by The Cowl Editor on February 15, 2018

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Professional Sports

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Former Gold Medal Olympians Talk at PC

by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-editor

It has been 20 years since a women’s hockey team from the United States has won a gold medal. And this past weekend, on Saturday, February 10, three members of 1998 Women’s Olympic Hockey Team were present at Providence College to speak on a panel called The Gold Standard.

“I wish I could be there,” Cammi Granato ’93 said as she kicked off the panel in a prerecorded video that played after a video montage of highlights featuring the gold-medal round game. The montage brought player Lisa Brown-Miller ’88 to to “tears” and “gave [her] goosebumps.”On it being 20 years since winning, Granato, captain of the only gold-medal winning, commented, “I can’t believe it.”

So, why did PC put together this panel during Alumni, Family, and Accepted Students weekend? The answer to this question is that the first ever Women’s Olympic Hockey Team consisted of seven PC alum, and  three were able to speak on behalf of their team and the remarkable feat they accomplished: Vicki Movsessian ‘94, Sara DeCosta ‘00, and Brown-Miller. “Thank you to the College for inviting us back to be remembered,” Brown-Miller started once Granato’s video had finished.

Hosted by current Providence College Women’s Hockey Coach Bob Deraney, the panel consisted of the three women reflecting on both of their Olympic experiences, PC experiences-all of which they said was “the best,” and how they formed their lives today.

“Every aspect of PC shaped me for the Olympic games…even Western Civ!” DeCosta said with a laugh when asked how PC helped her in her Olympic success.Movsessian was quick to bring up how seven members of the 20 member team came from PC. “A championship environment…that PC built. [The] identity of what women’s hockey became was transformed at PC.” Movessian’s point really kicked off what became the main topic of discussion of the panel: women’s hockey then and now. “We really were the pioneers [of women’s hockey],” Granato stated in her video. “And that is a bond we’ll have forever.”

As mentioned, the 1998 women’s hockey team, a team that Movessian said was made up of “20 people who wanted so badly to do well for each other and collectively win,” was one of the first ever female hockey teams to compete in the Olympics. They also remain the only U.S. women’s team to ever win a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

Prior to 1998, outside of New England, women’s hockey was still almost unheard of. “Growing up…I didn’t know any other girls who played,” Brown-Miller, a Michigan native, stated. “There were not a lot of opportunities back home. PC opened the doors and just as the doors were opening, I was able to step through.”Even DeCosta recognized how small the women’s hockey world was just 20 years ago. “I wasn’t aware of what women’s hockey…was at the time,” she said.

However, Movessian, a Massachusetts native, had a different experience with hockey growing up, stating, “There were tons of opportunities in Mass to play girls and boys hockey.” But even with all of her opportunities to play, Movessian still commented, “We didn’t know about the Olympic games [and the efforts to put a female team together]. We weren’t playing for that reason; we were playing because we loved to play.”

Twenty years after the victory that started a hockey phenomenon, DeCosta stated, “[It has been] an amazing experience to see the growth of women’s hockey…amazing to see the skills and the talent.”

The talent that they spoke of, can be seen in the current PC Women’s Hockey Team, which is currently ranked second in Hockey East, as well as the current 2018 Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. As for this year’s Olympic team, Granato is convinced that the women “are riped to win.” Of course, it has been 20 years since the U.S. has won a gold medal, but Granato stated, “I have a strong feeling this year’s team [will win],” and her sentiments were echoed by all three of her teammates.

by The Cowl Editor on February 8, 2018

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Friar Sports

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Providence College Awarded the NCAA CHOICES Grant

by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-Editor

At the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, Providence College was awarded the CHOICES Grant by the NCAA. This $30,000 grant “provides funding for NCAA member institutions and conferences to integrate athletic departments into campus-wide efforts to reduce alcohol abuse,” according to the NCAA website. The CHOICES Grant Program was established due to the NCAA’s growing concern of the “misuse of alcohol by college students.”

