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If Providence College is to defend its NCAA Championship in Tampa, it will have to survive a brutal Northeast Regional at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
The Friars, the No. 4 overall seed, face Minnesota Duluth in the first semifinal Friday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET) at the Northeast Regional. The winner of that game will face the winner of Boston College and Harvard on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
It is the second consecutive season that Minnesota Duluth has been shipped east. The Bulldogs defeated rival Minnesota to reach the championship game of the Northeast Regional in Manchester, NH last year before losing to Boston University.
Providence comes into the NCAA Tournament after suffering a painful triple overtime loss against UMass Lowell in the Hockey East Semifinals. The Friars are the deeper and more experienced team as they look to reach a second straight Frozen Four.
The Eagles have been a hit or miss team this season. On some nights BC looks like world beaters, and on others, it's a team that looks inept and lost. Buoyed by 12 NHL Draft picks, there is little doubt the Eagles are the most talented team on paper.
The Crimson, led by senior Jimmy Vesey, have an offense that can keep up with anyone, but the defense has been tough to gauge. The first line of Vesey, Kyle Criscuolo and Alexander Kerfoo is fun to watch.
Providence vs. Minnesota Duluth
4:30 p.m. ET
| Providence | Minnesota Duluth |
|
| Mascot | Friars | Bulldogs |
| Conference |
Hockey East |
NCHC |
| Seed | No. 1 | No. 4 |
| NCAA Bid |
At-Large |
At-Large |
| Overall Record | 27-5-4 | 18-15-5 |
| HE Record | 16-3-3 | 11-10-3 |
| Last 10 Games | 9-1-0 | 7-3-0 |
| Head Coach | Nate Leaman (SUNY-Cortland '93) |
Scott Sandelin (North Dakota '86) |
| Record at School | 106-64-23 (5th) | 284-276-75 (16th) |
| Captains |
Tom Parisi, Kevin Rooney |
Andy Welinski |
| Goals Per Game | 3.32 (T-10th) | 2.71 (26th) |
| Goals Against | 1.86 (4th) | 2.05 (8th) |
| Power Play Pct. | 20.5 (16th) | 15.0 (44th) |
| Penalty Kill Pct. | 84.5 (16th) | 86.7 (2nd) |
| Penalty Minutes | 11.70 (18th) | 10.66 (29th) |
| Leading Scorer (Pts.) | Mark Jankowski (40) | Tony Cameranesi (36) |
| Goals Leader | Jankowski/Brandon Tanev (15) | Dominic Toninato (15) |
| Assists Leader | Mark Jankowski (25) | Tony Cameranesi (26) |
| +/- Leader | Mark Jankowski (+25) |
Austin Farley (+23) |
| GWG Leader |
Brandon Tanev (5) |
Austin Farley (5) |
| PPG Leader |
Jake Walman (8) |
Austin Farley (8) |
| SHG Leader |
Trevor Mingoia (2) |
3 tied (1) |
| Starting Goaltender | Nick Ellis (.935) |
Kasimir Kaskisuo (.922) |
| NHL Draft Picks |
8 |
4 |
| NCAA Championships |
2015 |
2011 |
Boston College vs. Harvard
8 p.m.
| Boston College | Harvard | |
| Mascot | Eagles | Crimson |
| Conference |
Hockey East |
ECAC Hockey |
| Seed | No. 2 | No. 3 |
| NCAA Bid |
At-Large |
At-Large |
| Overall Record | 26-7-5 | 19-10-4 |
| Conference Record | 15-2-5 | 12-6-4 |
| Last 10 Games | 6-3-1 | 6-2-2 |
| Head Coach |
Jerry York (BC '67) |
Ted Donato (Harvard '91) |
| Record at School | 543-263-76 (22nd) | 176-179-46 |
| Captain |
Teddy Doherty |
Jimmy Vesey, Kyle Criscuolo |
| Goals Per Game | 3.86 (5th) | 3.48 (9th) |
| Goals Against | 2.00 (7th) | 2.33 (16th) |
| Power Play Pct. | 21.0 (12th) |
27.9 (4th) |
| Penalty Kill Pct. | 88.0 (4th) | 83.5 (23rd) |
| Penalty Minutes | 14.84 (3rd) | 8.39 (49th) |
| Leading Scorer (Pts.) | Ryan Fitzgerald (44) | Jimmy Vesey (46) |
| Goals Leader | Ryan Fitzgerald (22) |
Jimmy Vesey (24) |
| Assists Leader | Zach Sanford (25) |
Alexander Kerfoot (30) |
| +/- Leader | Ian McCoshen (+29) |
Desmond Bergin (+15) |
| GWG Leader |
Fitzgerald/Gilmour (4) |
Kyle Criscuolo (7) |
| PPG Leader |
Doherty/Sanford (6) |
Kyle Criscuolo (8) |
| SHG Leader |
Ryan Fitzgerald (3) |
Jimmy Vesey (1) |
| Starting Goaltender | Thatcher Demko (.935) |
Merrick Madsen (.933) |
| NHL Draft Picks |
12 |
8 |
| NCAA Championships |
1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
1988 |