Tag: NHL
NHL Expanding to Reach New Fans
by The Cowl Editor on September 27, 2018
Professional Sports
By Sam Scanlon ’19
Sports Staff
The National Hockey League is in the midst of a long-term campaign in the hopes to broaden the game of hockey and the NHL globally. Their plan to expand includes playing in a series of games overseas in order to attract the attention of more fans and players to help the game grow. European countries with an already strong hockey and NHL presence will be visited, as well as China.
China, a country with virtually no hockey community, is where the NHL will spend most of its time and energy on growth. Its efforts started with the 2018 NHL O.R.G. China Games, a series between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames earlier this month. Game 1 was held at the Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, before they went up north to Cadillac Arena for Game 2 in Beijing. The Bruins took both games by scores of 4-3 and 3-1.
The trip was a great experience for fans in China to be introduced to the game of hockey by watching some of the best players in the world compete in their country. Watching NHL players is not as easily accessible for Chinese fans as it is for North American fans, so this was a great opportunity for fans to experience the highest level of hockey firsthand. However, the NHL is taking this expansion a step further, and it signed a five-year contract with their broadcast partner, CCTV, to broadcast NHL games and content. Now fans in China will have a lot more exposure to high end games.
The NHL is not only trying to expand their league, but also expand the game of hockey while in China. They plan on helping to develop youth teams to build the community across the country, as well as assisting in the development in the Chinese National team in hopes they will be able to compete in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Additionally, the Boston Bruins made an effort of their own to promote Chinese players as they offered a Professional Tryout Contract (PTO)to Derek Dun, a Chinese Canadian goaltender who was playing with the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. Dun told the Bruins’ website that it was “a surreal moment to step out on the ice and practice with some of the best players of the world.”
Aside from China, the NHL will participate in a series of games across Europe. The Global Series games include the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils’ season opener in Gothenburg, Sweden on Oct. 6. Nov. 1-2 will bring another series of games featuring the Florida Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets in Helsinki, Finland.
Prior to their season opener in Sweden, the Edmonton Oilers and New Jersey Devils will each play a game against European professional teams. The New Jersey Devils will face off against SC Bern of the Swiss National League at their home arena in Bern, Switzerland on October 1, 2017. First overall draft pick, Nico Hischier, will make his return home to Switzerland to represent the NHL in his home country.
On Oct. 3, the Oilers will take on Kölner Haie, a team in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Like Hischier, the Oilers 2014 3rd overall draft pick, Leon Draisaitl, will be making a return home to Germany. Interestingly enough, Kölner Haie, the Oilers’ opponent, is coached by his father, Peter Draisaitl.
The NHL is continuously making an effort to expand the league as well as the game of hockey around the globe. Their relationship with countries overseas is imperative to the league as they hope to generate a larger fan base, but also as they attempt to attract the best players in these countries to sign with NHL organizations to improve the quality of the league.
PCI: The Best Moment of Summer 2018
by The Cowl Editor on August 30, 2018
PCI
By Sam Scanlon ’19
Sports Staff
For the first time in history, the Washington Capitals are at the top of the hockey world after defeating the Las Vegas Golden Knights in five games to win the Stanley Cup. The sheer fact that Las Vegas reached the Stanley Cup final was in itself an outstanding moment. Seeing Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals reign as champions is undoubtedly the best sports moment of the summer.
Ovechkin, one of the highest NHL goal scorers of our generation, has been criticized for never winning a Stanley Cup. Until now, some experts have discounted Ovechkin when considering best players of all time; therefore, seeing him raise the Cup for his team was special to watch.
It seemed as though the 2016-2017 “super” team would capture the organization’s first title. When they fell short and subsequently lost Justin Williams, Nate Schmidt, and Kevin Shattenkirk, the 2017-2018 team was certainly battling against the odds.
However, the Capitals still maintained the rights to powerhouse forwards Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, and Evgeny Kuznetsov as well as a top 10 NHL defenseman, John Carlson who led all NHL defensemen with 68 points last season.
Although the Capitals appeared solid on paper, it takes more than a good roster to win the Stanley Cup, a trophy which is often referred to as the hardest trophy to win in professional sports. The Capitals’ “Big 5” carried out their roles as they finished top five in team scoring for both the regular season and postseason. However, they had another underdog story of their own.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Capitals found themselves down three games to two in the best-of-seven games series to the Tampa Bay Lighting.
With their backs to the wall and the potential for another season to fall short of the Finals, Washington dominated Game 6, winning 3-0 to force a decisive Game 7 in Tampa Bay.