Made possible due to donations from Anheuser-Busch Inc., the $30,000 awarded to the school chosen to receive the grant is spanned out over three years; $15,000 the first year, $10,000 the second year, and $5,000 the third year. The reason the grant’s money is spread out the way that it is “is to encourage institutionalization of the campus project to continue engaging athletics in the broader campus prevention effort.”

With the money from the grant, PC will build upon the already existing Friar Family Step UP! Bystander Intervention Program utilized to increase alcohol awareness education, prevention, and intervention skills among our student-athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and the broader student body.

“I am confident that the proposal submitted by our team of program developers will result in a very meaningful and sustainable program that will positively impact our entire campus community during the three-year period.” said Robert Driscoll, athletic director and associate vice president for athletics at PC.

With the first installment of the money, PC so far has most notably brought in Chris Herren, a former professional basketball player. Throughout his entire career, Herren suffered from a serious substance abuse problem that ultimately led him to overdosing on heroin while driving. This resulted in him crashing into a utility pole. He was declared by paramedics to have been dead for thirty seconds. After his overdose, Herren went to rehab and has officially been alcohol and drug-free since 2008.

In 2011, The Herren Project (THP) was started by Herren with the goals of positively impacting those who suffer addictions, educating youth on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and providing scholarship programs to clinics and camps. As a part of this project, Herren himself visits schools of all levels to educate students on the dangers of substance abuse through telling his own story—which is exactly what he did this fall at Providence College.

“Having someone come in and tell stories…actually moves you to be emotional about it,” Hadley Tate ’19, a member of Providence College’s Women’s Softball Team commented on the benefits of having speakers like Herren come and discuss their stories. In fact, Tate and teammate Julianne Rurka ’18 both agree that having the speakers come in is the most beneficial way to raise awareness towards substance abuse.

“I really like the speakers that they have come in…just having that opportunity to hear from people is really cool,” said Rurka. “We do a lot of…programs, automated training methods, that we all have to do it. Now, with the money to do things different from that.”

Both Rurka and Tate are members of the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) at PC, which is made up of generally two members from each sports team. With this grant, SAAC’s goal is to have “student-athletes as leaders to promote less excessive, unsafe [drinking] habits,” according to Tate.

When questioned about how the student-athletes will be looking to make a direct impact, Rurka explained that each team will be creating videos that relate their sports to alcohol abuse. With sayings like “getting home safe,” the videos will not be focusing on the “cold hard facts” that both Rurka and Tate agreed need to be avoided.

“[The] slogans really hit the whole awareness part right on the head without being over-dramatic on the statistics…once the student body sees all of the statistics and things like that they kind of get put off from it. I think it’s kind of cool that we can deliver a very important message that doesn’t deter people from paying attention to it,” stated Rurka. “We’re a very big and well-known group on campus …we all have that platform where we could reach a lot of different students and maybe listening to one of these videos could change that perspective.”

Tate chimed in saying, “Like it or not, just being a student athlete sets you apart from being a normal college kid, so having a different platform to work your actions can be more effective.”

While PC’s student-athletes will be the main group on campus heading up the alcohol abuse awareness campaign, they will not be going at it alone. One of the guidelines for the grant as stated on the NCAA website asserts that  “projects must partner athletics with other campus departments in the development and implementation of effective alcohol education projects.” Therefore, SAAC will be collaborating with both Student Affairs and the Counseling Center to ensure that a successful campaign takes place across campus in the years to come.

Aside from Herren, videos were shown at Late Night Madness and a BASICS training session is being planned for coaches and athletic trainers as a part of this new initiative.

