bottom,” he said. “We have two seniors, no juniors, two sophomores, and four freshmen. One of our strengths could be that everything is so new and exciting, but that could also work against us that we don’t have the prior experience as much as other teams, but I see the depth of our team as our strength.”
Dailey agrees with Coach Klaeson that there are many reasons to be optimistic about to the rest of the season.
“I think our team from last year has already improved from the previous season a significant amount,” she stated. “We have four hardworking and determined freshmen and four returning players. I believe this year the eight players are driven and ready to compete to our best abilities.”
She spoke very highly of the newcomers to the team, saying, “All four of our freshmen are amazing. Each freshman has brought new and different talent to the team. I believe they are all worthy of looking for out there on the courts this season.”
PC women’s tennis is coming off a 5-18 season and currently are 1-3 in the 2020 season, having lost a tight match to Fairfield University this past weekend. Providence and Fairfield have been evenly matched but this time the Friars lost 4-3 in singles, with many of the matches going all three sets.
In doubles, the Friars went 1-2, with the two losses coming in hard-fought matches. PC came back from 2-5 down only to fall 6-7 (women’s collegiate tennis only plays one set in doubles). Brenna Magliochetti ’23 was the only Friar to grab wins in both singles and doubles, winning her singles matches 6-3, 6-0, and linking up with fellow Katie Mulvey ’23 to grab the sole doubles win 6-2.
The Friars take the court next in Orlando, FL over spring break for matchups against Millsap College and Big East opponents Georgetown University and Creighton University. Coach Klaeson noted that he is looking forward to Big East play.
“The Big East matches are always highlights of the season,” he stated. “We have a couple of exciting ones. For my tenure, we’re heading to Marquette University for the first time. We head to Marquette and play Butler University at Marquette so that will be an exciting trip.”
Coach Klaeson also mentioned that their match against Sacred Heart University is one to watch out for.
“Coming back from spring break, we have Sacred Heart at home again. We lost to them last season 3-4, so that’s an exciting match. I think we’re very evenly squared up and we’re very excited to kind of, like, reclaim that because we have beat them in the past and going a bit back and forth, they’ve always been close matches.”
The Friars plan on demonstrating their ability on the court this season with a youthful squad that screams potential. As the season progresses, PC will look to show that they are ready to compete against some elite competition.
Softball Takes on 2020 Bearkat Classic
by The Cowl Editor on February 27, 2020
Sports
Friars End on Good Note, Walk-off for Win
by Liam Tormey ’22
Sports Staff
Two weekends ago, the Providence College Softball Team traveled to Huntsville, TX to compete in their first competition of the season: the 2020 Bearkat Classic.
Traveling did not come easy for the Friars as they planned to head down on Thursday, February 13. Unfortunately, the ladies faced travel problems as their flight was canceled. On the bright side, they were able to reschedule their flight to the next morning.
The team woke up at 3 a.m. and had a double-header which started just 15 hours after wake-up. Problems in the air caused problems for the Friars, but they still had to play five games during the weekend.
On Friday, the first game for the ladies was against the Houston Baptist University Huskies. The Huskies jumped to a 6-0 lead thanks to a four-run fourth inning which sealed the victory at 7-1. Miranda Trinidad ’20 got the start on the mound for the Friars and Elysia Cunnigan ’23 came in to relieve Trinidad for her first appearance for the Friars.
Game two started very quickly after the conclusion of game one for the Friars. Their opponent was Sam Houston State University Bearkats. The first inning put the Bearkats at a 2-0 advantage and the Friars were not able to claw their way back into the game. The final score was 9-1. Coach Jill Karwoski said the ladies “emptied the tank” after travelling for most of the day and being short on sleep.
Saturday would involve two more games for the Friars. It would be a much better day after a full night of rest.
Houston Baptist was the first opponent of the day and the game was much closer than it had been just 20 hours before. After a run in the first inning for the Huskies and a response in the third by the Friars, the Huskies scored four runs in the bottom of the third to make the score 5-1. The Friars brought the game back to make it 5-3 after Mackensie Compton ’20 had four at bats and three RBIs with a two-run home run in the fifth.
The next two games of the weekend showed the promise the Friars wished for heading to Texas. Sam Houston would be the opponent again, but with a much different result. After being down 5-2, the Friars had an eight-run fourth to seal the first victory of the season with a score of 11-7. Cunnigan got the win on the mound for the ladies with four strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched, which secured her first win as a Friar. Crista San Antonio ’20 had a great day at the plate with four RBIs and two hits, one being a home run, for three at bats.
