PC Hockey Unbeaten Streak Snapped by UMass - Showdown Against #2 BC Tuesday at Schneider

PC Hockey Unbeaten Streak Snapped by UMass - Showdown Against #2 BC Tuesday at Schneider

I have had Tuesday night’s home game against Boston College circled on my calendar since early September.  The 7-2-2 Friars take on the 7-2-0 Eagles at 7 PM in what will be PC’s toughest test of the year so far.

 

Both teams also must have been looking forward to this game. Both teams just played their worst games this past weekend.

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BC, which has played the toughest non-conference schedule in the country, inexplicably was beaten by Connecticut 5-4 this past Friday night. Connecticut, which is expected to be a mid-tier Hockey East team, unleashed 46 shots on BC and controlled all phases of the game.  BC’s goalie, Jacob Fowler, arguably the best goalie in the country, was taunted by a Connecticut goal scorer after giving up a goal.   Fowler lost his cool, punched the Connecticut player in the mouth, received a “roughing penalty,” and was thrown out of the game.  Hockey East officials suspended him on Sunday for one game, which means PC will not face Fowler on Tuesday night.

 

PC’s unbeaten streak was snapped at nine games by UMass this past Saturday night in a 5-1 beating.  PC’s unbeaten streak has been threatened by several close games over the last several weeks.  This 5-1 loss to the Minuteman was not close.  It was a beatdown.  UMass outmuscled, outskated, and out-goalied PC.  Coach Leaman must have been puzzled and frustrated by the Friar performance.  PC skaters were also frustrated, taking 25 minutes in penalties, enabling UMass to score 2 power play goals.

 

UMass goalie Michael Hrabal, who didn’t play in PC’s 2-1 win over the Minutemen on Thursday night, continued his dominance over PC, stopping 34 of 35 shots for a .971 save percentage.  Including UMass-PC games last year, Hrabal is now 4-0 against PC. Meanwhile, PC’s backup goalie Zach Borgiel, had his second straight difficult performance, giving up 5 goals on 34 shots for a modest .852 save percentage.

 

Looking at #16 Providence College vs #2 Boston College

Before we get into the numbers, a couple of observations.  If the Friars have had one long-term hockey rivalry, it has to be Boston College.  And not in just recent years, but since 1953.  The Friars-Eagles rivalry goes back to the days when PC played its home games at the RI Auditorium.  The PC-BC games would often draw over 4,000 fans with both school bands there, as well as several hundred Boston College fans.

 

There’s also a bit of a PC underdog mentality in the rivalry.  Boston College has twice as many students as PC; BC has a big-time football program; BC’s hockey team all time vs PC is 120-54-16.

 

Boston College was the #1 team for many weeks last season and was edged out by Denver in the NCAA championship game last April 2-0.  The Eagles lost several players to the NHL but have re-loaded with players as skilled as last year’s team.  They also have one of the best goalies in the country in sophomore Jacob Fowler.  PC has received a break with not having to face Fowler in Tuesday’s game.

 

Here is a summary of the matchup for BC vs. PC:

 

 

 

One of the main reasons for BC’s high ranking is its schedule.  They have won and beaten several ranked teams, including Michigan State, Western Michigan, and Maine (twice).  PC has not beaten one ranked team so far. The Friars have had a softer schedule, with several nationally ranked teams coming up in the 2025 portion of the schedule.

 

Besides the top BC scorers listed above, the Eagles also feature a freshman phenom in James Hagens who has scored 13 points already.  He is expected to be top 5 NHL draftee in 2025.

 

Keys to the Game:

--It’s hard to determine the impact of BC not having their #1 goalie Jacob Fowler in this game.  His likely replacement, sophomore Jan Korec has only played in 5 games in his two years at BC giving up 8 goals.  PC has to start strong in Tuesday’s game and rattle Korec with a barrage of shots in the first period.

 

--PC’s power play reverted to early season frustration against UMass on Saturday going 0-5 with only 3 shots on goal over the 5 power plays.  The power play needs to ramp up against the Eagles, who so far this year have not allowed one power-play goal.  The BC penalty kill at 100% leads the nation.  Whether that is attributable to Fowler or to other BC skaters on the penalty kill unit remains to be seen on Tuesday night.

 

--PC’s # 1 goalie Philip Svedeback needs to be on the top of his game against the talented BC offense.  The Friars can help by minimizing the number of stupid penalties that plagued them in the Saturday UMass game.

 

--PC freshman Trevor Connelly was shut down in the UMass Saturday game getting only 1 shot on goal and leading the Friars with 15 penalty minutes.  He needs to skate smarter and use his natural talents to get more shots on goal.

 

This is a pivotal game for the young Friars.  It will tell us a lot about their potential success against the best Hockey East teams on the schedule coming up after the New Year.