Looking ahead, SAAC has also collaborated with Active Minds, Student Affairs and Academic Affairs in securing two mental health speakers that will be coming to campus to talk on Monday, February 12. The talk, titled “You’re Never Alone in Friartown,” will feature speakers Kate Fagan, ESPN correspondant writer, former basketball player, and author of What Made Maddy Run, and Chamique Holdsclaw, the number 1 pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist. The event takes place at 7 p.m. in the Mullaney Gymnasium and is open to all students.

by The Cowl Editor on February 1, 2018

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Professional Sports

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Larry Nassar Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Over 200 Gymnasts

By Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-Editor

It was a trial that was almost 25 years in the making and has become the greatest sexual abuse scandal in sports history. According to a 2016 lawsuit, in 1994 an unidentified gymnast, who would later go on to medal at the Olympics, stated that Larry Nassar had sexually abused her for six years. She would be the first of over 250 women who would come forward over the years claiming Nassar sexually assaulted them when he was supposed to be acting as their trainer.

Nassar’s career began in 1978 when he became a student athletic trainer at North Farmington High School, outside of Detroit. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he began working with the football and track and field teams at UM in 1985. A year later, he signed onto the medical staff as an athletic trainer for the USA Gymnastics’ national team.

His career only went up from this point. He received an osteopathic medical degree from Michigan State University in 1993, was appointed national medical coordinator for USA Gymnastics in 1996, became a team physician and assistant professor at MSU in 1997, and during all of this time, he began attending the Olympic Games as a member of the gymnastics team’s staff. He had the picture perfect career, yet underneath it all, it was anything but perfect.

According to a lawsuit filed in 2017, a concern about Nassar was brought to John Geddert of John Geddert’s Twistars gymnastics club for his behavior in 1997. The claim was overlooked and never brought to police attention. A year later in 1998, according to court records, Nassar began sexually abusing the six-year-old daughter of a family friend, and he acted inappropriately with her “every other week for five years.” That same year, a student-athlete at MSU reported Nassar to the other trainers and coaches, but no action was taken by the university following the claims.

The lack of action on behalf of USA Gymnastics and MSU did not stop the accusations against Nassar. In 2000, a second MSU student-athlete came forward with claims that Nassar was acting inappropriately, as well as gymnast Rachel Denhollander, who stated she was sexually abused by Nassar when she was fifteen while he was treating her for lower back pains.

Flash forward to 2014 and all accusations against Nassar while he was at MSU were cleared by the university. That same year, he retired as USA Gymnastics’ medical coordinator, but stated he would remain as the team doctor for the artistic gymnasts.

It was not until 2016 that an official investigation was opened into how USA Gymnastics handled the sexual abuse cases, including those with Nassar. Once again, Denhollander came forward with the same claims that he assaulted her when she was 15 and she filed a criminal complaint against Nassar.

Later that year, MSU fired Nassar from all clinical and patient duties. And then, the floodgates opened and Nassar’s career came crashing down around him. After he was fired, complaint after complaint came through against him. Denhollander was one of the main accusers on every case and collaborated with others who had worked with Nassar.

On Tuesday, November 22, 2016, Nassar was officially charged in Ingham County with three counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13. In a press conference, it was revealed that over 50 victims had come forward with complaints against Nassar. Less than a month later, Nassar was indicted on federal child pornography charges. On January 10, 2017,  18 more gymnasts filed a federal law suit against Nassar, MSU, USA Gymnastics, and John Geddert’s Twistars gymnastics club alleging sexual assault, battery, molestation, and harassment between 1996 and 2016.

There was never a cease in accusations against Nassar, and they all led up to his 2018 sentencing, where most of his victims took to the stand and testified against him face to face. Some of his more well-known victims include Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman.

The statements were powerful. Each victim took the stand and detailed just how much Nassar impacted their lives—and not in a positive way.

“You used my body for six years for your own sexual gratification. That is unforgivable,” Kyle Stephens stated.

“I…developed an intense fear of male hands, like a PTSD response…This fear changed the way I grew up and how I related to boys…I couldn’t just be a normal girl anymore, and I have forever lost a big piece of my childhood due to his abuse,” Jessica Thomashow reflected while on the stand.

