PROVIDENCE, RI – The No. 9 Providence Friars (10-6-1) scored three goals in the first 4:53 of the contest and never looked back, defeating the RIT men’s hockey Team (7-7-1), 8-3 at Schneider Arena on Friday evening.
Providence led 4-0 after one period and 7-2 after 40 minutes. Scott Conway and Brian Pinho scored two goals apiece, while Erik Foley had a goal and two assists. Ben Mirageas had a goal and an assist, while Robbie Hennessey and Jake Ryczek also scored. In goal, Hayden Hawkey stopped 18 of 20 shots over the first two periods to pick up the win. Gabe Mollott-Hill made three saves in the third period.
Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals), Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) and Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs ) scored for RIT. Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) and Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) had two assists apiece. Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) made 15 saves over the first two periods to take the loss. Ian Andriano (Barrie, Ontario/Ottawa Jr. Senators) stopped seven of eight shots in the third period.
Providence out-shot RIT, 30-24. The Friars were 1-for-8 on the power-play, while RIT finished 1-for-4.
“We got exactly what we deserved tonight,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “We knew Providence was going to try and get pucks to the net, generate screens and tips and they did exactly that, with little resistance from us.”
Hennessey gave the Friars a 1-0 lead just 1:51 into the contest, as he deflected in a shot from Vimal Sukumaran for his first goal of the season. The shot changed directions twice before bouncing into the net behind Drackett.
Just 1:01 later, Mirageas fired shot from the left point through traffic and off a Tiger in front past Drackett for his fifth goal of the season.Pinho made it 3-0 Friars at the 4:53 mark, redirecting a shot by Mirageas past Drackett for his fifth goal of the season.
Girduckis just missed putting RIT on the board just before the halfway point of the period, as he was sent into the Providence zone, shorthanded on a good stretch pass by Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs ). Girduckis fired a wrist shot that eluded Hawkey, but went off the left post and out.
The Friars would add to the lead with 6:33 left in the period, as Josh Wilkins circled the net on a rush and made a perfect feed to Foley on the backside, who slammed a shot into the open net for his 10th goal of the season.
RIT would get on the board 1:34 into the second period, as Powell rocketed a shot off the crossbar and in from the slot, right after a power-play expired for his fifth goal of the season. Valenzuela and Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) assisted on the goal. Powell started the play by making a great backdoor feed to Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) that just missed connecting. Willett put the puck around the wall to Valenzuela, who gave it back to Powell. Powell curled out from the wall and fired a hard shot over Hawkey for the goal.
The Friars answered with three unanswered goals to take a 7-1 lead. Pinho scored on a 5-on-3 at the 7:54 mark to make it 5-1. Ryczek scored his first collegiate goal off a face-off win with 5:44 left and Conway scored on a partial breakaway 2:17 later.
Brubacher would hammer in a one-timer from the slot on a 5-on-3 power-play with 21 seconds left in the period to make it 7-2 Friars. Valenzuela and Willett drew assists on the goal.
Conway and Dupuis traded goals 20 seconds apart early in the third period to close out the scoring.
Willett sent a pass up the board that Darren Brady (Lake Orion, MI/New Jersey Titans) pushed ahead to Shawn Cameron (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Cumberland Grads), setting up a 3-on-1. Cameron came into the Providence zone and sent a perfect goal-mouth feed to Dupuis, who sent the puck past Mollott-Hill for his third goal of the season.
Providence won both previous meetings between the two schools, last season at the Gene Polisseni Center by scores of 5-1 and 3-1.
The Tigers and Friars wrap up the weekend series Saturday night from Schneider Arena at 7:05 p.m. The game will be aired live on NBC Sports Boston.