In Game 7, Ovechkin scored the first goal of the game giving Washington control and momentum on the ice.
Despite playing in a hostile crowd, Washington dominated and won on the road for the third time in the series, winning 4-0 to seal a trip to the Finals.
After dropping the first game in the finals, Washington came back to win four games in a row to seal their first title.
Lars Eller, the first Danish player to bring home the Stanley Cup, had a career year as he finished his season ranked sixth on the team in points. His late goal in the third period broke a 3-3 tie to top the Golden Knights 4-3 to clinch the title.
After the final horn buzzed, Ovechkin reflected on how big the moment was. “We did it. That’s all that matters. Look at the smiles on my teammates. This is something you’ll never forget. This moment, I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m so happy. It’s unbelievable.”
With Ovechkin and Washington winning their first Cup, Eller scoring the winning goal and bringing the Cup to Denmark, and watching Oshie share a special moment with his ill father on the ice after lifting the Cup, it is hard not to tip your cap to the Washington Capitals.
Bruins Rally to Eliminate Leafs
by The Cowl Editor on April 26, 2018
Professional Sports
By Jeremy Perrigo ’18
Sports Staff
The Boston Bruins failed to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second-straight game Monday night, as the team from the hub of Canada’s hockey world forced Game 7 with a 3-1 win at Air Canada Centre.
The final game of the best-of-seven series headed back to TD Garden Wednesday night, drawing eerie similarities to a first-round meeting between these two Original Six rivals five years ago.
In 2013, as most Bruins fans remember, Boston had a 3-1 series lead over Toronto in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The B’s went on to lose the following two games and were forced to face the Maple Leafs in Game 7, similar to their matchup this postseason.
In that game, two goals from Cody Franson, followed by goals from then-teammates Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri, propelled the Leafs to a 4-1 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining in the third period.
As the saying goes, the rest is history. Goals from Nathan Horton, Milan Lucic, and Patrice Bergeron brought the game back to even with 51 seconds remaining.
Bergeron would go on to score an emotional game-winning goal 6:05 into overtime to propel the Bruins into the second round. From there the team would defeat the New York Rangers in five games and sweep the Pittsburgh Penguins in four, before falling to the Chicago Blackhawks on home ice in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Now, many hockey-educated fans are quick to point out that this Toronto Maple Leafs team is not the team of 2013. Sure, they were the underdog team coming into this series, as they were back then, but their current roster looks dramatically different.
Then goaltender James Reimer has since moved on to Florida, and Frederik Andersen has won the starting role for Mike Babcock’s Maple Leafs. Kessel, after the organization spent years trying to build a team around him as their star player, has moved on to Pittsburgh, where he has won two Stanley Cups in a supporting-cast role to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Drafting Auston Matthews first overall in 2016 has been the biggest improvement for the Maple Leafs over the last two years. In his freshman and sophomore seasons Matthews lived up to the hype, recording 69 and 63 point seasons, respectively.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native and Toronto phenom remained mostly silent throughout the series, recording only one goal (albeit a beautiful one) and an assist leading up to Game 7, where he would be held off the board yet again.
That was perhaps the most troubling fact for Bruins fans, heading into the final game of the series. While it felt at times like Toronto had narrowly escaped destruction with at least two of their three victories in the series, they managed to do so largely without the help of their star player.
William Nylander, largely considered to be Matthews’ right hand man, as he literally played right wing on a first line centered by No. 34 for most of the season, went through a similar drought of postseason success. He recorded only one goal and one assist over the first six games of the series, which bounced him down to Toronto’s fourth line for games five and six. He would add two assists to his resume in Game 7.
Players noticeably absent from the scoresheet for the Bruins during those same two games when Nylander was on the fourth line, were David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand, and Bergeron, who are better known as the components of Boston’s first line.
To put it even more into perspective as to how important these three are, in the Bruins’ first three wins of the series, they combined for 23 points. In the team’s three losses, they had zero.
Enter, Game 7.
The Bruins and Maple Leafs combined for five goals in the first period alone, as veteran Patrick Marleau opened the scoring with his third goal of the season just 2:05 into the game.
Bruins rookie Jake DeBrusk would tie the game before Marleau would put his team back ahead with his second of the night with a wrist shot from the right circle.
Two goals from Danton Heinen and Bergeron would give Boston a 3-2 lead heading into the second frame.
Despite outshooting the Maple Leafs 13-6 in the second period, the Bruins would allow the only two goals of the period, one to Travis Dermott, and another, a heart-breaking short-handed goal to Kasperi Kapanen.
Heading into the third, Boston’s season was on the ropes.