One mother even came forward and blamed Nassar’s abuse for her daughter’s suicide, “For my daughter it became a serious, serious bout of depression. So in 2009 she took her own life because she couldn’t deal with the pain anymore.” Donna Markham’s daughter Chelsea claimed Nassar “hurt [her]” after he wrongfully touched her without medical gloves on.

After all of the witness statements, he was sentenced to 175 years in prison with the “hero” judge Rosemarie Aquilina stating “I’ve just signed your death warrant.” The only questions that remains now are ‘why?’ and ‘how?’

How could this abuse have gone on for so long with no one doing anything about it?

As Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman stated in her witness statement, “It’s easy to put out statements talking about how athlete care is the highest priority. But [USA Gymnastics] has been saying that for years, and all the while, this nightmare was happening.”

Joan Ryan, author of Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, a book about the physical and psychological toll gymnastics takes on girls and young women, states, “There is no other sport in which this could have happened…These girls are groomed from an incredibly young age to deny their own experience.”

“Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee didn’t want to scare off sponsors and they didn’t want to risk the piles of Olympic medals. So they covered it up,” 1986 U.S. National Champion Jennifer Sey stated.

In a letter written by Champion Women, an advocacy group for girls and women in sports chaired by former Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar, demanded that laws should be passed to protect young athletes from people like Nassar. The letter asserted, “Research shows that the more elite the athlete, the more likely they are to be sexually abused by someone within their own entourage.”

So, what is the solution? According to Ryan, “We need change to come from the lawmakers, not organizations. There needs to be government oversight with hard and fast rules, because these girls are children, and if they win fewer medals, so be it.”

In wake of the trial, the remaining members of the USA Gymnastics board of directors have all resigned due to the pressure from the United States Olympic Committee. According to USA Today, “The United States Olympic Committee threatened to decertify the organization if it didn’t take more strident steps towards change.”

In a statement issued amid the scandal and remaining board members stepping down, USA Gymnastics claimed that they support “an independent investigation that may shine light on how abuse of the proportion described so courageously by the survivors of Larry Nassar could have gone undetected for so long and embraces any necessary and appropiate changes. USA Gymnastics and USOC have the same goal-making the sport of gymnastics, and others, as safe as possible for athletes to follow their dreams in a safe, positives, and empowered environment.”

While words are being exchanged on making the sport safer and better for our country’s gymnasts, it is still up in the air if there will be any concrete changes made in the future of gymnastics.

by The Cowl Editor on January 25, 2018

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Professional Sports

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The Last of the Enforcers

by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-Editor

It has been 101 years since the National Hockey League has been established. However, while the game has fundamentally stayed the same, it has also undergone many changes, most of which have taken place over the past few years. And the changes are not subtle. Rather, the entire way that the game has been played has, in a sense, evolved into a new game.

I come from a very hockey-oriented family in Boston, so naturally, the Boston Bruins have always been, and will always be, my team. I grew up hearing stories of the “Big, Bad Bruins” and watching old films of some of the organization’s best games and fights. Compared to the pro games today, those films do not have many similarities but rather very obvious contrasts. One major difference is that the game no longer has that level of physicality that it used to. Hockey has transformed from a game of both toughness and skill to just a game of skill. Speed and talent have completely taken over the NHL, decreasing the need for the enforcer players.

 “I don’t think [the game is] going to get back to where things used to be, when there were these hulking monsters whose role was just to fight,” former NHL player George Parros commented back in 2014 to ESPN after he was not offered a new contract. The reason being was that teams did not need the level of toughness he brought to the game anymore.

The enforcer players are on the brink of extinction, more so today than back in 2014. Of the 31 NHL teams today, there are only eight proclaimed enforcers left out of the hundreds of players within the league. Even the “Big, Bad Bruins,” who used to be known for their toughness and physical style of play, have done away with enforcers, as shown by their actions of trading Shawn Thornton after the 2013-14 season. Without the level of toughness that the enforcers are supposed to bring, there is more room for the young players on the teams to shine.

