2020–21 Providence Friars men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Providence Friars Men's ice hockey season was the 70th season of play for the program and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The Friars represented Providence College and were coached by Nate Leaman, in his 10th season.

2020–21 Providence Friars
men's ice hockey season
Conference5th Hockey East
Home iceSchneider Arena
Rankings
USCHO16
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall11–9–5
Conference10–8–5–0–0–2
Home5–5–3
Road6–4–2
Neutral0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachNate Leaman
Assistant coachesRon Rolston
Joel Beal
Bruce Irving
Captain(s)Michael Callahan
Greg Printz
Tyce Thompson
Providence Friars men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

Season

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As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Providence's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Providence got off to a bad start, surrendering 12 goals in their opening weekend to Boston College. Afterwards, sophomore transfer Jaxson Stauber, son of Hobey Baker-recipient Robb Stauber, took over in net and the team saw immediate improvement. The Friars were able to remain in the top-20 for the remainder of the season but the team was never able to put a consistent string of wins together to get them either into the top-10 or among the best teams in their own conference.

By the end of the regular season Providence was considered a 'bubble team' for the NCAA Tournament and would need a very good performance in the Hockey East Tournament to improve their standing if they couldn't get an automatic bid.[3] The first impediment for the team was Hockey East using a power index to decide conference placement rather than win percentage. This meant that Providence finished below Connecticut despite possessing a better record and would have to play a road game in the quarterfinals. The team was easily able to overcome that difficulty and defeated the Huskies 6–1. Their next opponent, Massachusetts, was not as easily beaten. After a good start, Providence was shut out over the final 50 minutes of play and lost 2–5.

Getting into the semifinal and losing to the eventual conference champion was a solid performance but Providence had a problem. Because there were little-to-no non-conference games for all of college hockey, the PairWise rankings would not be used. Instead, the NCAA selection committee decided to judge teams based upon how they performed against the best teams in their conference. Providence had lost both games to BC, gone 1–1 versus Boston University and 0–2–2 against Massachusetts (including the playoff match). This left the Friars with a 1–5–2 record against the 'good' Hockey East teams, which was not sufficient to earn them a trip to the national tournament.

Kyle Koopman and Jimmy Scannell sat out the season.

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Jack Dugan Forward   United States Signed Professional Contract (Vegas Golden Knights)
Jerry Harding Forward   United States Transferred to Massachusetts
Shane Kavanagh Forward   United States Graduation
Jake Kucharski Goaltender   United States Transferred to American International
Michael Lackey Forward   United States Graduation (Signed with Orlando Solar Bears)
Caleb Rule Forward   United States Transferred to Miami
Vimal Sukumaran Forward   Canada Graduation
Spenser Young Defenseman   United States Graduation

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Jack Adams Forward   United States 23 Boxford, MA; selected 162nd overall in 2017; transfer from Union
Brett Berard Forward   United States 23 East Greenwich, RI; selected 134th overall in 2020
Anton Martinsson Goaltender   Sweden 24 Klippan, SWE; graduate transfer from Alaska
Nicholas Poisson Forward   Canada 19 Vancouver, BC
Uula Ruikka Defenseman   Finland 20 Oulu, FIN
Jaxson Stauber Goaltender   United States 21 Wayzata, MN; transfer from Minnesota State
Matt Tugnutt Forward   Canada 24 Peterborough, ON; graduate transfer from Sacred Heart
Chase Yoder Forward   United States 18 Fairview, TX; selected 170th overall in 2020

