No. 18 Men's Hockey Game Notes vs. No. 8 UMass

GAME COVERAGE
Matchup: No. 18 Providence College (5-5-2, 5-5-2 HEAM) vs. No. 8 UMass (9-5-1, 9-5-1 HEAM)
Faceoff: 3:00 PM (Fri.) – Mullins Center – Amherst, Mass.
Stream: CollegeSportsLive.com
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Play-by-play: Mike Logan
Live Stats: UMassAthletics.com
Twitter: @Friarshockey

Faceoff: 7:00 PM (Sat.) – Schneider Arena – Providence, R.I.
TV: NESN+ | Play-by-play: Mike Logan; Color: Sonny Watrous
Stream: CollegeSportsLive.com (Outside New England) | NESN.com (Inside New England)
Radio: NewsRadio 104.7 FM | TuneIn Radio | Play-by-play: Jake Zimmer
Live Stats: Friars.com
Twitter: @Friarshockey

Last Time Out
-Cam McDonald got the Friars on the board early (6:54) with his first goal of the season as he beat Ostman to the short side off the post. Parker Ford and Greg Printz earned the assists.

-Providence killed the game's first four penalties before getting its first crack on the man-advantage, but it was the Black Bears who struck shorthanded to even the score on a goal by Eduards Tralmaks.

-Providence pulled ahead 2-1 with a goal from Craig Needham in the third (7:41). Set up by Chase Yoder, Needham finished off his third goal of the season on a re-direct at the top of the crease.

-Sophomore Albin Nilsson gave the Friars insurance with his first career goal, extending the lead to 3-1. Nilsson cleaned up a rebound off of a Jason O'Neill shot after Max Crozier got the puck down to the net.

-Tralmaks tallied his second of the game with just over a minute left in regulation with the extra attacker.

-The Friars snapped their two-game losing streak with the win and improved to .500 this season at 5-5-2.

-Providence outshot the Black Bears by a 15-3 margin in the third period and 33-23 overall in the game.

World Juniors Success
- The 2021 World Junior Championship concluded on Tuesday night as the United States, led by Head Coach Nate Leaman, downed previously undefeated Canada, 2-0. Friars Director of Hockey Operations Theresa Feaster became the first female member of a WJC coaching staff and first to win a gold medal. Student-athletes Brett Berard and Patrick Moynihan had successful performances in the tournament as Berard posted one goal, four assists and a +8 rating while Moynihan chipped in with two assists and a +1 rating. They became the fourth and fifth members of the program to win a gold medal at the tournament.

Three Current and Future Friars Drafted
Forwards Brett Berard and Chase Yoder were both selected on day two of the 2020 NHL Draft in October. Berard was selected by the New York Rangers in the fifth round (134th overall), while Yoder was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the sixth round (170th overall). Future Friar Riley Duran was taken by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round (182nd overall).

Meet the New Guys
Providence welcomed in a seven-member incoming class for this season - four freshmen and three transfer student-athletes. The freshmen are: Brett Berard, Nick Poisson, Uula Ruikka and Chase Yoder. Sophomore Jaxson Stauber is a transfer from Minnesota State, while Matt Tugnutt and Anton Martinsson are graduate transfers from Sacred Heart and Alaska Fairbanks, respectively.

A Shorthanded Weapon
Graduate transfer Matt Tugnutt is the nation's active career leader in shorthanded goals with five.

Spreading Out the Points
Twenty-one different Friars had at least one point last season. Through 12 games in 2020-21, 18 players have recorded at least one point while 16 players have tallied at least one goal.

Stauber Backstops The Friars
Since becoming eligible on Dec. 13, Jaxson Stauber has posted a 2.09 GAA and a .913 save percentage in 10 games, stopping 220-of-241 shots.

Needham Continues to Shine
Sophomore Craig Needham has already eclipsed his totals from last season with three goals and three assists, including five points over his last four games (2-3-5).

Returning Production
Providence ranked sixth in the nation with 84 goals that returned this season. The 82% of returning goals ranked fourth nationally. The Friars also returned 76% of their points from last season, which also ranked sixth.

Youth Movement
The Friars have the 10th youngest roster in the NCAA this season (average age of 21 years, 181 days). Freshman Brett Berard is the fifth youngest player on an NCAA roster this year.

Seeking Seven
Providence holds the nation's second longest-active NCAA appearance streak, having made a sixth- straight tournament appearance in 2018-19. Denver leads the pack with 12-straight appearances.

Three is the Magic Number
The Friars are 168-19-19 all-time under Nate Leaman when scoring three or more goals in a game.

After 40
The Friars are 154-7-17 all-time under Nate Leaman when holding a lead after two periods, with one of those seven losses coming last Friday night against Maine.

Scouting the Minutemen
The Minutemen enter Friday's matchup coming off back-to-back losses to Boston University last Sunday and Monday. Junior Bobby Trivigno leads the way with 18 points on five goals and 13 assists, while Carson Gicewicz paces the team with 10 goals. Senior Matt Murray has started 13-of-15 games in goal, posting a 2.01 GAA and .913 save percentage.

Series History vs. UMass (PC leads 48-29-6, .614)
UMass has taken five of the last six meetings between the schools, including a two-game sweep last February in a home-and-home series. After winning six in a row from 2016-17, Providence has dropped six of the last eight against the Minutemen, including four-straight in Amherst.

For more updates on the Providence College men's hockey program, follow the team on Twitter @FriarsHockey.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brett Berard

Max Crozier

Parker Ford

Anton Martinsson

Cam McDonald

Patrick Moynihan

Craig Needham

Albin Nilsson

Jason O'Neill

Nick Poisson

Greg Printz

Uula Ruikka

Jaxson Stauber

Matt Tugnutt

Chase Yoder

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Simon Fraser (Exhibition) on October 3, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Quinnipiac (Exhibition) on October 5, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Michigan on October 10, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus Michigan on October 11, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey at RPI on October 18, 2025 at 4:00 P.M.

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey at St. Thomas on October 24, 2025 at 8:07 P.M.

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey at St. Thomas on October 25, 2025 at 8:07 P.M.

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey versus UMass Lowell on October 31, 2025

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey at UMass Lowell on November 1, 2025 at 6:05 P.M.

Upcoming Event: Men's Ice Hockey at UConn on November 7, 2025

Providence College Athletics