With the referees strictly monitoring every move on the ice, the game has become strictly about speed and skill. In the same interview as Parros, Columbus Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson stated, “The game is officiated differently now…You can’t intimidate teams. Intimidation doesn’t work.”

A direct result in this change is that goal productivity is at an all-time high, with an extra 1.02 goals per game, according to Hockey-Reference back in the beginning of October when the 2017-18 had just started. High-scoring games are becoming a norm, with 3+ goals scored per game. For example, in the past nine games, the Bruins have scored 40 goals, averaging 4.4 goals a game.

And yes, I will admit that it is most definitely satisfying to watch your favorite team score countless flashy goals, but the game without enforcer players is just not what it used to be, mainly because it lacks the entertainment. Fights are practically non-existent and checks are more of a shove into the boards instead of a nice, hard, clean hit. Gone are the days of players being hit so hard they actually went through the glass. Hockey fans all around are having to adjust to this change and personally, I wish that the physicality of the game would remain at the level that it used to be.

by The Cowl Editor on December 7, 2017

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PCI

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by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-Editor

Athletes leaving their respective colleges to go pro before graduating is not a rare occurrence in college sports today. Players such as Boston University’s Jack Eichel and Charlie McAvoy and Providence College’s own Noel Acciari and Ben Bentil, have all left their respective teams to pursue a professional career before they were supposed to graduate and rightfully so. Each of these players have moved on from their college programs and are currently very successful players in both the NHL and NBA.

   While it can be argued that college athletes should remain all four years with their college sports team, it is not right to expect them to stay. Becoming a professional athlete is a goal that not many athletes have success in achieving. So, when the opportunity presents itself, the players should be allowed to have a chance to take it with nothing holding them back. If a player is expected to wait around until they graduate college, they risk the chance of injury, which would end whatever chance they had at a professional career all together.

    There are many perks towards college players leaving their school programs early as well. For starters, they get a head start at actually having a career and making a living. In the case of McAvoy, who is now a top defenseman for the Boston Bruins, at just nineteen-years-old, is earning $925,000 a year with his entry level contract. With this kind of money, athletes are then able to provide for their families and create their own financial stability. Another reason that leaving college to become a professional athlete can be beneficial is that they can always go back to their studies when their professional career is over. If it was the other way around, the chance for a player to go back to their athletic career might not be possible. Also, much like Dallas Stars player and former Bruins player Tyler Seguin did, professional athletes are also able to take classes in between their sports season.

  College athletes should not be expected to stay in college for all four years should they get the opportunity to go pro. The opportunity itself is one that is very hard to come by and may not come around again. First and foremost, especially at a high collegiate level, athletes are athletes and at the end of the day, they need to base their decisions off of their sports career, not their college degree.

by The Cowl Editor on November 16, 2017

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Friar Sports

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By Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Co-Editor

Andrew “Drew” Brown ’16 may not have physically been in Schneider Arena this past weekend, but his presence was surely known and felt as the Friars went on to beat University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Seven goals were scored for number seven on that emotional Saturday night of Nov. 11.

It was “Fight for Drew Brown Night” as the entire community came together in support of Brown and his fight with cancer. While the night had been planned in advance, the day of the game took an unexpected turn that resulted in the night taking on a whole other meaning.

Earlier that morning, Brown lost a very hard-fought battle and the news came as a shock to the Providence College community.

“Our program mourns the passing of Drew Brown…Drew touched everyone with whom he came into contact with his energy, his smile, and his big heart. Drew was a thoughtful, soft-spoken teammate who would do anything for his team. Drew showed amazing courage in his battle with cancer. Our Friar family will miss him dearly. With the support of one another, we will find strength to honor Drew…Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Brown family and his fiancée Michelle during this difficult time,”commented Head Coach Nate Leaman on the morning of Brown’s passing.