Current roster

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As of February 12, 2021.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Jimmy Scannell Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-06-13 Medfield, Massachusetts Thayer (USHS–MA)
2   Luke Johnson Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-01-07 Edina, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL)
3   Davis Bunz Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-04 Middleton, Wisconsin Central Illinois (USHL)
4   Jack Adams Senior F 6' 6" (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-02-05 Boxford, Massachusetts Union (ECAC) DET, 162nd overall 2017
5   Ben Mirageas Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-08 Newburyport, Massachusetts Chicago (USHL) NYI, 77th overall 2017
6   Cam McDonald Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-03 Eagle River, Alaska Muskegon (USHL)
8   Albin Nilsson Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-09-18 Ljungby, Sweden Sioux City (USHL)
9   Patrick Moynihan Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-01-23 Millis, Massachusetts USNTDP (USHL) NJD, 158th overall 2019
11   Greg Printz Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1998-05-04 Fairfax, Virginia Omaha (USHL)
12   Nick Poisson Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-08-15 Vancouver, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL)
13   Craig Needham Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-31 Medford, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL)
14   Matt Koopman Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-05-01 Marblehead, Massachusetts Waterloo (USHL)
16   Kyle Koopman Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-05-01 Marblehead, Massachusetts West Kelowna (BCHL)
17   Chase Yoder Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-05-28 Fairview, Texas USNTDP (USHL) PIT, 170th overall 2020
18   Jamie Engelbert Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-06-21 Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg (OJHL)
19   Jason O'Neill Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-03-23 Odenton, Maryland Chicago (USHL)
20   Parker Ford Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-20 Wakefield, Rhode Island Sioux City (USHL)
21   Brett Berard Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-09-09 East Greenwich, Rhode Island USNTDP (USHL) NYR, 134th overall 2020
22   Uula Ruikka Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-05-28 Oulu, Finland Chicago (USHL)
23   Michael Callahan (C) Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1999-09-23 Franklin, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) ARI, 142nd overall 2018
24   Max Crozier Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-19 Calgary, Alberta Sioux Falls (USHL) TBL, 120th overall 2019
25   Luke Perunovich Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-05-12 Edina, Minnesota Northeast (NAHL)
26   John McDermott Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-05-15 Darien, Connecticut Tri-City (USHL)
27   Tyce Thompson Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-07-12 Milford, Connecticut Dubuque (USHL) NJD, 96th overall 2019
28   Garrett Devine Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-11-25 Windsor, Colorado South Shore (NCDC)
29   Matt Tugnutt Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-05-14 Peterborough, Ontario Sacred Heart (AHA)
30   Jaxson Stauber Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-04-27 Plymouth, Minnesota Sioux Falls (USHL)
33   Gabe Mollot-Hill Junior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 199 lb (90 kg) 1997-08-12 Ottawa, Ontario Bloomington (USHL)
35   Anton Martinsson Graduate G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1995-12-11 Klippan, Sweden Alaska (WCHA)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW HEPI GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#6 Boston College 21 16 4 1 3 2 0 58.61 82 46 24 17 6 1 91 58
#11 Boston University 14 10 3 1 3 1 1 56.36 49 37 16 10 5 1 52 45
#1 Massachusetts * 22 13 5 4 1 1 1 55.44 76 42 29 20 5 4 103 48
Connecticut 22 10 10 2 1 4 2 52.01 69 63 23 10 11 2 70 69
#16 Providence 23 10 8 5 0 0 2 50.80 63 61 25 11 9 5 71 67
Northeastern 20 9 8 3 1 0 3 49.94 68 60 21 9 9 3 69 64
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell 16 7 8 1 1 1 0 48.00 46 53 20 10 9 1 59 63
Maine 15 3 10 2 0 1 2 46.66 41 61 16 3 11 2 43 68
Merrimack 18 5 11 2 0 1 0 45.38 47 66 18 5 11 2 47 66
New Hampshire 21 5 13 3 3 2 2 43.66 51 83 23 6 14 3 60 88
Vermont 12 1 9 2 0 0 0 38.02 17 37 13 1 10 2 20 42
Championship: March 20, 2021[5]
No Regular Season Champion Awarded[6]
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
December 4 6:00 PM at #2 Boston College #12 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN Mollot-Hill L 0–3  0 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
December 5 7:00 PM vs. #2 Boston College #12 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Mollot-Hill L 0–9  0 0–2–0 (0–2–0)
