#4 Providence Edges Men's Ice Hockey in Series Opener, 3-1, Friday Night at Schneider Arena
Links: Box Score
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Fourth-ranked Providence College broke a 1-1 deadlock with just under seven minutes to play to defeat the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team, 3-1, in Game 1 of the two teams' best-of-three Hockey East Tournament Quarterfinal series on Friday night at Schneider Arena.
The Basics
Score: Providence 3, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (13-18-7, 5-10-7 HEA) | #4 Providence (26-5-4, 16-3-3 HEA)
Location: Schneider Arena | Providence, R.I.
How It Happened
Meeting for the first time in a Hockey East Tournament game, Merrimack and Providence hit the ice for Game 1 of the two sides' best-of-three quarterfinal matchup Friday night looking to take first blood in the series.
Fueled by a heavy Merrimack student fan contingent that made the trip from North Andover, the atmosphere was electric in the game's opening minutes as both sides fought for every inch of ice.
Providence would strike first just past the six-minute park after Nick Saracino tried a wraparound and wound up banking the puck off in off a fellow Friar forward's skate and into the net to make it a 1-0 lead for the hosts. That score went unchanged the rest of the first, which saw the Friars control most of the pace of play.
Each team had a power play opportunity in the second period, but those were the best opportunities in an otherwise uneventful opportunity. Merrimack's best scoring chance came in the waning moments of its power play after the puck found junior Chris LeBlanc (Winthrop, Mass.) who had a one-timer chance staring at a practically empty net, but the shot wouldn't go as the score went unchanged heading o the final frame.
Merrimack finally got on the board just over three minutes into the third directly off a faceoff win. Senior Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) won the draw back to classmate Craig Wyszomirski (Mahwah, N.J.), and his one-time bomb from just above the far circle beat Providence goaltender Nick Ellis low blocker side to tie things up.
But after skating tied for 10 minutes, Providence's Erik Foley buried the game-winner on a wrist shot from the far dot, and the Friars would add an empty-netter to settle for the final margin of victory and give the hosts a 1-0 edge in the best-of-three series.
How They Scored
PC #1 (Saracino/Tanev/Monk) | P1 6:26 – Wraparound attempt thrown into the crease from the glove side, glanced off a skate and into the net.
MC #1 (Wyszomirski/Christie) | P3 3:06 – One-time slap shot from just above the far circle low blocker side.
PC #2 (Foley/Tanev/Monk) | P3 13:10 – Wrist shot from the far dot over the glove.
PC #3 (Mingoia/Jankowski) (EN) | P3 18:57 – Wrist shot from the red line into the empty net.
Notes and Numbers
- Wyszomirski's goal was just the second of his career and first since netting his first collegiate tally in a 3-3 tie at home on Nov. 14
- Friday marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams in any round of the Hockey East Tournament
- When dropping Game 1 of a Hockey East Tournament best-of-three series, Merrimack is 1-for-15 in those series (the first series win was last week's Opening Round against UNH)
- Goaltenders: L – Drew Vogler (27 saves, 5-6-1) // W – Nick Ellis (25 saves, 24-5-4)
- Power Plays: Merrimack (0-1) // Providence (0-2)
- SOG (MC-PC): 9-10 // 7-10 // 10-10 // 26-30
Up Next
Merrimack and Providence will return to action tomorrow (March 12) night in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. Puck drop from Schneider Arena is set for 7 p.m.
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