Oct. 21, 2009

Providence Game Notes in PDF Format | Live Audio

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...One week after a trip to South Bend, Ind., the Providence College hockey team heads west again to play two games at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, beginning on Friday, October 23. It will mark the Friars’ first trip to Bowling Green since 1979.

FRIARS SPLIT AT NOTRE DAME...Providence College split two games at No. 7/7 Notre Dame. On Thursday, October 15, PC defeated UND, 3-2, in its first ever trip to South Bend, Ind. The Friars never trailed as freshman Aaron Jamnick (Hibbing, Minn.) broke a 2-2 tie with 3:46 remaining in the third period to lead his team to victory. Senior Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) and sophomore Matt Bergland (Faribault, Minn.) each scored for the Friars, while classmate Alex Beaudry (Cumberland, Ontario) made 31 saves in goal. The following night, Providence was defeated by Notre Dame, 2-0. Beaudry stopped 28 shots, but the Friars were not able to put one by UND goalie Mike Johnson.

FRIARS AGAINST THE CCHA...Providence College will play its third and fourth consecutive games against a team from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Friars split a pair of games at No. 7/7 Notre Dame last week, winning, 3-2, in the first game, before falling, 2-0, in the second contest. Last season, PC posted a 1-1 record against CCHA teams with a home win against Bowling Green State and a home loss against Notre Dame. Providence has played against at least one CCHA team in six consecutive seasons.

SERIES HISTORY AGAINST BOWLING GREEN STATE...The Friars are 4-5-0 all-time against Bowling Green State. Last season, the Friars posted a 4-2 win over the Falcons on October 18, 2008 at PC’s Schneider Arena. In 2006, the Falcons recorded a 4-2 victory over the Friars in Providence on October 20. In the last meeting between the two teams in Ohio, BGSU defeated PC, 3-2, on November 17, 1979. The Friars are 1-4 all-time at Bowling Green.

FRIAR QUICK NOTES...• Providence’s win over No. 7/7 Notre Dame on October 15 marked its first win over the Irish in exactly 10 years when the Friars posted a 2-1 victory on October 15, 1999 at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Denver, Colo. It also marked the first time since the 2004-05 season that the Friars started the season with a 2-0 record. • Providence College also recorded its first win over a ranked team since January 13, 2009 when PC defeated No. 2 Boston University, 4-2, at Agganis Arena in Boston, Mass. • Prior to the victory over Notre Dame on October 15, the last time the Friars defeated a CCHA team away from home was on December 29, 2007 when PC posted a 5-3 triumph against Michigan State at the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, Mich. • Freshman Aaron Jamnick (Hibbing, Mass.) scored his first career goal against Notre Dame on October 15, while classmate Chris Rooney (Canton, Mass.) recorded his first career assist. Jamnick is the first Friar freshman to score a game-winning goal since Matt Bergland tallied the game winner against Bowling Green State on October 18, 2008. • The Friars will not play their first Hockey East game until October 30, marking the latest that the Friars have started their league schedule since the 2006-07 campaign. That season, PC began league action on October 27 against Merrimack.

SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN STATE...The Falcons are seeking their first victory of the season after a two-game sweep at Minnesota State on October 9-10. BGSU was defeated, 3-2, on the first night as Kyle Page recorded one goal and one assist. The following night, the Falcons suffered a 4-1 loss despite 37 saves from Andrew Hammond. Jordan Samuels-Thomas leads the team in scoring with three points on three assists, while Page and Tomas Petruska have two points each. Hammond and Nick Eno each have played one game and have combined to post a .908 save percentage. The Falcons are guided by first-year head coach and BGSU alumnus Dennis Williams. BGSU returns 17 letterwinners from last season’s team, including David Solway who finished third on the season in scoring with 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. In addition, he finished tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals.

BEAUDRY AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS...Sophomore goaltender Alex Beaudry comes into the weekend among the top-12 in the national in two statistical categories. He ranks 12th with a 1.68 goals against average and 10th with a .948 save percentage. Beaudry has helped the Friar defense allow just five goals in three games as Providence ranks fifth in the nation in scoring defense.

FRIARS IN CLOSE GAMES...Both of Providence College’s wins this season game been one-goal contests. Last season, the posted a 3-3 record in one-goal games. Two of PC’s three wins decided by one-goal last season were non-conference games, including a 4-3 triumph over Bowling Green.