December 13 5:00 PM at #8 Massachusetts–Lowell #19 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN+ Stauber W 4–2  0 1–2–0 (1–2–0)
December 19 1:05 PM at #12 Northeastern #19 Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts NESN Stauber T 3–3 SOL 0 1–2–1 (1–2–1)
December 20 3:36 PM vs. #12 Northeastern #19 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber W 5–0  0 2–2–1 (2–2–1)
December 28 3:00 PM at Connecticut #15 XL CenterHartford, Connecticut   Stauber L 0–2  0 2–3–1 (2–3–1)
January 1 1:00 PM vs. Vermont #15 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber T 0–0 SOW 0 2–3–2 (2–3–2)
January 2 7:00 PM vs. Vermont #15 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber W 3–1  0 3–3–2 (3–3–2)
January 8 6:00 PM at Boston University #16 Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts NESN+ Stauber W 7–3  0 4–3–2 (4–3–2)
January 9 7:00 PM vs. Boston University #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber L 4–6  0 4–4–2 (4–4–2)
January 15 3:30 PM vs. Maine #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber L 3–4  0 4–5–2 (4–5–2)
January 16 4:30 PM vs. Maine #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber W 3–2  0 5–5–2 (5–5–2)
January 22 3:00 PM at #8 Massachusetts #18 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts   Stauber T 0–0 SOW 0 5–5–3 (5–5–3)
January 23 3:00 PM vs. #8 Massachusetts #18 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN+ Stauber T 1–1 SOL 0 5–5–4 (5–5–4)
January 29 7:00 PM at New Hampshire #17 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire NESN Stauber W 5–1  0 6–5–4 (6–5–4)
January 31 3:30 PM vs. New Hampshire #17 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN Stauber W 3–2  0 7–5–4 (7–5–4)
February 6 2:05 PM at Merrimack #16 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts   Stauber W 5–1  0 8–5–4 (8–5–4)
February 7 2:00 PM vs. Merrimack #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island   Stauber L 2–3  0 8–6–4 (8–6–4)
February 12 4:30 PM vs. #20 Connecticut #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN+ Stauber W 4–0  0 9–6–4 (9–6–4)
February 23 4:30 PM vs. #9 Massachusetts #14 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island   Stauber L 1–8  0 9–7–4 (9–7–4)
February 27 4:35 PM at #17 Northeastern #14 Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts NESN Stauber W 4–2  0 10–7–4 (10–7–4)
February 28 7:00 PM vs. #17 Northeastern #14 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island   Stauber T 3–3 SOL 0 10–7–5 (10–7–5)
March 5 5:00 PM at Connecticut #15 XL CenterHartford, Connecticut   Stauber L 3–5  0 10–8–5 (10–8–5)
Hockey East Tournament
March 14 3:30 PM at Connecticut* #17 Mark Edward Freitas Ice ForumStorrs, Connecticut (Hockey East Quarterfinals)   Stauber W 6–1  0 11–8–5
March 17 7:00 PM at #6 Massachusetts* #14 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Semifinals) NESN Stauber L 2–5  0 11–9–5
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[7]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Tyce Thompson C 25 11 14 25 16
Parker Ford C 25 7 12 19 14
Patrick Moynihan C 17 6 9 15 8
Greg Printz LW 25 6 9 15 12
Nick Poisson F 24 5 9 14 23
Michael Callahan D 25 3 11 14 12
Ben Mirageas D 25 1 11 12 20
Brett Berard LW 19 5 5 10 16
Uula Ruikka D 22 4 4 8 4
Max Crozier D 17 3 5 8 10
Jason O'Neill F 25 3 5 8 14
Craig Needham C 25 3 4 7 2
Matt Koopman C 22 4 2 6 4
Chase Yoder F 25 3 3 6 8
Cam McDonald D 24 1 4 5 8
Matt Tugnutt C/RW 16 0 5 5 8
John McDermott LW 15 1 3 4 2
Davis Bunz D 25 1 3 4 8
Jamie Engelbert C 23 3 0 3 23
Albin Nilsson C 12 1 0 1 4
Luke Johnson D 17 0 1 1 6
Anton Martinsson G 1 0 0 0 0
Gabe Mollot-Hill G 2 0 0 0 0
Garrett Devine F 6 0 0 0 4
Jack Adams C/RW 6 0 0 0 0
Luke Perunovich D 10 0 0 0 4
Jaxson Stauber G 23 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 4
Total 71 119 190 234

[8]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Jaxson Stauber 23 1393 11 7 5 52 567 4 .916 2.24
Gabe Mollot-Hill 2 107 0 2 0 8 44 0 .846 4.47
Anton Martinsson 1 10 0 0 0 3 3 0 .500 16.82
Empty Net - 13 - - - 4 - - - -
Total 25 1525 11 9 5 67 614 4 .902 2.64

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com 17 15 13 12 19 19 15 15 16 16 18 17 16 16 15 14 15 17 14 16 - 16
USA Today NR 15 13 12 NR NR 13 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 14 NR NR NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[9]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Tyce Thompson Hockey East Second Team [10]

Players drafted into the NHL

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Round Pick Player NHL team
3 91 Taige Harding Chicago Blackhawks
4 101 Guillaume Richard Washington Capitals

† incoming freshman [11]

References

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  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020–21 Roster". friars.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Providence Friars (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "Providence College 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.