PC Men’s Hockey Team Enjoys National Rankings - McMahon
Thursday, November 09, 2023
This week's first games of the local college basketball season have dominated local sports media, particularly with the Providence College basketball team featuring new coach Kim English. Flying under the local media radar, however, has been the PC hockey team. The Friars’ sextet began their 2023-2024 season a month ago and are already nine games into the regular season.
After a .500 season last year and no NCAA selection, the Friars were picked in this preseason to finish in the middle of the pack in Hockey East without a projected national ranking. To the surprise of the national college hockey community, the Friars currently sport a 6-1-2 record and are the 5th-ranked team in the country. The four teams ranked ahead of PC nationally are college hockey blue bloods Boston College, Denver, Wisconsin, and North Dakota.
The Friars have two major wins so far that bolster their national ranking. They beat Michigan in the first game of a weekend series in early October at Ann Arbor 4-2 and Denver 4-3 at Schneider Arena. Their one loss was to Michigan 5-4 in the second game of that weekend series at Ann Arbor. Over 3,400 boisterous fans packed Schneider for the Denver game, the only sell out at PC so far this year.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTPC’s roster this season features only 3 seniors but the Friars also have 5 graduate students. With 6 freshmen players and a ton of talented sophomores, the PC roster is one of the youngest in college hockey at an average age of 21.7 years. The days of hockey players going straight from high school to college have been over for a couple of decades. However, one of PC’s freshmen, and one of its leading scorers is 18-year-old Tanner Adams from Long Island. He is second in points on the PC squad with 2 goals and 6 assists.
So why is PC unexpectedly having such a strong season so far? Increased goal scoring for starters. While they have only 5 goals over the last 3 games, they are averaging 3.56 goals/game, a large increase from last year’s average of 2.8 goals/game. One factor responsible for the high goal-scoring average is the PC power play which at 23% is significantly better than last year’s 18% success rate. The Friars, unlike many of the top teams, do not feature any goal-scoring snipers. They have balanced scoring from their three starting lines and six starting defensemen.
Perhaps the biggest improvement from last year is reflected in the goals allowed. PC is only allowing 1.9 goals/game, down from 2.4 goals/game last year. Sophomore goalie 6’ 3” Philip Svedeback has matured from his freshman season and has a veteran defensive corps in front of him this year. The Friars are killing opponent penalty opportunities at a rate of 93%, one of the best in the nation.
What can we expect going forward? PC has not yet faced the Hockey East iron—Boston College, Boston University, and UMASS. The Friars’ winning percentage is likely to fall and its national ranking will be a challenge to stay at #5. There are also some concerns that have emerged in its first 9 games. PC is only winning its face-offs at a 49% rate and its shots on goal/game have dropped from 36 last year to 33 so far this year. They also take a lot of penalties, one of the most penalized college teams in the country. These stats are translating into more PC ice time on defense than offense this year. That trend will put more pressure on its goalie if it continues.
In any case, the PC is playing exciting hockey, and arguably the best local sports story this winter. The Friars face off against the Northeastern Huskies at Schneider Arena this Friday, Military Appreciation Night, at 7 PM. For a look at the schedule for the entire season, SEE HERE.
Related Articles
- PC Hockey’s Foley Helps Team USA Win World Junior Championship Over Canada
- PC Hockey Picked to Finish 5th in Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll
- PC Hockey to Face Harvard in NCAA Tourney at Dunkin’ Donuts Center
- PC Hockey Shut Out by Harvard 3-0 in NCAA Tournament
- Former PC Hockey Players Monk, McKenzie Sign With ECHL’s Worcester Railers
- PC Hockey Ranked 10th in the Country in the USCHO Preseason Poll
- PC Hockey’s Tanev Signs 1-Year Deal With NHL’s Winnipeg Jets
- PC Hockey Gets #4 Overall Seed in NCAA Tourney, Will Play in Worcester
- NEW: PC Hockey Gets Upset by Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 in 2 OT
- PC Hockey’s Parisi Signs 2-Year Deal With Montreal Canadiens
- PC Hockey to Play Boston College at Frozen Fenway 2017
- PC Hockey Coach Leaman: Team is Peaking for Hockey East Tournament Quarterfinals Friday
- PC Hockey Edges Clarkson 1-0 in 1st Round of NCAA Tournament
- PC Hockey’s Bryson Signs Entry-Level Contract With NHL’s Buffalo Sabres
- PC Hockey Beats Cornell 4-0, Earning a Slot in the Frozen Four
- PC Hockey to Play in Vegas Golden Knights’ “Fortress Invitational” Tournament
- Former PC Hockey Player Kleinendorst Passes Away Following Heavy Machinery Accident
- PC Hockey’s Leaman Talks Playoff Game, Chance at Another National Championship, and Cooley
- PC Hockey Selected for NCAA Tournament
- PC Hockey Ranked #5 in Country to Open Season
- NEW: PC Hockey Falls 2-1 to Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament
- PC Hockey Incoming Freshman O’Brien Picked 19th by Philadelphia in NHL Draft
- Former PC Hockey Star Adams Passes Away at 27
- Coach Leaman of PC Hockey Talks About This Season’s Playoff Run
