Why Men’s Hockey is PC’s Best Winter Sport

by The Cowl Editor on November 2, 2017

PCI

By Max Anderson ’18

Sports Staff

If I were writing this article four years ago, I would have said that basketball is the best winter sport to follow here at Providence College. However, after being a student here at the time that the PC Men’s Hockey Team won the National Championship in 2015, I can honestly say that men’s hockey has become my favorite sport to follow here at Providence during the winter season.

PC men's hockey player shoots puck — Photo Courtesy of PC Athletics

Through the duration of my college career, the Friars hockey team has made it to the NCAA Tournament each year (2015-2017), including being awarded a number one seed in the 2016 tournament, and taking home a National Championship trophy in 2015. This is no disrespect to the basketball team here at PC, as they have also made four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament in their respective sport as well.

However, the hockey team has consistently been one of the top dogs in NCAA hockey, as the NCAA Hockey tournament is limited to just 16 teams, while the basketball NCAA Tournament is expanded to a total of 68 teams. The success of the Friars hockey team, along with the excitement that comes with attending a Friars hockey game, is what makes me follow the hockey team once the winter sports begin.

The Friars are coming off a season, in which they went 22-12-5, but were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With 11 upperclassmen returning this year, including nine players who were selected in their respective NHL Drafts, it is very likely the Friars will make a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Divison I Hockey Tournament. The Friars may not be as hyped as they have been in recent years, but I can easily see them capturing another National Championship trophy.

Men’s Hockey: Hopeful for Tournament Bid

by The Cowl Editor on March 16, 2017

Sports

by Ethan Ticehurst ’18

Fans of Providence hockey have been treated to some very successful seasons in recent years. Upperclassmen will always remember where they were the night the national championship was won two years ago. Last year, the team spent a large part of the year ranked as one of the best hockey programs in the country, which made their quick exits in both the Hockey East and NCAA tournaments all the more surprising. This year, the team got off to a slow start, befuddling fans everywhere. Luckily, they picked it up near the end of the season and earned a spot in the upper echelon of college hockey once more.

This is the position that they entered the Hockey East tournament in last week. A home ice series against UMass was the first on the docket. Thanks to stellar gameplay and a supportive home crowd, the Minutemen were quickly sent on their way back to where they came from. After such a successful series, the Friars seemed to be ready for whoever stood in their path next. Out of the shadows rose the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the newest members of the Hockey East. The Irish, who also happen to be leaving the Hockey East after this season, played a solid season and looked to be somewhat of a challenge for the Friars. Those looks were not deceiving, as the Friars were taken down in two games this weekend.

The Friars’ hope for the Hockey East championship may have ended in South Bend, Indiana, but fans should have nothing to fear. This team may not be at the exact level that they were two years ago, but they have enough raw talent to possibly make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Since they finished the season ranked in the top 20 in the country, they have a chance of making it into the tournament. However, with only 16 teams allowed in, there is a chance that they don’t make it at all. For fans that are worried about their team’s chances, make sure to watch the rest of the Hockey East tournament play out. If Notre Dame manages to pull off any more wins, they will most likely take up a spot in the tournament that would otherwise have gone to Providence.

Assuming that the Friars do make it to the tournament, however, let’s take a look at some of the teams that they should hope to avoid until the later rounds. The number one team that we would hope to avoid would be the top ranked team in the country, Denver. With only six losses on the season, it would take a monster of a game from the Friars to win against the team from Colorado. Also high on the avoidance list is our neighbors from the north, Harvard. Following shortly after them are any teams that come out of the Upper Midwest, such as Minnesota University and Minnesota University-Duluth. Overall, though it looks as if the Friars are on the bubble to even get into the tournament and if they do get in, they will need a large amount of luck to win in the tournament.

Athlete of the Week: Anthony Florentino ’17

by The Cowl Editor on February 16, 2017

Sports

By Meaghan Cahill ’20

Last weekend was a weekend of firsts for Providence College Men’s Ice Hockey player Anthony Florentino ’17. He scored his first ever career hat trick during the Friar’s 5-3 win over Univeristy of Maine. When asked what that feeling must have been like, Florentino stated, “It’s cool to say I’ve finally scored a hat trick in my hockey career…15-17 years of playing and it’s my first one.”

It was this that earned him his first Hockey East weekly nod as he was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week. Florentino is only the second Friar defenseman to score a hat trick throughout Hockey East this season and the seventh to do so in the past three seasons. Before the UMaine game, the last Friar to score a hat trick was Jake Walman ’18 on October 30, 2015 against Colgate.

He was very humbled when speaking about this honor, giving all of the credit to his teammates. “Realistically, that wouldn’t have happened without my teammates. It came from the game I had a hat trick in, but if you look at the three goals it was all generated by forwards…they made everything happen.”

As a senior on the team, Florentino has quite the career under his belt, including a National Championship win and two appearances in Fenway Park’s “Frozen Fenway.” As a Boston native, Florentino said the past experience of playing in America’s beloved ballpark, even though the game resulted in a loss, was “awesome.” It was also a game that held meaning for him as a player, “My brother’s boot camp went out for the Coast Guard, and it was the last game he saw me play, as a Friar, so it was a pretty special experience being at Fenway.”

With this being his last season as a Friar, Florentino is setting his goals high and expecting nothing less than perfection as the season enters its final four games before the Hockey East tournament. When questioned about his goals for his final season, there was no hesitation in his voice, as he quickly stated, “I want another National Championship.” He went on to say, “Obviously that’s the ultimate goal. Gotta win Hockey East first though. End result for my senior year: going out on top.” He does not want the Championship just for himself but “for the school, the team, the city even.” Florentino was on the team that won that National Championship in 2015 against Boston University, a memory that he says is his favorite as a Friar. Reflecting back on the game, Florentino says, “That team was pretty special…[winning] was an amazing experience.”

Florentino, who was drafted during the fifth round of the NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013, has no regrets when it comes to his career at Providence College. “Not a thing,” was his answer when asked if there was anything he would have done differently, “Best three years of my life so far.”

However, the season is not over yet. Ranked fifth overall in Hockey East and 10th overall in the country with a nine game win streak, the men’s hockey team will have back-to-back away games against Notre Dame (ranked third in Hockey East and 15th in the country) Feb. 17-18 before they come back to Massachusetts to face off with UMass Amherst at Amherst on Feb. 24. The Friars will conclude their regular season in Schneider Arena on Feb. 25 against UMass Amherst.

“Focus on the games we have to play,” Florentino states, regarding what needs to be worked on going into the final few games and the tournament. “We started off pretty slow, a little up and down, but lately we’ve been putting it all together, a five-man effort out there. The younger guys are stepping up and everyone is coming together as one and playing a complete game.”

When asked if he had any last words he would like to say before the interview concluded, Florentino acknowledged the fans who have always supported the team and with a big smile said, “Go Friars!”