Peter Fregoe and Peter Zingoni scored 2 goals each to lift Providence over Western Ontario, 6-1, in an exhibition game on Saturday.
Although the game started with a moment of silence to reflect the recent events that have shaken Hockey East and the world, it did not slow the pace of scoring early on.
Providence was first out of the gate, striking early on a rebound goal from Zingoni at 6:59 of the opening period. Yet, the Mustangs hung tight when Matt Dzieduszycki netted his third goal in two nights, a pretty wrist shot over the left shoulder of Friar netminder Nolan Schaefer.
A very closely-officiated contest left both squads on special teams for a significant amount of the game. Providence seemed to take advantage of the situation, pulling ahead for good when Drew Omicioli intercepted a pass at the blue line, sped off on a 2-1, and slid a nifty pass to Marc Suderman for a shorthanded score.
Fregoe’s two goals came less than two minutes apart to close the first period and then to open scoring in the second. His first was a thing of beauty, as he stood on the doorstep and waited for the Mustang goaltende to drop to the ice before roofing the puck. His second of the night was scored only 17 seconds into the second period on a gorgeous 3-on-1 executed by Reagan Kelly, Devin Rask, and the eventual goal-scorer, Fregoe.
As the Friars pulled away, the penalties began to pile up. A frustrated Western Ontario club amassed nearly 100 minutes in the box with several players taking an early exit due to misconduct penalties. Providence was hardly angelic, taking several retaliatory penalties as well as getting involved in three large skirmishes.
The scoring was rounded out in the third with Zingoni’s second goal of the night as well as a score from Friar forward Jon DiSalvatore.
The game can be best summed up in the actions of a Western Ontario bench player; as the game wound down, drowning in senseless penalties, he waved a towel on his stick, imitating a flag of surrender. The Mustangs sought relief from the onslaught of Friar offense as well as the barrage of penalty minutes thrown their way.