Coach Karwoski said, “Besides sleep, the biggest change the team made was finding their ability to play loose, letting go of the outcome and being more present in each moment as it presented itself.”
The Friars finished the weekend strong with a exciting win against George Mason University. After going down early in the first inning, 1-0, the Friars played well defensively but could not get the bats going. In the bottom of the seventh inning with three outs before the game was over, Tiana Wren ’23 hit a walk-off three-run home run to win the game 3-1 and finish the weekend 2-3.
The Friars will be competing in several competitions before the start of Big East play and coach Karwoski stressed the importance of these tournaments because they “allow for us as coaches to see what lineup options we can potentially have and for our players to see, adjust, and compete against a range of competition and talent.”
Big East play for the Friars will begin March 20 at home against St. John’s University.
Karwoski, Softball Team Ready to Roll
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
Team Looks to Build Upon Last Year’s Breakout Season
By Leo Hainline ’22
Sports Staff
This week marks the beginning of the Providence College softball season as the Friars head down to Texas to square off against Houston Baptist University, Sam Houston State University, and George Mason University. PC softball is on the rise after Coach Jill Karwoski took over the program last year, finishing the season with a 30-22 record—a great improvement from the team’s 13-32 performance in 2018—and the most wins for the Friars since 2005. Despite some key members graduating, namely Emma Lee ’19 who made the Big East Second Team last season with a .411 batting average, excitement is brewing around the current squad.
Coach Karwoski has unified the program through a team-first philosophy that the players have embraced. When asking Skie Villani ’22 (who this weekend will be playing close to her hometown of Sugar Land, TX) about the strengths of the team, she emphasized that the true strengths do not lie in an individual player or position but within the values that they hold as a program. “Our strengths come from our core values—attitude and gratitude, open-heart open-mind, and respect and commitment,” she stated. “To be successful we know we’ll have to work as a team.”
Coach Karwoski also highlighted the importance of making the most of the Friars’ opportunities on offense and minimizing mistakes in order to reach their potential: “I think so much of it is taking advantage of opportunities you know when we have runners in scoring positions… what hurts a lot of teams sometimes is when you leave a lot of runners on base—Coach Bree has been doing a fantastic job with our offense and utilizing some of our strengths so and doing that—taking advantage of those base runners and on defense minimizing our errors—we want to make sure we’re having quick innings and not letting things snowball or get out of control.”
The Friars have six seniors on the roster, including Mackensie Compton ’20 who holds the highest batting average of all returning players from last season. Along with the seniors, there are also plenty of talented underclassmen on the roster. Daniela Alvarez ’22 is another name to watch out for. As a freshman, she held an 18-8 record with a 2.25 ERA. She had more wins than any other pitcher on the 2019 roster and it appears she could be a dominant force for PC softball this season and in the years to come.
After their opening games in Texas, the Friars will head down to Maderia Beach, FL for an array of five out-of-conference games that include matchups against Colombia University, Stony Brook University, and Merrimack College. They then return to Clearwater for the Clearwater Spring Break Invitational in early March, where the Friars will play twelve games in a span of five days. On Wednesday, March 18, PC softball will have its first home game at Glay Field versus Bryant (the Friars went 11-2 at home last season) and will open Big East play that Friday in Friartown against St. John’s University, who won the Big East regular season in 2019.
Anticipate a lot of excitement from the Big East this year. From top to bottom the teams are going to be competitive and will make for some great softball. In response to what games she was looking forward to, Coach Karwoski responded, “I think every single Big East game I’m looking forward to. Last year was our first year in the Big East in terms of our coaching staff and we just really enjoyed the competitiveness of it, and you know, every team equally matched up and each game was a lot of fun.”
PC softball also has the motivation to prove the doubters wrong—they were ranked 6th out of 8 teams in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. For a team that finished third in the conference in 2019 and has retained more than a serviceable amount of talent, the Friars will be looking to prove that last year’s success was not a fluke. However, Coach Karwoski hesitated to make much of the preseason polls
She said, “Last year I think we were picked eighth and I think we ended up finishing third— that’s just what it is, it’s a preseason poll and I think every year we get underestimated and until we start having consecutively good years in the top four of the conference, you know, right now I’m sure they’ll look at last year maybe as a fluke or maybe as a one-time thing so now it’s up to us to prove that we can consistently compete for a Big East Championship.”