Only 1:10 into the period, Torey Krug fired a shot from the center of the blue line off the faceoff that rocketed past Andersen and into the net, tying the game 4-4. Just 4:15 later, DeBrusk would power to the net with a strong cut to the inside, sliding another puck past the Toronto netminder to give Boston the go-ahead goal.
From here, the rest is history.
Pastrnak would add another from the slot off a smart feed from Bergeron, and Marchand put the icing on top with an empty-net goal from center ice.
Boston would cruise to a 7-4 Game 7 victory, with seven points from its first line and six from its second line of DeBrusk, David Krejci, and Rick Nash.
And, for at least a night, the Bruins have reason to celebrate. After all, this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning wait rested at home as they open the second round against Boston Saturday at Amalie Arena.
Stay tuned, and if the regular season matchups were any indication, hockey fans should be in for another electric series between the B’s and Bolts.
PC’s Erik Foley Goes Pro
by The Cowl Editor on April 12, 2018
Friar Sports
By Sam Scalon ’19
Sports Staff
Twenty-seven seconds is all that stood in the way of the Providence College Men’s Ice Hockey Team getting a chance to top the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the NCAA Tournament East Region Finals on March 24. Unfortunately, the end of another successful Friars Hockey season came to a crashing halt as Notre Dame stunned the Friars with a late third period goal to win the game 2-1.
With the conclusion of the season, PC not only says goodbye to the five graduating seniors, including Friar superstar Brian Pinho ’18 and the lone graduate transfer Tommy Davis, but we also lose a top forward in Erik Foley ’19. Foley has decided to forego his senior season with the Friars and sign an entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues, but will report to the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of St. Louis, on an Amateur Tryout (ATO). Foley’s three year entry-level deal with the Blues will be in effect at the start of the 2018-19 NHL season.
Foley was originally selected to the Winnipeg Jets in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, but his rights were shipped to St. Louis at this year’s trade deadline. Foley was a part of a package deal that included NHL veteran Paul Stasny and a handful of prospects and future draft picks.
The Mansfield, Massachusetts native and product of Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts spent a year in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL prior to his freshman year at Providence College. Foley has excelled in his three years as a Friar, as he has posted 88 points on 38 goals and 50 assists in his 110 games played as a Friar.
Foley’s production increased each year, as he posted career highs in points (35), goals (16), and tying his 2017 mark in assists (19) this past season. His efforts were enough to lead the team in points and tie for the team high in goals with Kasper Björkqvist ’20. Foley has emerged as one of the nation’s most dangerous scoring threats, and his offensive presence is going to be missed at the forefront of the Friar’s lineup.
His production this season did not go unnoticed, as he was named the Hockey East Player of the Month in November and had 14 points during a seven-game point streak throughout the month. Foley was also named as a Hockey East First Team All-Star for this season, joining teammate Jacob Bryson ’20 and four Northeastern Huskies.
In his three years, Foley was no stranger to winning, as he plotted a 73-31-13 record. Also, Foley was a part of the historic USA IIHF World Junior Championships team in the 2017 Tournament who won the Gold Medal in dramatic fashion over Canada.
His big physical presence on the ice as well as scoring touch are going to be missed at Schneider Arena next season. Nonetheless, congratulations to Erik Foley on both a fantastic collegiate career and the start of a successful professional career.
NHL Playoff Preview
by The Cowl Editor on April 12, 2018
Professional Sports
By Jeremy Perrigo ’18
Sports Staff
Christmas has befallen the National Hockey League, as the 2018 playoffs have officially arrived. For those who follow the NHL with any sort of consistency, April marks the beginning of two and a half months of pure joy and entertainment, as 16 of the league’s best teams embark on a grueling journey in a quest for the crowned jewel of the hockey world: The Stanley Cup.
Part of the great allure of the NHL playoffs is the fact that every series is played in the best-of-seven format, where teams can play no fewer than four games per round. The physical endurance required for this style of competition makes the on ice performance of its participants that much more impressive.
While other sports, such as basketball, conduct their postseasons in a similar seven-game format, the unpredictable nature of hockey allows for more variance in the results of each series. Therefore, it is not incredibly uncommon for an “underdog” team to beat an opponent that is heavily favored.
In 2012, the Los Angeles Kings, who entered the tournament as the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference, famously defeated first place Vancouver Canucks in round one, the second place St. Louis Blues in round two, and the third place Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes in round three. This was all before the Kings went on to defeat the New Jersey Devils in the final and claimed their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Just last season, the Nashville Predators, the 16th out of 16 teams to qualify for the playoffs, swept the Western Conference Champion Chicago Blackhawks in four games. Nashville would continue their run through St. Louis and Anaheim, where they would eventually fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins, two wins short of the Stanley Cup.
