The Providence men’s hockey program received the tragic news Saturday morning that former teammate Drew Brown had succumb to his fight with cancer. What they did that evening, is nothing short of miraculous.
1. Friars net seven for number 7
Sure, maybe it was just coincidence, but it was impossible not to take notice when Providence beat Massachusetts 7-2 on Saturday evening. The seven goals came hours after the Friars learned of the passing of Drew Brown, a former Friar who had been a rallying force as he battled Ewing’s Sarcoma. Brown wore number 7 for the Friars while he totaled 10 goals and 22 assists in his three-year Friar career.
At the young age of 25, Brown’s tragic death won’t soon be forgotten. But so too might be the scoreboard at Schneider Arena on Saturday night where, at the end of the game, under the word “Friars” appropriately read the number “7”.
2. Eagles keep the streak going
My colleague Dave Hendrickson recounted in this past week’s column Boston College’s ability to overcome a 1-5-1 start. And that streak and success kept going in Vermont this weekend, where the Eagles swept the Catamounts, 4-3 and 5-1.
Notably, BC improved to 6-1-0 in Hockey East play, a start similar to last season when the Eagles jumped out to an early edge in the league standings and hung on to earn a regular season co-championship.
There’s a lot of time to go, but the early league success will certainly go a long way to bolstering BC’s confidence.
3. New Hampshire hits its first major bump in the road
A lot has made about New Hampshire’s early season success. Picked to finish eighth by the league coaches, New Hampshire began 6-1-1 overall and moved to No. 9 in the USCHO.com poll. Now the team faces its first true test.
After dropping a hard-fought game to UMass Lowell, 2-1, on Friday, the Wildcats were blanked, 4-0, by Boston University on Saturday for the first back-to-back losses of the year.
Early on, UNH has proven it can beat good teams and possesses the talent to be a top-tier club. Now, though, they’ll host the league’s hottest team, BC, on Friday hoping to avoid three straight losses.