    Brown was a member of  Providence College’s Class of 2016, as well as the hockey team. During his junior year, Brown was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, Ewing’s Sarcoma. It was a diagnosis that was determined after he took a hit to his left leg during a playoff hockey game the season before. The hit was bad enough for an MRI to be needed and when the results came in, more than just an injury from a dirty hit was revealed. The scans showed a tumor that would ultimately lead doctors to inform Brown and his family that he was that one in a million to have to face the battle against Ewing’s Sarcoma.

While his team started preparations for the upcoming 2014-2015 season that would result in a National Championship win, Brown made his own

preparations to begin chemotherapy treatment. However, he did not let his cancer halt him from being with his team, as players stated numerous times following the upset win against Boston University that it was his courage and determination that inspired them to win it all that season.

Brian Pinho ’18, who was Brown’s teammate, reflected on Brown’s character during his long fight in a post-game interview Saturday, saying, “He always had a contagious smile to him even though he was going through some hard stuff.”

  Brown’s death did not only rock the Providence College community. Boston Bruins’ Head Coach Bruce Cassidy commented after practice Monday morning, “Our condolences go out to the Brown family and to Noel. I can’t speak for him. At a young age like that, I can’t imagine.”

  Cassidy is referring to former Friar player turned pro Noel Acciari ’15. Now a forward for the Boston Bruins after captaining the 2015 championship team for the Friars, Acciari’s friendship with Brown extended all the way back to their prep school days when they attended the same school.

   “He’s a fighter and one of my best friends, and I want the best for him,”  said Acciari in an interview for the NHL.

  In the same interview, reflecting back on the National Championship win, Acciari states, “When we won the National Championship, that whole year I was fueled for Drew. I felt that the team, the coaching staff, everyone at Providence College backed Drew from when he found out to right now…To be

able to hoist that trophy up at the end of that was a special feeling, just to have him out there to know that he was fighting and we were fighting with him.”

  In fact, it was Acciari and his fiancée Kaitlyn Chisholm ’16, who started a fundraiser in Brown’s name. “Dropping the Mitts for Drew Brown” was what they named the fundraiser, which took place on GoFundMe.Com. Starting with an initial goal of $40k, the goal has been raised three times due to the surplus of donations.

   “It’s unbelievable the support that he has,” Acciari commented in an interview with the NHL three days after the fundraiser page went up.

  A little over a week since the fundraiser debuted, almost $60K has been raised in Brown’s name. The money is to be given to Brown’s family and finance to help them during this difficult time.

   Following Brown’s death, another Friar player who played two seasons with Brown and turned pro, Tim Schaller ’13 of the Boston Bruins, commented following Monday’s practice, “Hell of a player…and off this ice too. I don’t know anyone who didn’t like Drew. Everyone always had something good to say about him. He was more worried about how we were doing than himself. Just a good character kid…he definitely left behind good memories with everyone. He’s gonna be missed.”

   Since Brown’s tragic passing, many of his other teammates have taken to social media to express their condolences.

  Anthony Florentino ’17, who is now a Buffalo Sabres prospect, commented, “It was an honor to be on the same team as Drew. Drew is the definition of a warrior and will never be forgotten. Rest easy, Brother.”

  Jake Walman, who left the Friars last season to sign with the St. Louis Blues, also expressed his condolences on Instagram by saying, “You taught us all what it means to be a good teammate, friend and brother. You inspired us all and motivated us with your courageous battle. Your presence within our locker-room helped us become warriors on and off the ice and for that reason we will walk together as champions forever. Rest in peace, Drew Brown.”

   Brown was laid to rest on Nov. 14 surrounded by his friends, family, and extended Friar Family. In the words of Chisholm, “Sometimes the greater plan is kind of hard to understand…Heaven is lucky to have you.”

Brown will be remembered by all as a hockey player, but mostly importantly as a great friend and an outstanding, courageous fighter.

by The Cowl Editor on November 9, 2017

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Friar Sports

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By Meaghan Cahill

Sports Co-Editor

   The second biggest meet of the season is on the horizon for the Providence College Men’s and Women’s Swim and Dive Teams. The Harold Anderson Invitational, which takes place this year at the University of Rhode Island, is “treated as the Big East Championsips,” according to Madeline Snow ’19.

