Friars in the Pros

by The Cowl Editor on November 30, 2017


Professional Sports


As Providence College athletics are Divison I, the Friars have seen many of their athletes go on to play professionally in their respective sports. Three writers gave updates on Friars who play on professional soccer, hockey, and basketball teams.

Basketball

By Jack Belanger ’21

Sports Co-Editor

chicago bulls player Kris Dunn
Photo Courtesy of Chicago Bulls

With their recent success in the Big East, Providence has seen multiple Friars appear in the National Basketball Association and other professional basketball leagues.

Marshon Brooks ’11 played four seasons at PC from 2007-2011, averaging 24.6 points per game (ppg)  his senior year. He was the 25th pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics but was immediately traded to the Brooklyn Nets. After a promising rookie year where he averaged 12.6 ppg and was named to the NBA all-rookie second team, Brooks saw his playing time decreased dramatically and struggled to find a consistent role in the NBA. After the 2013-2014 season he signed with Emporio Armani Milano, an Italian basketball team.

Ben Bentil ’18 played only two seasons for the Friars. Bentil broke out his sophomore year in 2015-2016, averaging 21.1 ppg and 7.7  rebounds per game. He was drafted in the second round of the 2016 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.

After playing in three preseason games, Boston waived Bentil and he spent most of the year in the NBA D-league, the NBA’s minor league. Bentil managed to make his NBA debut for the Dallas Mavericks on Mar. 1 and became the first person born in Ghana to play in the NBA. Bentil currently plays for the Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket in the Ligue de Nationale de Basket in France where he is averaging 12.4 ppg.

Kris Dunn ’16  is one of the best players to come out from Providence College in a long time. Dunn played four seasons for PC (2012-2016), averaging 12.8 ppg and 5.8 assists per game, and was named the Big East Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Dunn was the fifth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. After playing limited minutes during his rookie year, Dunn was traded to the Chicago Bulls, where he has broken out, averaging 10.6 ppg and has become the team’s starting point guard through 18 games.

Hockey

By Jeremy Perrigo ’18

Sports Staff

boston bruins hockey player Noel Acciari
Photo Courtesy of Fred Kfoury

The Providence College Men’s Hockey Team has produced many professional athletes over the last several years. The Friars won the National Championship in 2015, and that roster contained four players that have already seen National Hockey League ice time.

Forwards Noel Acciari ’16, Mark Jankowski ’16, Brandon Tanev ’16 and goaltender Jon Gillies ’16 were part of the high-caliber roster.

Acciari had 32 points in 41 games during the Friar’s championship run, and on June 8, 2015, the undrafted forward signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins. Acciari, a Johnston, Rhode Island native, has seven points in 57 games with Boston as of Nov. 26.

Jankowski played his senior year at PC, scoring 40 points in 38 games, an improvement from 27 in 37 during the championship season. Jankowski was drafted 21st overall by the Calgary Flames in 2012 and has three goals and an assist in 16 games.

Tanev was signed by the Winnipeg Jets in March 2016 and has eight points in 76 games with the team as of this past Sunday.

Gillies was drafted 75th overall by Calgary in 2012. He had a goals against average of 2.01 and save percentage of .930 in the Friars’ championship year.

Other notable alumni are current Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach ’01 and long time NHLer Hal Gill ’97. Both were defensemen; Leach played 70 career NHL games while Gill amassed an impressive 1,108.

Perhaps one of the best-known Friars is long time Men’s Hockey head coach and athletic director Lou Lamoriello ‘63. A native of Johnston, Rhode Island, Lamoriello had a lengthy career in Friar athletics before winning three Stanley Cups as the general manager of the New Jersey Devils from 1987-2015. He is currently general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Soccer

By Joe Myko ’19

Sports Staff

soccer player julian gressel
Photo Courtesy of Jason Getz

The most recent Providence College alumnus to break into the world of professional soccer is Atlanta United’s Julian Gressel ’16 who was named Major League Soccer’s AT&T Rookie of the Year in November, after scoring an impressive five goals with nine assists in his debut season. The German-born midfielder is ranked third in the college’s all-time list of goal scorers, having netted 30 times for the Friars, and comes in at second for career assists with 26.

Ryan Maduro ’09 is another former Friar who has followed up his time at college with a successful career in soccer. The attacking midfielder scored 14 and assisted 22 goals during his time at Providence, before going on to sign with various clubs, including Iceland’s first division side Flykir and MLS’s New York Red Bulls, who he made his professional debut for in 2012.

Once former Friar Chaka Daley ’96 hung up his cleats in 1999, after having played for various professional sides including the MLS’s New England Revolution, he decided to return to PC to take up a coaching role enjoying a successful 11 years as manager from 2000-2011.

Midfielder Andrew Sousa ’10 was drafted by MLS’s side New England Revolution in 2011, before going on to enjoy an extensive career thus far, most notably at the likes of Portugal’s Operário (third division), Iceland’s Fylkir (first division), and Canada’s Ottawa Fury (who operate in the second division of the North American soccer leagues).

