BOSTON -- The Providence Friars and Northeastern Huskies went back and forth over the first two periods on Saturday night at Matthews Arena in Boston, but the visitors had the last laugh and took the season series via a three-game clean sweep with a 3-2 victory.
"I thought it was a very good hockey game," Providence head coach Nate Leaman said after his team won back-to-back games for the fourth time this year after clinching a playoff spot for the second consecutive season on Friday. "It was a real gutsy performance from both teams...For us, I am very pleased with the performance on the road, but now it's just the next game."
With the loss, the Huskies extended their winless streak at home to ten games (0-8-2) as they have not earned a victory since Nov. 11 against Alabama-Huntsville.
PC cushioned their lead to 3-1 at the 9:10 mark of the final stanza when NU's Vinny Saponari and Colton Saucerman bumped at center ice, sending the Friar junior from Manitoba alone into the offensive zone for a shorthanded breakaway and his second goal of the season. His only other goal this year, which was just the fourth of his career, came in the second period of Friday night's 6-2 win at Schneider.
"I just got lucky," Shamanski said of the play. "I think one of their forwards tripped up and kind of ran into one of the other guys, so I had a lot of time...It's not too often I get a breakaway."
On the play, Saucerman suffered a minor injury and is now considered "day-to-day," along with rookie forward Kevin Roy, according to Madigan.
After Shamanski's second goal in as many games, Northeastern wasted all of 20 seconds answering the bell as sophomore Josh Manson banked a loose puck off PC's Jon Gillies (32 saves) from the side of the crease for his third goal of his career and in as many contests for the Huskies, off an assist from rookie Dustin Darou.
By virtue of Friday's contest, the Friars already clinched the season series victory from the Huskies for the first time since 2007-08 but clinched their first three-game winning streak in the all-time series since Feb. 2, 2001.
"I am extremely pleased with the three wins over this team," Leaman concluded. "I think they are a good hockey team and we have a lot of respect for them. I thought they came up with a gutsy performance even though they were shorthanded."
With 1:01 left, head coach Jim Madigan opted to pull senior goaltender Chris Rawlings (36 saves) in favor of an extra skater, but could not find the back of the net.
"I thought our effort was very good," NU head coach Jim Madigan stated after his Huskies fell to 2-6-0 to finish February. "I thought our kids played hard and we executed well...Our guys gave it everything they had but just couldn't find a way to get the tying goal. If we get this same effort going into a big weekend series in Maine [to help us back into the playoff hunt], then I like our chances."
Joshua Kummins covers Hockey East for SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.