Reigning Big East tournament champion DePaul University looks to be Providence’s biggest competition this season. Not only did they make the NCAA tournament last year but they were the team that knocked the Friars out of the Big East tournament. Although PC softball likes to focus on the season by going one game at a time, their series at home versus Depaul at the end of their regular season on May 1-3 are games that both players and fans should be marking on their calendars.
Trio of Men’s Soccer Players Go Pro
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
By Liam Tormey ’22
Sports Staff
Three Providence College men’s soccer players are now professional soccer players. Danny Griffin ’20 and Austin Aviza ’20RS are now both part of Major League Soccer (MLS) teams, while Tiago Mendonca ’20RS has signed in the United Soccer League (USL).
The 2020 MLS SuperDraft took place on Thursday, January 9. In the draft, Aviza was selected in the second round, number 44 overall, by Orlando City. Griffin was also selected in the second round, just five spots after Aviza in the number 49 spot overall, selected by the Columbus Crew SC. Mendonca has signed a professional contract with the New England Revolution II in the USL League One.
In the 2019 campaign for the Friars, Aviza, from Medway, MA, featured in all 23 games as PC’s goalie. Aviza was also honored to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll twice along with being awarded All-Big East Third Team honors. After their second round win in the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament against Penn State University, Coach Craig Stewart credited Aviza, saying, “I think he’s been steady all year and very consistent as a goal keeper,” and a large part of the comeback win against Penn State was because of Aviza; as Coach Stewart mentioned, “We don’t win that game without him.” In the 23 games Aviza played this season, he posted a 16-7 with 56 saves and recorded nine shutouts.
Griffin, one of the captain midfielders from Wethersfield, CT, had the same profound impact for the team in his time spent at Friartown. In his career, Griffin recorded 32 points with 13 goals and six assists. Griffin has been named to the Preseason All-Big East Team in 2018 and was also a unanimous pick into the Big East All-Freshman Team. He played and started in all 80 games during his career. In the 2019 campaign, Griffin had eight points and one game-winning goal this season against the University of Villanova in a 2-0 victory. He was also awarded All-Big East Third Team Honors this past season.
Mendonca, from Faro, Portgual, was another captain for the Friars this season. He started all 23 games and was an integral part in the midfield. He was crucial in helping the team reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament. In his time at PC, Mendonca recorded 26 total points with 11 goals and four assists. Before the season’s start, Mendonca was named to the Preseason All-Big East team and then was named to the All-Big East First Team and Big East All-Tournament Team to round out the season. In the second round game against Penn State, Mendonca scored the equalizer with just under five minutes remaining in regulation before the Friars would go on to win in overtime.
After PC’s heartbreaking loss to Clemson Unversity in double overtime in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Coach Stewart commended his senior captains, saying he “couldn’t be more proud for the work that they’ve contributed towards the program.” Stewart said they were both “fantastic footballers but also human beings.”
In the same press conference, Griffin spoke of his time with the Friars and said, since freshman year, “The community, the coaches, the staff, the trainers, it’s been a family and it’s meant everything to us.”
Aviza, Griffin, and Mendonca all played crucial roles in the big success PC had on the pitch this past season. They were role models for the organization and have left their mark on Friar history.
Women’s Hockey Splits Weekend against UMaine
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
Team Needs to Boost Record before Hockey East Playoffs
By Meaghan Cahill ’20
Sports Co-Editor
The Providence College Women’s Hockey Team, which is ranked fourth in Hockey East, split last weekend’s series against the no. 7 team, the University of Maine.
In the first game on Friday, February 7, the Friars skated to a 2-2 tie despite having a 2-1 lead for the majority of the second period. UMaine skater Liga Milijone put the Black Bears on the scoreboard first after sniping one past PC goaltender Sandra Abstreiter ’22RS five minutes into the game. Three minutes later, Isabelle Hardy’s ’23 wrist shot soared into the top left corner of the net after passes from Hayley Lunny ’21 and team captain Avery Fransoo ’20. Hardy’s goal was her fourth of the season and third in the last five games.
The Friars finished the first period with a goal from Neve Van Pelt ’20 in the final 23 seconds of the period. Van Pelt netted a backhand over the Black Bear goalie’s shoulder for her sixth goal of the season. Meaghan Rickard ’20 recorded her ninth assist of the season.
Van Pelt concluded the scoring for the Friars this game. With just under four minutes left in the second period, UMaine player Celene Tedeny scored a power-play goal to even out the score to two apiece.