   Coming up on the mid-point of their season, Snow reflected, “We’ve had a pretty good season with several [swimmers] already qualifying for Big East.” While past meets have been used as preparation for the Harold Anderson Invitational, Snow claims, “It’s been a tough line-up so far, we haven’t necessarily won a lot, but that doesn’t mean we are not performing well.”

  Snow is certainly correct in her statement that the team is performing well this season. Several team members have already scored qualifying times for the Big East Championship and their success does not stop there. During their meet against Fairfield University on Nov. 4, two members of the swim team broke school records.

   While the women’s team did not win the meet, losing 184.5-113.5, Lauren Zawacki ’21 had a standout meet where she broke a 27-year-old record in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 26.84 seconds. “Lauren, she’s awesome! She broke the school record by .4 seconds, which for a 50 is monumental. It’s huge!” Snow commented.

  Along with Zawacki, Patrick Brannigan ’20 also broke a school record that he set himself the year before in the men’s 50-meter freestyle. Originally, Brannigan broke the record in 2016 with a time of 24.11 seconds and this year, he shaved 0.23 seconds off of his time to set a new school record of 23.88 seconds. That same day, Brannigan also won the men’s 100-meter freestyle with a time of 53.49 and was on the winning Men’s 200-meter medley relay team.

  “PK really puts in the work and deserves to do well,” Snow said.      Individual success has been very prominent within the team this season, but the team as a whole is coming together as well, as they look for overall team success. According to Snow, “The team is in better shape this season than past seasons. There is a good work ethic and everyone comes prepared.” When questioned on how the freshmen are adjusting to being a part of the team, Snow stated, “The freshmen have all been awesome additions and really add to the team’s depth.”

   Entering her final two seasons on the team, Snow’s main concern is “that the team is doing well” but that does not stop her from looking to improve her own ranking. On her own swim career up until this point, Snow acknowledged that “there is definitely room for improvement to excel and be in a position in the team’s [top rankings]”.

  Using the next two weeks leading up to the Harold Anderson Invitational to “rest and work on getting best times to qualify [for Big East],” Snow expresses the team’s need to “keep the work ethic going” as their main goals as they enter into the final stages of their season.

by The Cowl Editor on November 3, 2017

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Friar Sports

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by The Cowl Editor on October 26, 2017

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Professional Sports

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by Meaghan Cahill ’20

Sports Editor

   They started their season with virtually nothing–no stats, no previous wins or losses, and no idea how a team consisting of offered up players would play together.

  None of that, however, stops the Las Vegas Golden Knights from defying any preconceived notions that their inaugural season would be just an experiment. For who could have predicted that the team would become the only team to ever win seven of their first eight games of the season.

After years of talk, the National Hockey League (NHL) officially declared that an expansion team would be formed in Las Vegas.

   Over the summer, all of the teams in the NHL submitted a list of players to be offered up in the expansion draft that would take place. Thanks to certain rules that restricted the draft and regulated the amount of players that each already established team could protect, the Knights’ draft selections offered a glimpse of the success that they would achieve to the rest of the league.

  Picking up big-name veterans such as Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Nashville Predators forward James Neal, and St. Louis Blues forward David Perron, the Knights were able to produce a roster filled with depth in each position, with solid players making up the offensive and defensive lines.

   The individual success of the players on the team clearly have meshed well together, as they rest one point behind the Los Angeles Kings, who are in first place in the Pacific Division.

  However, the team has not been without struggles, which makes their success all the more impressive. While Fleury appeared to have gotten his mojo back from some questionable appearances in games for the Penguins, he was just recently placed on the Knights’ injured reserve list due to a concussion.

  The Knights fell back on Malcolm Subban, brother of NHL superstar PK Subban and formerly known as the back-up to the back-up goalie for the Boston Bruins who spent most of his time in Providence.  Given up by the Bruins in the expansion draft, Subban dominated in his Vegas debut against his former team where he only let in one goal in the Knights’ 3-1 win.

