by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019
PCI
By Sullivan Burgess ’20
Sports Staff
On March 31 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, the Providence College Men’s Ice Hockey Team defeated Cornell University 4-0, punching their ticket into the NCAA’s Men’s Ice Hockey Frozen Four Tournament.
This would be the team’s second time in the Frozen Four in the last four years, and second appearance for Coach Nate Leaman and his Friars. This has also been the team’s sixth appearance in the tournament.
This moment not only brought excitement into the locker room, but also created buzz among students on campus ranging from freshmen to seniors. A moment such as this does not happen very often in the PC community and every student wanted to make sure they would be part of history in the making.
The season resulted in a 22-11-6 record for the Friars and put them in the fourth seed in the East Regional section of the tournament against Minnesota State, Northeastern University, and Cornell University.
The Friars’ first game took them against Minnesota State at the Dunk, where students, alumni, and fans from around the country gathered to support their Providence Friars. The crowd was electric and helped Providence secure the win with a 6-3 victory and move onto the next round against Cornell University.
The Friars then won 4-0 against Cornell University and the Dunk could not have been any crazier.
The Friars then found themselves preparing for the tournament in Buffalo to play the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Though the Friars hustled every period, they lost 4-1, ending the Cinderella story.
No one had expected PC would make it this far let alone be in the Frozen Four tournament, so defying the odds brought nothing but joy and excitement to the students. It is safe to say that even if some students were not the biggest hockey fans, they definitely enjoyed rooting for and supporting the accomplishments of the team.
While it may not have been the outcome we hoped for, the history behind it and the accomplishments the team achieved will never be forgotten.