The Friars outshot the Black Bears 35-25 but they could not capitalize on their three power plays and were unable to go 4-4 on the penalty kill. Defenseman Whitney Dove ’20, who leads PC in assists and is ranked fifth in Hockey East for defenseman scoring, recorded a game-high six shots on net. Abstreiter concluded the game with 23 shots saved and two goals against. She is currently ranked third in Hockey East for her 1.65 goals against average.
The Friars returned to Schneider Arena again the next day where they were unable to gain momentum to garner the full two points. PC lost to UMaine 1-2. Abstreiter was once again in net, making 18 saves throughout the game.
PC fell two goals behind quickly into the first period after the Black Bears scored 26 seconds apart about seven minutes into the game.
Despite having a man advantage four times throughout the game, PC did not find their way onto the scoreboard until midway throughout the third period. The goal came from Lauren DeBlois ’23 who ripped a slap shot from the right point that notched the lone score for the Friars in the game. This was DeBlois’s third goal of the season.
Once again, PC outshot UMaine 44-20. The team also saw more success at the face-off circle, winning 35-64 faceoffs compared to UMaine’s 29-64. Unfortunately, the Friars were unable to dig themselves out of the hole that they got into early in the first.
The team has just four more games remaining in their regular season before they will partake in the 2020 Hockey East Tournament. This upcoming weekend, they will be facing off against No. 1 Hockey East team Northeastern University in their second to last home-and-home series. They will travel to Boston on Friday, February 14 and then return to Schneider on Feb. 15. The following weekend, PC will wrap up their regular season in another home-and-home series against the College of the Holy Cross, playing in Worcester, MA on Friday and back in Friartown on the Saturday for not only their last game of the season, but also the team’s senior game which will honor the team’s seven seniors.
The team will need to pick up some much needed points in their final four games if they want to have a chance to pull ahead of the University of Connecticut, who is currently tied for fourth place with the Friars in Hockey East.
Men’s Hockey Falls to UMass
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
By Thomas Zinzarella ’21
Sports Staff
Following a loss at Northeastern University the previous weekend, the 10th ranked Providence College Men’s Hockey Team had a chance to move themselves up in the Hockey East standings this weekend as they faced off against the 8th ranked University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen.
Last year, all three matchups with UMass finished with a final score of 3-2 with UMass taking two. The Friars’ lone win came at home against the then top-ranked Minutemen. The two had a chance to meet in the National Championship game in Buffalo, but the Friars fell to Minnesota Duluth University, who would go on to knock off UMass.
This year, the two teams would only meet twice, and both meetings took place this past weekend. Coming into Friday’s game at the Mullins Center. UMass was tied with Boston College for first place in the conference. The Friars were in a four-way tie for fourth place, just two points off of first place.
The Friars have struggled over the years playing at Amherst. Before Friday’s game, PC had a 16-15-5 record and had lost three straight games playing at UMass. On Friday, it was no different. UMass outshot PC 17-3 in the first period which featured a goal by Reed Lebster just 5:35 in. The Friars struggled to generate offense for most of this game.
The Friars, who average just under 35 shots per game, were held to just 15 shots while UMass recorded 36 shots. Michael Lackey GS made a series of highlight reel saves in the second period to keep the game at a one-goal deficit, but the Minutemen were too much. Matt Koopman ’21 would score the lone point for the Friars. UMass would go on to win 3-1, although Lackey had one of his best games in a Friar uniform with 33 saves and kept the game closer than what it could have been. Greg Carvel, the UMass head coach said after the game, “That’s as solid a game as we’ve played in this building probably since I’ve been here.”
Each team resumed their matchup the next evening in Providence where the Friars were seeking to split the series. The Friars came out firing with an early power play opportunity just 35 seconds into the game. Tyce Thompson ‘22 smashed a line drive off the post, sending a booming echo throughout the arena. However, a goal by John Leonard put UMass ahead 1-0 after the first period. In the second period, the Friars were only able to muscle two shots on goal, while Leonard struck again for UMass with a short-handed goal. In the remaining minutes of the second period, Oliver Chau recorded a goal on a hustle play, putting the game seemingly out of the Friars’ reach. However, PC made a push halfway through the third period, as Thompson netted his 18th goal of the season on a Jack Dugan ‘22 assist.
