Gillies Shuts Out Bobcats As PC Hockey Advances to the Elite 8
Friday, March 28, 2014
On a night filled with game delays and close calls, Jon Gillies was the safest bet in the arena in the NCAA Tournament Eastern Regional Semifinal between Providence College and Quinnipiac Friday night at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT.
The Friars' goaltender was a brick wall between the pipes, stopping all 37 shots he saw and refusing to allow QU any opportunities to mount a comeback as Providence prevailed 4-0.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTGillies stopped a flurry of shots early in the 1st period and set the tone for the game early for the Friars. Mark Jankowski then scored in traffic to give PC the lead 3:37 into the game. That goal proved to be the game winner.
Anthony Florentino and Shane Luke added insurance goals less than 3 minutes apart in the 2nd period, and Trevor Mingoia provided the dagger with less than 6 minutes to go in the period.
The 3rd period went scoreless, but time moved at a snail’s pace due to stoppages and separate delays to fix issues with the ice and the glass.
It didn’t matter. Regardless of the threats posed by Quinnipiac and Webster Bank Arena’s infrastructure, Gillies and the Friars would not be denied the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1991.
The Friars take on Union College Saturday in the Regional Final. The winner of that game advances to the Frozen 4 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Game time is 3 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
