College Hockey Update:  It was all Providence from the get-go in the first semifinal game of the NCAA Hockey Championships in Boston today.  The first period ended scoreless, but Providence had run a virtual track meet around Nebraska-Omaha, outshooting them 16-9.

The second period seemed to pick up right where the first had left off.  Providence controlled the puck, the pace, and the game, and after about five of their first 28 shots on goal had bounced off of pipes, their 29th shot came true, after UNO goalie Ryan Massa left far too big of an apple on the ice on a rebound of a shot by PC’s Brian Pinho, which was then corralled by PC’s Noel Acciari, and slid in behind Massa for the score, making it 1-0, Providence, with about nine minutes left in the period.  Only four minutes later, Nick Saracino passed to junior center Mark Jankowski, and Jankowski (had to repeat that name because it sounds too good not to) put one in up high in the net to make it 2-0, Providence.  In the second, the Friars outshot the Mavericks 17-7, and clearly had UNO on the ropes.

The third started out looking more even with more back-and-forth play, and about four minutes into the period, a penalty put UNO on a much-needed power play, but PC killed it.  Then, four minutes later, Jake Guentzel of UNO fired one past PC’s Jon Gillies, and it was a whole new game, and UNO had a much-needed injection of energy as the score was then only 2-1.  But not for long, as only twenty-four seconds later, PC’s Trevor Mingoia got one of his own (Guentzel and Mingoia happen to be the two players we featured in yesterday’s post), to make it 3-1, Providence.  UNO Coach Dean Blais did not pull his goalie until there was only a minute and half left, and while the extra attacker did much to help UNO’s attack, Providence stood up to it well and was able to reverse the play, eventually leading to Nick Saracino finding the empty net with only half a minute remaining, to make the final 4-1, Providence.

Providence returns to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1985, and on Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm Pacific Time, will face the winner of the second semifinal game between North Dakota and Boston University, which is starting right now as I type this.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned and go Terriers, go College Hockey!

— Tom