BRIDEGEPORT, Conn. - The Providence College men's hockey team posted their first NCAA Tournament win since 1991, with a 4-0 victory over second seed Quinnipiac today (March 28). The Friars and Bobcats faced at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. With the win, Providence advances to the second round and will face top-seeded Union tomorrow, Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 p.m.
The Friars took a 1-0 lead when sophomore Mark Jankowski (Dundas, Ontario) tapped the puck in at the far-post at 3:37 of the first period. Red shirt sophomore Trevor Mingoia (Fairport, N.Y.) tracked down the puck behind the Bobcats goal on the forecheck, before finding freshman Connor MacPhee (Windham, N.H.) in the right face-off circle. With a cross-crease pass, MacPhee found Jankowski, who collected his 13th goal of the season on the play. Mingoia collected his 10th assist of the season on the play, while MacPhee tallied his fourth.
Just minutes later in the first period, sophomore John Gilmour (Montreal, Quebec) sent classmate Brandon Tanev (Toronto, Ontario) on a breakaway with a neutral zone pass that split the Quinnipiac defensemen. Tanev entered the zone one-on-one with Bobcat goaltender Michael Garteig, who made the save on Tanev's forehand move to keep the score 1-0 with 12:25 left in the first frame. Tanev's follow-up found the post and was ruled no goal after an official review.
Gillies saw 11 shots on goal during the first period of play, including a 2-on-1 play, that Gillies made a standup shoulder save on to keep Quinnipiac scoreless after 20 minutes of action.
Providence extended its lead to 2-0 at 5:10 of the second period when freshman Anthony Florentino (West Roxbury, Mass.) fired a high blocker side wrist shot past Garteig for his fifth goal of the season. Florentino received a pass from Tanev, who collected his ninth assist of the season on the play.
The Friars continued to turn up the heat as they took a 3-0 goal lead on a Shane Luke's (Dauphin, Manitoba) rebound goal at 8:06 of the second frame. Junior Ross Mauermann (Janesville, Wis.) entered the offensive zone flying, driving the Quinnipiac defense back as he dropped the puck for senior Kevin Hart (Cumberland, Maine) to one-time. Garteig made the initial save on Hart's shot but could not get over in time as Luke collected the rebound and fired home for his 10th goal of the season.
While on the power-play, Providence tallied its fourth goal of the game at 16:19 of the second to take a commanding 4-0 lead. As he broke free of his defender, Mingoia deflected an airborne pass by sophomore Nick Saracino (St. Louis, Mo.) in for his fifth goal of the season and his second point of the night. Sophomore Tom Parisi also tallied an assist on the play.
Gillies and the Friars kept the Bobcats scoreless during the final period of play to earn the victory. With 37 saves, Gillies collected his ninth career shutout. Providence finished the game with 26 shots on goal. The Friars' special teams played a critical role in the win. The Friars notched one power-play goal as well as keeping the Bobcats scoreless in their two man advantage opportunities.
The Friars will face Union tomorrow (March 29) at 3:00 p.m. at Webster Bank. The game will also be televised on ESPN 2. The winner will advance to the Frozen Four in Philadelphia, Pa. from April 10-12.