TIMELY SCORING...In its two victories this season, Providence has scored the game winners late in the third period. The Friars scored with 1:18 left in the third period in their 2-1 victory over Holy Cross on October 10. On Thursday, October 15, PC posted a 3-2 win at No. 7 Notre Dame thanks to a goal with 3:46 left in the third period. In addition, Providence also has scored in the first four minutes of the opening period of its two wins.

FRIARS AGAINST NON-CONFERENCE FOES...The Friars will play seven non-conference games this season, including four against CCHA squads (two at Notre Dame and two at Bowling Green). PC opened the season with a 2-1 win against Atlantic Hockey foe Holy Cross on October 10. The Friars also will play against Brown and Dartmouth from ECAC Hockey. Last season, the Friars posted a 3-4-0 record in non-league action.

FAMILY TIES...Providence College freshmen Chris Rooney (Canton, Mass.) and Alex Velischek (Kinnelon, N.J.) are sons of former Friar hockey greats. Rooney is the son of former Friar, Steve Rooney. Steve Rooney scored the game-winning goal as the Friars defeated Boston College, 2-1, in double overtime in the inaugural Hockey East championship game in 1985. Steve, who finished his collegiate career with 124 career points, went on to play in the NHL for the Montreal Canadiens team that claimed the 1986 Stanley Cup title. Alex is the son of former Friar Randy Velischek, who is one of the best defensemen to play at the College. He was named ECAC Player of the year in and 1982-83 earned All-America honors. Randy, who helped the Friars to the 1981 ECAC championship and two NCAA Tournament appearances (1981, 1983), played 10 seasons in the NHL (509 games). He played for Minnesota, New Jersey and Quebec.

FROM THE LAND OF 10,000 LAKES TO THE OCEAN STATE...The 2009-10 Friar squad has six players from Minnesota, more than any other state or province. Last season, Matt Bergland (Faribault) and Rob Maloney (Eagan) were the representatives on the squad from Minnesota. In addition, David Brown (Centennial, Colo.) played high school hockey in Minnesota. This season, the team will have four more players from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” They are: Willie Hess (Lino Lakes), Aaron Jamnick (Hibbing), Tyler Landman (Roseau) and Billy Simon (Burnsville).

FRESHMAN LED PROVIDENCE COLLEGE IN SCORING IN 2008-09...Matt Bergland (Faribault, Minn.) became the first Friar freshman to lead the team in points since Rob Gaudreau did it during the 1988-89 season. That season, Gaudreau totaled 57 points on 28 goals and 29 assists. Bergland finished the 2008-09 season with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists). Bergland had six multiple-point games, including a three-point performance (one goal, two assists) in a win over Bowling Green on October 18 at Schneider Arena.

FRIARS DRAFTED BY NHL TEAMS...This year’s PC team features two players who were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Senior Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) was chosen in the fifth round, 155th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2005 draft. Freshman Alex Velischek (Kinnelon, N.J.) was selected in the fifth round, 123rd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

OCEAN STATE CONNECTION...The 2009-10 men’s hockey team has a strong contingent of Rhode Islanders. In addition to four players, Head Coach Tim Army (East Providence) and Assistant Coach David Berard (Coventry) also hail from the Ocean State. The Rhode Islanders on this season’s team are: seniors David Cavanagh (Warwick) and John Cavanagh (Warwick), junior Eric Baier (North Kingstown) and sophomore Justin Gates (Cranston).

FRIAR CAPTAINS...The Friars will be led this season by senior co-captains John Cavanagh (Warwick, R.I.) and Mark Fayne (Sagamore Beach, Mass.). John Cavanagh, who also served as co-captain during the 2008-09 season and assistant captain in 2007-08, recorded a career-high 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) last season. As an assistant captain last season, Fayne finished with four goals and five assists for nine points.

FRIAR ALUMNI UPDATE...Two Providence College alumni are currently playing in the NHL. Fernando Pisani ‘00 is playing for the Edmonton Oilers, while Hal Gill ‘97, who helped the Pittsburgh Penguins to the 2009 Stanley Cup title, is currently skating with the Montreal Canadiens. In addition, there are two former Friars who will play an integral part on U.S.A. men’s hockey team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Brian Burke ‘77, who is the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will serve as the general manager of Team U.S.A. Ron Wilson ‘77, the head coach of the Maple Leafs, will be the head coach of Team U.S.A. Lou Lamoriello ‘63, former student-athlete, head coach and athletic director at PC, is the current President and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils. Lamoriello will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fall on November 9, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario.