Hockey East: Gillies, Providence force game 3 against UNH

Providence, RI -- Jon Gillies stopped 35 shots to help Providence stave off Hockey East Tournament elimination in a 2-1 win over the University of New Hampshire on Saturday night at Schneider Arena.

The Friars got all the scoring they would need in just under two minutes at the start of the second period. Both goals came on the power play. Mark Jankowski scored 1:58 into the middle frame and John Gilmour scored at the 3:17 mark to give Providence a 2-0 lead.

Grayson Downing scored his 20th of the season on a delayed penalty with 13 seconds left in the period to draw within one before the second intermission, but that was as close as the Wildcats would get.

Gillies made nine saves in the third period to shut the door on the Wildcats. UNH goaltender Danny Tirone was solid in net once again, making 30 saves in the losing effort.

The Providence win forces a game three on Sunday evening at 7:30 ET. It's the third year in a row the two teams have met in the Hockey East Tournament. UNH bounced Providence, 3-1, in the 2014 Hockey East semifinals and the Friars won the best-of-three quarterfinal series in 2013 in three games.

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Jeff Cox covers college, junior, high school and prep hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.