Chris Konopka ’06 has enjoyed a successful and wide-spread career since leaving Providence, having signed with various professional outfits including MLS’s Sporting Kansas City, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC and Portland Timbers as well as the Scottish Premiership’s Ross County. Konopka played 21 times for Toronto FC between 2013-15, becoming an integral part of the club’s first playoff appearance in club history in 2015. The New Jersey native also holds records with Toronto FC for the most regular season game wins with 11, as well as the best single-season win percentage for any goalkeeper in the club’s history with 59.5 percent.

Why Hockey is the Hardest Sport to Officiate

by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017


PCI


By Jeremy Perrigo ’18

Sports Staff

NHL referee stops fight
Photo Courtesy of Kenneth Scott

   Hockey has traditionally, and somewhat sarcastically, been called “the fastest game on ice.” While none of the other three major American sports (football, baseball, and basketball) take place on the same type of playing field, hockey still may be considered the fastest of the four, making it an incredibly difficult game to officiate.

  Over the last several years, the National Hockey League (NHL), has implemented various changes to its rulebook in order to make more accurate calls and to protect its players from dangerous hits. The addition of video review has created controversy in many sports, and hockey is no exception. Just before the 2015-16 season, the league agreed to implement a coach’s challenge specifically related to goaltender interference and offside calls resulting in goals.

  This was deemed necessary because despite how sharp NHL linesmen and referees are. The sheer speed of the game, along with its ability to be played continuously without regular stoppages, makes it extremely difficult to officiate. During a professional game there are two referees who are responsible for calling penalties, and two linesmen who are responsible for calling line infractions, such as offsides and icing.

  Even though there are two officials assigned to each category, there have been various instances within NHL games where wrong calls have been made on the ice that ultimately have had an impact on the outcome of the game. Video review is an attempt to assist officials, who work in collaboration with Hockey Operations in Toronto, to make the most accurate call possible.

This factor, along with restricting the amount of legal checks and altering how players are allowed to use their stick to impede an opposing player, makes hockey an extremely complex game to officiate.

Women’s Hockey Comes Out Strong

by The Cowl Editor on November 9, 2017


Friar Sports


By: Jeremy Perrigo ’18

Providence College Women's Hockey Goalie
Photo Courtesy of Maddie Myers

  Sports Staff

    The Providence College Women’s Ice Hockey Team, after finishing the 2016-17 campaign 17-17-3, is off to a strong start this season with a record of 6-3-2.

     The Friars swept the Northeastern Universty Huskies in a home-and-home over the weekend of Oct. 28 with 2-1 and 6-4 victories. This was an impressive accomplishment considering the Huskies finished last season with a record of 22-12-3, beating the Friars in all three of their previous meetings.

  The Friars’ early success has been made possible through the contributions of players such as  Madison Myers ‘19 (Colchester, Vermont), who was awarded Women’s Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for October. Myers has started all 11 of the Friars’ games this season, sporting a save percentage of .914 and a goals against average of 2.34.

    This is Myers’ first Hockey East monthly award. She was also previously awarded Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 30, largely for her contributions against the Huskies, where she put up 40 and 38-save performances in the back-to-back games.

  Myers, who said she models her game after Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Carey Price, stated that it is “quite the honor” to be recognized with the award. When asked about her recent success and if she has made any changes to her game that have allowed her to grow as a player, she mentioned her previous season’s work she said, “I actually changed my game last year with the help of my head coach Bob Deraney. He helped me become quicker and more reactive and I think that really helped my game improve for this year.”

  Hockey goaltenders are often considered some of the most superstitious players in the game, and many have rigorous pre-game rituals. Myers says she does not share these beliefs and likes to start each game without a specific routine.

  The Providence goaltender is now in her third year with the team, and when asked about how her role has developed off the ice with her teammates she mentioned that she used to be the one going to her fellow goaltenders with questions, and now that she has become an upperclassman, finds herself answering rather than asking more of those questions.

  Most recently the Friars suffered a setback, dropping  by a 7-4 decision Friday, November 3, to the No. 2 ranked Boston College Eagles. When asked about what she liked in her team’s performance Myers said, “I think we had a pretty bad game which says a lot about our team,” noting that the recent loss was a big step up from past games against the Eagles. “I think it is definitely an improvement and they are definitely beatable, so that should give us a lot of confidence,” expressing how she feels about the direction in which  the team is heading in.

    PC  looks to bounce back as the teams travels to Orono, Maine on Friday to face off against the University of Maine. The Black Bears have a record of 6-5-0 and are scheduled to play a game Tuesday, November 7 against the same Northeastern Huskies that the Friars swept two weekends ago.

  The Friars went 3-0 against Maine last season, recording wins of 3-2, 6-4, and 5-2. Christina Putigna‘19 leads the team in points (6G, 9A) followed by Brooke Boquist ’18 (6G, 3A), and Cassidy MacPherson ’19 (2G, 7A). Look for these players as they attempt to build on their success against the Black Bears.    The Friars are off to the best start in recent history, and key contributors like Myers are being recognized for their success. It will be exciting to see how the team plays moving forward.