Shortly after the goal, the Friars had another chance to gain some momentum on a power play opportunity, but UMass soon shut the door on the Friars with two more goals. Leonard completed the hat-trick for UMass and his four-point night led UMass to a 5-1 victory. The Friars once again did not take advantage of their opportunities, as they went 1-6 on the power play. “It’ll change when we get sick of losing,” said coach Nate Leaman after the game. “We’re a really young group and we’re playing like it.” PC will look to rebound Friday against the University of Vermont.
Men’s Basketball Weekend Recap
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
By Gavin Woods ’22
Sports Staff
The Providence College Men’s Basketball Team was defeated by Xavier University last Saturday, 58-64. The Friars record has now fallen to 13-11 on the regular season, and 6-5 within the Big East.
Both teams came out of the gates aggressively. The Friars got into an early rhythm, but struggled to slow the Musketeers from inside the paint. The soft coverage down low and lack of communication among the defense enabled the Musketeers to consistently get high percentage looks.
The Friars’ offense seemed to be working effectively, as they maintained the lead for the majority of the first half. However, their issue was not scoring, but rather keeping Xavier from scoring easy layups. As the game progressed, Xavier seemed to find success with their substitutions, particularly with Kyky Tandy, who scored 10 points off the bench.
PC’s offense was led by Nate Watson ’21 with 16 points and seven rebounds. Watson was supported by Alpha Diallo ’20 and David Duke ’22 with 14 and 12 points, respectively. However, the Friars seem to be struggling to find their identity, as these three stars are the only players to consistently score double digits each game. The offensive burden for the Friars must be more evenly distributed among the team.
Another issue currently plaguing the Friars is subpar perimeter shooting. Out of 23 attempted three point shots, only four fell, resulting in a three point percentage of 17.4. It’s entirely possible that PC is simply attempting too many three pointers. Luwane Pipkins ’20 shot a total of nine three pointers only to make two of them. This means that seven possessions were essentially handed to Xavier. The Musketeers attempted only 19 three pointers and landed five of them for a three point percentage of 26.3.
Perhaps the biggest issue for the Friars lies in the way they finish games. As seen several times throughout the 2019-2020 season, including the recent loss to Villanova University, PC’s shot selection in the dying minutes of the second half become erratic and forced. With 8:59 to play in the second half, Providence led 50-47. Xavier then went on to execute a 5-0 point run, leading PC 52-50. Following this run, the Musketeers never gave the lead back, with the Friars making only three shots within the final 10 minutes of the second half.
Head coach Ed Cooley voiced his frustration following the loss saying, “I’m really pissed at my team. I thought we were undisciplined. I thought we took some uncharacteristic shots. I didn’t think we were united the way you have to be on the road in these environments.”
The PC versus St. John’s game was not completed at press time.
Women’s Basketball Falls Short to Blue Jays
by Meaghan P Cahill on February 13, 2020
Sports
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
On Saturday, February 8, the Providence College Women’s Basketball Team played against Big East rival Creighton University for their second matchup of the season, this time taking place at home in Mullaney Gym.
The season has been rocky for the Friars as they continue Big East play throughout the end of winter and into spring. Going into the game against the Blue Jays, the Friars had posted a 10-13 record overall, with a 1-10 record in the Big East Conference, currently tied for last place along with Xavier University.
Providence’s first Big East win came a few weeks ago against Xavier University, in a home win 60-48. Guard Earlette Scott ’22 led the game with 20 points, while center sophomore Mary Baskerville ’22 led the game with 11 rebounds.
The Friars previous game took place on Feb. 2 at DePaul University in Chicago. While the Friars put up a good fight in each quarter against the no. 13 Blue Demons, the win ultimately went to DePaul in a final score of 93-71. Guard Chanell Williams ’21 led the game with 15 points, while Alyssa Geary ’22 led with six rebounds for the Friars.
The Friars were looking to bounce back and find a spark to ignite the team to go on a run, especially with postseason approaching and the Women’s Big East Tournament in early March.
Now it was time for the Friars to once again face Creighton. In the previous matchup which took place at Creighton, the Friars lost by nine in a 63-72 matchup. Kaela Webb ’22 led the team with 14 points. The Friars were ready to give everything they had for this next matchup.
The game was set, and the Friars were on their way to face the Blue Jays once again. Constantly leading throughout the first quarter of play, things were looking up for the Friars as players such as Baskerville and Webb could not miss shots. As well as the Friars were playing, nothing was stopping Creighton’s Jaylyn Agnew. By the end of the game Agnew finished the game with a career-high 38 points.
