March 1, 1998

FRIARS EARN TWO WINS AGAINST MERRIMACK... The Providence College Friars earned two wins against the Merrimack College Warriors on Feb. 27-28. It marked the first time PC won back-to-back games since the Friars swept a weekend series against Maine on Dec. 5-6. On Feb. 27, PC defeated the Warriors, 4-2, at Schneider Arena. Senior Mike Mader (S. Windsor, Conn.), sophomore Fernando Pisani (Edmonton, Alberta) and juniors Troy Lake (Edmonton, Alberta) and Jon Coe (Anoka, Minn.) all scored for the Friars. Freshman goaltender Boyd Ballard (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) made 17 stops in the win. The following night, the Friars defeated Merrimack, 6-4, at the Volpe Complex. Coe, Pisani, Lake, Mader, junior Mike Omicioli (W. Warwick, R.I.) and sophomore Doug Sheppard (Georgetown, Ontario) each netted one goal. Ballard made 25 stops and earned his 12th win of the season.

PISANI TALLIES FIVE POINTS IN TWO GAMES: Sophomore left wing Fernando Pisani (Edmonton, Alberta) recorded five points (two goals, three assists) in PC's two HOCKEY EAST wins on Feb. 27-28. On Feb. 27, Pisani notched one goal and one assist in the Friars' 4-2 win over the Warriors at Schneider Arena. The following night, he scored one goal and added two assists in PC's 6-4 win against the Warriors at the Volpe Complex. For Pisani the three points marked his 10th multiple-point game this season and the 15th of his career. He ranks first on the team in goals (16) and power-play goals (four) and second in scoring (32 points). A 1996 eighth-round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Pisani has recorded 62 points (28 goals, 34 assists) in 68 career games.

BALLARD BACKSTOPS FRIARS TO TWO WINS... Freshman goaltender Boyd Ballard (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) made 42 stops in PC's two wins against Merrimack on Feb. 27-28. On Feb. 27, the rookie netminder made 17 saves in PC's 4-2 victory against Merrimack at Schneider Arena. The following night, he recorded 25 stops and earned his 12th win of the season in the Friars' 6-4 victory at the Volpe Complex. Ballard earned his third HOCKEY EAST Rookie of the Week honor on Dec. 8 after stopping 65 of 69 shots and leading the Friars to two wins against the Maine Black Bears on Dec. 5-6 at Schneider Arena. On Nov. 8, Ballard recorded 24 saves and his first career shutout in only his second start as the Friars defeated Minnesota-Duluth, 3-0. On Nov. 22, he made a career high 42 stops, including 18 in the second period, as the Friars defeated UMass-Amherst, 5-3, at Schneider Arena. On Dec. 1, Ballard was named Heaton/HOCKEY EAST Goaltender of the Month for November. In 23 games this season, Ballard has posted a 12-9-1 mark, a 3.39 goals against average and an .889 save percentage.

MADER REGISTERS CAREER HIGH THREE POINTS... Senior forward Mike Mader (S. Windsor, Conn.) recorded a career high three points (one goal, two assists) in PC's 6-4 win against Merrimack on Feb. 28. The previous night, he registered one goal in the Friars' 4-2 win over the Warriors. A 1994 10th round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, Mader has registered seven goals and 11 assists in 31 games this season.

NEXT GAME... PC will conclude its regular season against the New Hampshire Wildcats on Friday, March 6 at Schneider Arena at 7:00 p.m.

THE PROVIDENCE-UNH SERIES... Friday's game will be the 96th meeting between the two schools. Providence holds a 41-44-10 mark in the all-time series. The two teams first met on February 12, 1927 with New Hampshire defeating Providence, 5-1, at the Rhode Island Auditorium. The loss to the Wildcats was one of seven defeats the Friars suffered in their first season of collegiate competition (1-7-0). PC's last win against New Hampshire was a 3-2 victory at Schneider Arena on Feb. 15, 1997. The Friars' last loss to the Wildcats was a 5-0 defeat at Schneider Arena on Feb. 14, 1998.