Continuing with our Hockey East preview series, we’ll take a look at the Providence College Friars.  

Last year: 8-18-8 (4-16-7), finished 9th.

What happened: Last year’s Providence team can be summed up in pretty much one sentence. The Friars went exactly four months without a Hockey East victory. PC beat Merrimack on November 5, 2010 by a score of 2-0 and did not win another game in conference until their last game of the season on March 5, 2011, again beating Merrimack 5-3. Regardless of individual achievements, last year was another disappointment for Friar fans, their third consecutive season in which they failed to qualify for postseason play.

Key losses:

• Ian O’Connor (F): Leading the team with 22 points last season, O’Connor was a mainstay on the top line which accounted for most of PC’s offensive production last season, playing in 34 games.
• Kyle MacKinnon (F): O’Connor’s linemate up front, MacKinnon finished just behind his counterpart with 21 points last season and also played in 34 games for the Friars. Not only will the team miss their production, but these two forwards were veteran leaders and while there wasn’t much around them, they will be missed this year.

Key returns:

• Alex Beaudry (G): Beaudry became the starting goalie during his freshman season and has kept the job ever since. Although he has never seen any playoff action, he’s a Hockey East veteran who will surely want to make his last chance count. While there are many things this team needs to improve on from last year, if Beaudry stands strong in net, this year’s rebuild will be a lot easier.
• Daniel New (D): While last year was a struggle for New, he possesses the offensive mind the Friars need on the blue line. New has a good shot from the point and the ability to quarterback the power play. Last season New didn’t register a goal, but he represents a new class of seniors that have only seen a culture of losing. If he comes in rejuvenated and ready to give things a fresh start, he could be a positive for the Friars this season.

2011-12 Outlook: Last season’s troubles finally forced this team to go in a new direction and replacing head coach Tim Army with last year’s national coach of the year in Nate Leaman is certainly a step forward. Leaman made the jump to the Hockey East after coaching Union to 26 wins and an NCAA berth last season. But he, just like everybody else knows the challenges this team is facing. Someone will have to emerge as a leader on the offensive end, and who that player can be is anyone’s guess. The top returning scorers for Providence include Tim Schaller, Chris Rooney, and Andy Balysky, none of whom have proved that they can light the lamp consistently. While the playoffs are still probably a long shot, finishing anywhere above 9th would be a huge confidence booster for the young players on this team and their outlook on future years under Leaman.

– Jared Shafran

Jared Shafran Hockey Fall Preview, Hockey East, Providence