The Friars once again sadly lost by nine after battling through the second half to come back, but Agnew and Creighton could not miss a basket. Baskerville led the team in both points and rebounds at 19 and eight, respectively.
Scott, Webb, and Geary also finished with double digits in scoring and even helped Providence shoot 52.9 percent of shooting from the field.
Despite the team’s struggles, the Friars have had some great individual performances throughout the year. Baskerville is leading in the top twenty of scoring for the Big East at 12.9 points per game and fourth in rebounding 7.8 rebounds per game.
Next up, the Friars are back home for two games in the coming week against Seton Hall University and St. John’s University. Seton Hall’s game will be played 11:30 a.m. on Friday as part of Project Providence where local schools will come to watch the game.
College Hockey’s Hobey Baker Award Nominees Announced
by The Cowl Editor on February 6, 2020
Athlete of the Week
Two Friars Nominated for Prestigious Award
by Meaghan Cahill
Sports Co-Editor
In the final stretch of their sophomore season, Providence College Men’s Hockey Team players Jack Dugan ’22 and Tyce Thompson ’22 were announced as nominees for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top player in college hockey. They were joined by 76 other Division I college hockey players throughout the country.
The Hobey Baker Award follows four criteria when considering the nominees: strength and character, on and off the ice; contribution to the integrity of the team and outstanding skills in all phases of the game; scholastic achievement and sportsmanship; and compliance with all NCAA rules, including being a full-time student in an accredited college or university and completing 50 percent or more of the season.
All 78 players who were nominated will go through a three-part selection process. First, NCAA head coaches nominate players from the league in addition to the top three players in the nation. Then, fans have the chance to vote online to narrow down the top 10 candidates. Lastly the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Selection Committee that consists of 29 individuals representing print and electronic sports media, college hockey coaches and officials, and NHL scouts, will vote on their top three candidates and, ultimately, who they think should win the award. Fans are also allowed to provide input by voting during this stage as well. Notable players that have won the Award in recent years include NHL players Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, Adam Gaudette, and Cale Makar.
Dugan, whose goal is to be “the best player in college hockey,” currently leads the NCAA in assists (34), points per game (1.78), power-play points (17), and even strength points (24). He also currently leads the league with 41 points over the course of 23 games. In addition, Dugan has an impressive presence on the ice and has been a key player for the Friars all season long, especially since he has spent time transitioning into a more defensive style of play.
On his way to becoming a well-rounded two-way player, the Las Vegas Golden Knights draft pick said, “I’ve become more of a 200-foot player. Coming in, I was pretty offensive, and now I can play in the last few minutes of a game and be trusted defensively.”
Thus far, the numbers have backed his improvement and the efforts he has put into being recognized as the top player in the NCAA. Described as a “dominant player,” throughout the course of the season, there have been 14 games where he notched at least two points, five games of at least three points, and three games of four points—the most in the nation.
Despite the fact that he has yet to complete two full seasons of play, head coach Nate Leaman believes that Dugan has a lot going for him, saying, “He’s strong on pucks, he’s got a good stick, he’s got very good vision.”
Ranked the best forward in college hockey by the NHL, as well as being listed in their top three for this year’s most valuable player, Dugan is believed to be the frontrunner for the Hobey Baker Award. Should he win, he would be the first player in PC history to win, something that he finds to be “very cool.”
However, Dugan is not letting his explosive second season cloud his judgement as he looks to what he hopes to be a future in the NHL. And similarly, neither is Thompson, who is listed as the NHL’s top breakout player.
After a relatively quiet freshman year due to Leaman’s stacked “older team” and desire to allow him to develop and grow, Thompson is experiencing a breakout sophomore season that has led to him being nominated for the Hobey Baker Award.
Currently sitting on 38 points overall, Thompson’s 17 goals have him tied for top goalscorer in the country. In the 23 games already played this season, he has scored at least one goal in 15 of them, which leads all NCAA players, and has 13 multi-point games.
Like Dugan, Thompson also is a dominant player on the ice who brings “the energy and the smarts” to the game, according to Leaman. Furthermore, from last season to this season, Leaman also acknowledges that Thompson’s overall strength buildup has significantly helped him with having such a great season with the Friars.
In addition to the Hobey Baker nomination, the 2019 New Jersey Devil’s draft pick is joined by Dugan and co-captain Michael Callahan ’22 in being nominated for the Walter Brown Award, which recognizes the best American-born Division I college hockey players in New England.
The winners of both awards will not be announced until the end of the season during the NCAA tournament.