Take a look at Providence’s last seven games and you’ll see something of a microcosm of the state of the game of women’s college hockey. After losing 4-1 to then #6 Northeastern, they came back to tie the Huskies the next day before losing the shootout. The next weekend Providence needed overtime to defeat Boston University, who only had three wins on the season before taking the second game 4-1. Last weekend, they were swept by Connecticut, who are currently tied with them in the Hockey East standings, though UConn has played one more game.
On Tuesday, the Friars proved that October’s tie was no fluke as they defeated Northeastern 3-0, holding the normally prolific Huskies offense to just 23 shots. Providence made 26 blocks in the win.
Providence coach Matt Kelly said the losses to Connecticut and the win over Northeastern weren’t what he’d consider highs and lows, but instead show the parity in the game right now.
“There’s so much competition. There’s a lot of teams that, on any given night, if you’re not dialed in and executing your game plan, anybody can knock anyone off,” he said.
When it came to the losses to UConn, he said they were able to capitalize on the bounces and his team didn’t execute their game plan. It was a tough, but probably necessary lesson for his team to learn. Consistency is a focal point of the Providence coaching staff in part, Kelly said, because his first year at the helm for the Friars, his team missed out on the NCAA tournament by a fraction of a percentage point. One goal bouncing in either direction could have been the difference in their season.
It may have not initially looked like it at the time the schedule was released, but Kelly said the Friars were lucky to have the game against Northeastern on Tuesday because it forced his team to put the losses behind them and move forward.
“You can’t dwell on those two games because they’re over. We had to focus and make sure we were putting our best foot down to win Tuesday’s hockey game. That was probably the best thing for our group, just to play right away. Sometimes, rather than dwelling on some losses, the best thing to do is get back out there and play,” said Kelly.
It worked. Providence took the ice on Tuesday and executed their game plan to perfection. Kelly said that for his team to be successful, they need to play a gritty, tough game. That means winning battles, forechecking hard and staying structured and organized. One of the big reasons they’re able to do all those things – particularly the forecheck – is the stalwart presence of goalie Sandra Abstreiter.
“She’s been a rock for us. Having her back there helps our team play a little free and they don’t have to think so much all the time about every little thing because they know they have her in the blue paint to help them out if anything does go off the tracks a little bit. It’s great to have her consistency, her maturity, her experience. At the end of the day, to make it far in the NCAA tournament, you have to have good goaltending. She’s been able to build her game over the past handful of years and she’s always trying to learn something new and get better at her craft,” said Kelly.
The sense of confidence and calmness that having Abstreiter backstopping the team instills is combined with the focus on possessing, moving and supporting the puck to make a really successful team that is getting offensive contributions up and down the line sheet. Kelly called it an offense by committee and it speaks to the depth of this Friars squad and the quality of hockey being played across the board in the NCAA right now.
One of the early standouts in Providence has been Reichen Kirchmair. She’s the second-line right wing and has quickly adapted to the college game. She leads the team with eight goals and seems to have an innate sense for where to place the puck. There are not a lot of wasted opportunities for Kirchmair, who right now is scoring on one of every four shots on goal she tallies. Even more impressive, she’s doing that while making incredibly fast decisions on when and where to release the puck.
“She gets her shot off really quick. It’s heavy, too. It gets on a goalie quick. She doesn’t need a lot of room to get it off, which I think at this level is crucial. She needs a split second. If the puck is on her tape, she can get it off and get it on the net quickly,” said Kelly.
There’s a strong leadership group of veteran Providence skaters like Lindsay Bochna, Sara Hjalmarsson and Caroline Peterson that have been joined by grad transfers Nemo Neubauerova (Colgate) and Ida Press (Maine) to create a core of experienced players. Combine them with Abstreiter and the newcomers who have made an immediate impact and found chemistry with their linemates early and you come up with a team that has already shown they are contending for the Hockey East title and another trip to the NCAA tournament.
They’ll need to focus on their consistency and winning those close games. Current projections have the Friars on the bubble – a few fractions of a point behind Connecticut, but with both on the outside looking in.
