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.
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.