Nashville has returned with a vengeance this season, claiming the league’s Presidents Trophy for the team with the most points in the regular season at 117. This marks a dramatic turnaround for the Predators from a year ago, where they went from never having the opportunity for home ice advantage in the playoffs, to being guaranteed that privilege all the way through to the final, should they return again this year.
While the club from Music City is a favorite for many to win the Stanley Cup this season, formidable opponents such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and the divisional rival Winnipeg Jets may stand in their way.
While Tampa and Boston are both in the Eastern Conference and only have the potential of encountering Nashville in the final, a team like Winnipeg could present a roadblock as soon as the second round.
The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild are the first round opponents for Nashville and Winnipeg, respectively. While both the Avalanche and Wild have had strong seasons in their own right, there are few that see either roster as capable of eliminating the Central Division powerhouses that have been their demise throughout the regular season. If these two matchups go the route of the statistician, a second round clash between the Predators and Jets is all but a lock.
Other notable series include the Kings and the new addition Vegas Golden Knights, who sarcastically tout themselves “proud member of the league’s original 31” teams. Vegas and L.A. have sized up well this season, each team winning two of four meetings, with an overtime victory each way.
Some doubt the Knight’s ability to hang with some of the NHL’s best (even after they clinched the Pacific Division title). Others see this uncertainty as just another opportunity to prove the hockey world wrong, as the team was widely expected to take up residence in the cellar of the NHL standings heading into its inaugural season.
Local interest will likely be focused on the Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, who last met up in the postseason back in 2013, where Boston memorably mounted a comeback in the third period of game seven, erasing a 4-1 deficit and winning the series off a shot from Patrice Bergeron in overtime. However, the Maple Leafs facing the Bruins this time around is a much newer and faster model than the version remembered from five years ago, and Boston is sure to have their hands full.
For fans, any first round series you decide to watch has a high chance of being worth the time spent, as the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs are shaping up to be one of the most exciting displays of athletic prowess that hockey has to offer.
The Pacific Wins NHL All-Star Game
by The Cowl Editor on February 1, 2018
Professional Sports
By Jeremy Perrigo ’18
Sports Staff
Since its inception in 1947, the National Hockey League All-Star Game has pitted the league’s best players against one another in an attempt to display hockey’s prime talent on a national stage.
Since then, the rules of the game have changed. Originally the All-Star Game would feature the defending Stanley Cup champions against a team of All-Stars from other teams in a winner-take-all format. Since those early years, there have been various changes to the way the game is played. The event has expanded as well, developing from simply an All-Star Game into a more extensive All-Star Weekend.
The new changes also included the idea to schedule the All-Star Game on the weekend. Under the modern format, the game is played on a Sunday with a skills competition taking place the Saturday before.
Since 2015, the league has expanded the number of All-Star teams from two to four, with one team representing each of the four divisions. Keeping with its more recent tradition of pitting the Eastern Conference against the West, the league has the two division rivals (Pacific vs. Central / Metropolitan vs. Atlantic) play first, before the winners of each game played each other after.
This All-Star Weekend, which took place on Jan. 27-28 in Tampa, Florida, the Central Division took on the Pacific in a 20 minute game of three-on-three hockey separated into two 10-minute halves. The Pacific Division won by a resounding score of 5-2 with highlight reel goals from the Vancouver Canucks’ rookie Brock Boeser, Los Angeles Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty, and Vegas Golden Knights’ sniper James Neal.
Boeser has been absolutely sensational for the Canucks in his first pro season. He led Vancouver with 47 points (24G, 20A) in 46 games going into the weekend and sat at second in rookie scoring overall behind only the New York Islanders’ Mathew Barzal who has accrued 51 points in 50 games.
Boeser ended up being named MVP of the All-Star Game for his outstanding performance. He also won the Accuracy Shooting Competition the night before, hitting five targets in 11.136 seconds.
The Atlantic Division defeated the star-studded Metropolitan by a definitive score of 7-4. At one point the Metro Division team of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and John Tavares had a 3-1 lead on the Atlantic before the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand tallied a goal and an assist, helping his team advance to the championship game.
Marchand, who was handed a five-game suspension earlier in the week for an elbow to New Jersey Devils’ winger Marcus Johansson, was still eligible for All-Star festivities despite having served only one game of the five heading into the weekend.