  Subban is also in fourth place out of the entire NHL in save percentage, with a .936 score, falling behind multiple cup-winning players Corey Crawford (.937, Chicago Blackhawks) and Jonathan Quick (.938, LA Kings).

  The forwards are doing their part in the team’s success as well. Neal, a Stanley Cup Finals veteran, sits comfortably in the NHL’s Top 20 lead ing goal scorers, having as many as six goals, the same as Bruins’ players David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

   Luck may be on their side, but after the horrible events that took place in Las Vegas earlier this month, the success of the Vegas Knights is exactly what the city of Las Vegas needs.

  They are a team to look out for, and definitely a team that many are rooting for. Though injuries may lead to their downfall (Subban just suffered a career halting injury as well), they are certainly not a team that should be underestimated.

by The Cowl Editor on October 7, 2017

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Friar Sports

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by Meaghan Cahill ’20

sports staff

     Along with fall, hockey season has officially arrived in Friartown as the Providence College Women’s Hockey Team kicked off their season this past weekend. The team went into their first official game of the season with a solid preseason 3-2 win over Laurentian University.

   Coming off of that win, the team traveled to Schenectady, New York,  where they dominated Union College with a score of 7-3 which featured seven different goal scorers for the Friars.

   Following the Union game, the Friars made a quick trip back to campus where they played their season home opener on Sunday against The University of Vermont. It was a game that was not to be missed as, even though there was a rocky start in the first period that resulted in them being down 2-1, the Friars pulled ahead on the scoreboard to conclude the game with a 6-2 victory. Once again, the team had six different goal scorers, including Hayley Lunny ’21, who scored her first goal as a Friar.

  The weekend was a dominant start to the season for the team, as within two games, 10 different players have already notched a point in the goals scored box. 15 of the 18 Friars that dress for the games have already earned points.

   The success of the weekend opening for the women’s hockey team is looking to continue throughout the season as they strive to win Hockey East. Last year, they ended their season with a heartbreaking loss to UVM that denied them from advancing further in the Hockey East Tournament.

   However, while many players graduated, only two were considered a detrimental loss in terms of playing time. The team is fairly young, with seven players each from the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. The team is led by four seniors. The experience needed to know how to navigate through Hockey East is definitely there for the team, as well as the relationship between the players in knowing who, how, and where different members like to play. As seen by their success in the first week of their season, the Friars know how to play with one another, which will help them make the push towards the post season.

   Most of the team’s top players from last year will still be in the lineup. This includes defenseman Whitney Dove ’20, who had a remarkable breakout season her freshman year with the Friars. She was one of the many recipients of the Hockey East Rookie of the Week acknowledgement, and went on to finish third in all of Hockey East for defensive scoring. She also was awarded the Hockey East Rookie of the Year award—the first defenseman to ever win the award in the history of the league—and was unanimously selected to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team.

   Dove scored a goal apiece against  Union and UVM, and was named this week’s Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. She is also joined by players Neve Van Pelt ’20, who finished her freshman year with the highest face-off win percentage in all of Hockey East, and Blair Parent ’18, who has twice been recognized as a Hockey East Top Performer.

   Lunny, a native of Bedford, New York, is joined by local Rhode Island player Giana Savastano ’21. The rest of the freshman class includes Canadian players Chloe Gonsalves ’21, Ariane Julien ’21, and Camryn Tait ’21; Sandra Abstreiter ’21 from Germany; New Yorker Maureen Murphy ’21.

   Kate Friesen ’19 and Madison Sansone ’18 will serve as captains and be assisted by Parent and Brooke Boquist ’18.

   The team can look to their four seniors for guidance and leadership throughout the season. The fourth senior on the team is Alanna Serviss ’18.

   The women’s hockey team plays next in Friartown on Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. against Quinnipiac University.