Last year the Massachusetts hockey team dominated Providence College. The Minutemen swept the season series with the Friars collecting three of their five Hockey East wins.
Heading into tonight’s game, the Maroon and White has dropped five games in a row and is winless in its last eight outings.
With memories of last year in mind, PC looks to be just what the doctor ordered for a struggling UMass [3-10-2, 3-3-0 HE] squad.
The Minutemen are coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of Boston University. Prior to the series the Terriers were on a six-game losing skid, the longest in Head Coach Jack Parker’s career. BU turned its losing ways around and the Maroon and White will be looking to do the same when they travel to Providence.
Providence comes into the contest having split a weekend series with Merrimack College. Friday night the Warriors dumped the Friars, 4-1, but the following night they rebounded with a 7-3 trouncing at the Volpe Complex.
The Friars are currently ranked No. 9 in the nation and have compiled an overall mark of 8-3-3, with a number of impressive wins under their collar so far this season. The win that really put PC on the map was a 5-3 triumph over Maine on Nov. 3, in which Devin Rask tallied his first career hat trick in the win.
Rask has paced the Friars thus far posting a team-high 18 points. The sophomore has netted eight goals and assisted on 10 others. Last season UMass limited the Parkside, Saskatchewan native to a single assist in the three contests.
Providence also has another threat in the offensive zone in Jon DiSalvatore and Matt Libby. Both have totaled five goals and added 11 helpers on the campaign. The San Jose Sharks drafted DiSalvatore in the fourth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.
But it has not been the offense that has allowed the Friars to get off to such a hot start. The strength has between the pipes with the goaltending tandem of Nolan Schaefer and Boyd Ballard.
Schaefer has posted five wins on the season and has only allowed 15 goals in his eight games played. More impressive than the 15 goals allowed is his save percentage. The sophomore has 250 shots and enters the game with a .943 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average. The Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan native was also drafted in the 2000 NHL Draft by the San Jose Sharks.
Providence’s other netmider Boyd has equally impressive numbers posting three wins in his six games played. He has stopped 179 shots and enters the game with a .913 save percentage and a 2.76 GAA.
The Minutemen have been paced by Jeff Turner, Tim Turner and Martin Miljko all having amassed 13 points on the year.
Senior captain Jeff netted the first goal of the weekend series with BU and has been hot of late.
Tim enters the contest as the team leader in goals with eight. Miljko is UMass’ most prolific power play threat having tallied four times with the man advantage.
The goaltending situation has been an up-and-down hill this season with both Markus Helanen and Mike Johnson having split the time in the goal.