Boo-ing could be heard just about every time Marchand touched the puck, which made for an interesting scenario when he finally scored a goal. Despite the fans’ apparent disdain for the Boston winger, he was in fact playing for the home team in Tampa. Marchand was skating alongside four Tampa Bay Lightning players and Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper was in charge of the Atlantic Division team. So when the so-called “Little Ball of Hate” found the back of the net, you could hear the boos transform into cheers inside Amalie Arena.
The Pacific Division would go on to defeat the Atlantic in the championship game by a score of 5-2 in the battle of East Coast vs. West Coast. Despite this loss coming as somewhat of a disappointment to the Tampa fans, the displays of pure talent that were showcased over all three games were something any hockey fan could appreciate.
The NHL All-Star Game has been acknowledged before as the most entertaining contest of its type in professional sports, and Sunday’s action did nothing to put that claim into question. From tic-tac-toe plays, to incredible shots, and supreme goaltending, this All-Star Game was thrilling and downright entertaining.
Bruins Go on Mid-Season “Hot Streak”
by The Cowl Editor on January 25, 2018
Professional Sports
by Jeremy Perrigo ’18
Sports Staff
In a National Hockey League season full of feel-good stories and teams that have played above expectations, the Boston Bruins have made a name for themselves once again as one of the league’s best.
In 46 games, Boston has accumulated a record of 28-10-8 and sits in third place overall. The Bruins have gotten at least a point in their past 17 games (13-0-4) and won their most recent match up last Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils by a score of 3-2.
The team’s success cannot be attributed to just a handful of players. Up and down the lineup, the Bruins have received strong play from nearly every single forward, defenseman, and goaltender on their roster.
Brad Marchand leads the team in points with 50 (21G, 29A) while linemates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron follow closely behind with 45 (20G, 25A) and 40 (20G, 20A) points, respectively.
Rookie forward Danton Heinen has been a pleasant surprise for Boston. He sits at fourth on the team in points with 32 (10G, 22A) and plays alongside veteran David Backes and 28-year-old Riley Nash. While the trio acts as a third line, they have had few difficulties providing scoring for the team in timely situations. The line has combined for 41 points during the team’s 17-game hot streak.
Boston’s fourth line, which is centered by former Miami University of Ohio forward Sean Kuraly, has also seen success this year. Kuraly is flanked on either side by Providence College alumni: Noel Acciari ’16 on the right and Tim Schaller ’13 on the left. This line is less known for its scoring, though it does have 26 points this season and more known for its ability to provide depth and stability. This line also gives the top lines the ability to catch their breath while not becoming a liability for the team defensively.
On the back end, Boston has seen a rejuvenated Zdeno Chara lead a young defensive core to success early on in the regular season. Rookie Charlie McAvoy has stepped in and become everything the Bruins have expected him to be and more. The former Boston University star has found himself right at home on the right side of Chara.
The veteran’s defensive style has allowed McAvoy to take advantage of his offensive tendencies. This stability has also permitted McAvoy to work through growing pains that come with jumping into the NHL at only 19 (now 20) years of age.
Unfortunately, the team announcd Monday that McAvoy has undergone a procedure to “treat an abnormal heart rhythm,” and the expected time of recovery is two weeks. McAvoy has 25 points (5G, 20A) in 45 games and his absence on the blue line will undoubtedly be noticed.
Perhaps no other position has received more attention for the Bruins this season than their goaltending. To start off the season, Boston suffered a variety of injuries to key players such as Bergeron, Marchand, Backes, Acciari, Ryan Spooner, and David Krejci, and that is just to name a few. This created struggles for the team early on both offensive and defensively. Defensively the team played poorly at times in front of their own net, and often players were unable to clear out loose pucks, resulting in bad goals.
When bad goals start to go in on a regular basis, the goaltenders are typically the first players to blame, whether that be with or without actual fault.
This was the case for the Bruins early on in November during a California road trip where backup Anton Khudobin temporarily won the net from starting goaltender Tuukka Rask after a poor performance against the Anaheim Ducks.
Khudobin won four consecutive games before eventually forfeiting the net back to Rask. After a loss to Edmonton in his return, Rask has posted a record of 15-0-2 with a goals against average (GAA) of 2.16 and save percentage of .923.
Overall, the team has seen more success over 46 games than most would have predicted. Fans look to see how Boston adjusts without McAvoy in the lineup. If the Bruins are as good a team as their play over the last month and a half has indicated, they should be able to find a way to forge onward until his return.
Editor’s Corner
by The Cowl Editor on January 25, 2018
Professional Sports
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.
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
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
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
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
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.