PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Kasper Björkqvist and Jason O'Neill scored shorthanded goals 2:41 apart in the first period as the No. 14 Providence College men's hockey team scored a key 4-1 win over No. 8 Northeastern on Friday night at Schneider Arena.
SCORE
No. 14 Providence - 4 | No. 8 Northeastern - 1
RECORDS
Providence - 14-7-4 (7-5-1 HE) | Northeastern - 15-6-1 (9-4-1 HE)
VENUE
Schneider Arena - Providence, R.I.
GOALIES
Hayden Hawkey (PC) - 19 saves
Cayden Primeau (NU) - 34 saves
NOTES
- Northeastern jumped out to an early 1-0 lead at the 17:15 mark of the first period. Brandon Hawkins battled for the puck on the boards before delivering a pass to Ryan Shea in the slot that he finished with a slap shot.
- Providence knotted the game at 1-1 with 10:55 left in the period. Spenser Young slid a pass across the blue line to Jacob Bryson, who ripped a slap shot from the point that deflected off a defender and in.
- The Friars took two penalties in the first period but were able to capitalize shorthanded on both.
- Kasper Björkqvist put the Friars up 2-1 after corralling the puck near the red line, beating a defenseman to the edge and firing a wrister to Cayden Primeau's short side.
- Björkqvist's goal was his 11th of the season. Jason O'Neill recorded his fourth assist of the season on the goal.
- Young recorded his second assist of the game on the play, as he was credited with the secondary assist.
- With 4:29 left in the period, Jason O'Neill extended the lead to two. O'Neill brought the puck up on a 2-on-1 rush before burying a wrist shot to Primeau's blocker side.
- The Friars were dominant in the middle stanza, outshooting the Huskies 16-1. Northeastern went without a shot for the first 15 minutes of the period.
- Providence had two power play opportunities in the second period. They were unable to capitalize with the man-advantage, despite recording three shots on net.
- The Huskies were held to only seven shots in the third period after tallying just one in the second.
- Providence withstood a late penalty in the final period, allowing just one shot on goal during the penalty kill
- Greg Printz sealed the victory with an empty netter with 30 seconds remaining. Hayden Hawkey was credited with the assist.
- Hawkey finished with 19 saves, while Primeau made 34 for Northeastern.
- Neither team converted on the power play for the entirety of the game, they each finished 0-3.
- O'Neill now rides a career-long three-game point streak and has totaled two goals and three assists in that span.
- The Friars scored two shorthanded goals in a game for the first time since Feb. 7, 2015 against UConn (Steve McParland and Noel Acciari).
- Providence is now unbeaten in the last five games against Northeastern (4-0-1) dating back to November of 2016.
- The Friars earned their first win over a top-10 team this season and are 2-4-2 against ranked teams overall this season.
- Providence has outshot its opponents in all but one game this season.
- Hawkey recorded his third career assist on Greg Printz's empty net goal in the waning seconds.
HOW THEY SCORED
1-0 (Northeastern) - 2:45/1st - EV - Ryan Shea (Felipe, Hawkins) - Hawkins pass from the right corner to the slot for a Shea one-timer.
1-1 (Providence) - 9:05/1st - EV - Jacob Bryson (Young, Conway) - Slap shot that deflected off a defenseman and in.
2-1 (Providence) - 12:50/1st- SH - Kasper Björkqvist (O'Neill, Young) - Beat a defenseman on a partial break and snapped a shot that beat Primeau to the short side
3-1 (Providence) - 15:31/1st - SH - Jason O'Neill - 2-on-1 rush shorthanded with Printz and O'Neill, who snapped a shot past the blocker of Primeau.
4-1 (Providence) - 19:30/3rd - EV - Greg Printz (Hawkey) - Empty net goal from just inside the Northeastern blue line.
PC GAME HIGHS
Goals: Bryson, Björkqvist, O'Neill, Printz (1)
Assists: Young (2)
Points: Young, O'Neill (2)
Shots: Bryson (6)
POWER PLAYS
Providence - 0/3
Northeastern - 0/3
SHOTS
Providence - 38
Northeastern - 20
UP NEXT
The Friars face the Huskies again tomorrow night (Jan. 26) at 7:00 p.m. at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.
