# 2020–21 Providence Friars men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Providence Friars Men's ice hockey season was the 70th season of play for the program and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The Friars represented Providence College and were coached by Nate Leaman, in his 10th season.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Providence's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
Providence got off to a bad start, surrendering 12 goals in their opening weekend to Boston College. Afterwards, sophomore transfer Jaxson Stauber, son of Hobey Baker-recipient Robb Stauber, took over in net and the team saw immediate improvement. The Friars were able to remain in the top-20 for the remainder of the season but the team was never able to put a consistent string of wins together to get them either into the top-10 or among the best teams in their own conference.
By the end of the regular season Providence was considered a 'bubble team' for the NCAA Tournament and would need a very good performance in the Hockey East Tournament to improve their standing if they couldn't get an automatic bid. The first impediment for the team was Hockey East using a power index to decide conference placement rather than win percentage. This meant that Providence finished below Connecticut despite possessing a better record and would have to play a road game in the quarterfinals. The team was easily able to overcome that difficulty and defeated the Huskies 6–1. Their next opponent, Massachusetts, was not as easily beaten. After a good start, Providence was shut out over the final 50 minutes of play and lost 2–5.
Getting into the semifinal and losing to the eventual conference champion was a solid performance but Providence had a problem. Because there were little-to-no non-conference games for all of college hockey, the PairWise rankings would not be used. Instead, the NCAA selection committee decided to judge teams based upon how they performed against the best teams in their conference. Providence had lost both games to BC, gone 1–1 versus Boston University and 0–2–2 against Massachusetts (including the playoff match). This left the Friars with a 1–5–2 record against the 'good' Hockey East teams, which was not sufficient to earn them a trip to the national tournament.
Kyle Koopman and Jimmy Scannell sat out the season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jack Dugan | Forward | United States | Signed Professional Contract (Vegas Golden Knights) |
| Jerry Harding | Forward | United States | Transferred to Massachusetts |
| Shane Kavanagh | Forward | United States | Graduation |
| Jake Kucharski | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to American International |
| Michael Lackey | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Orlando Solar Bears) |
| Caleb Rule | Forward | United States | Transferred to Miami |
| Vimal Sukumaran | Forward | Canada | Graduation |
| Spenser Young | Defenseman | United States | Graduation |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Jack Adams | Forward | United States | 23 | Boxford, MA; selected 162nd overall in 2017; transfer from Union |
| Brett Berard | Forward | United States | 23 | East Greenwich, RI; selected 134th overall in 2020 |
| Anton Martinsson | Goaltender | Sweden | 24 | Klippan, SWE; graduate transfer from Alaska |
| Nicholas Poisson | Forward | Canada | 19 | Vancouver, BC |
| Uula Ruikka | Defenseman | Finland | 20 | Oulu, FIN |
| Jaxson Stauber | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Wayzata, MN; transfer from Minnesota State |
| Matt Tugnutt | Forward | Canada | 24 | Peterborough, ON; graduate transfer from Sacred Heart |
| Chase Yoder | Forward | United States | 18 | Fairview, TX; selected 170th overall in 2020 |

## Current roster

As of February 12, 2021.

## Standings

2020–21 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | HEPI | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Boston College | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.61 | 82 | 46 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 58 |
| #11 Boston University | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 56.36 | 49 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 45 |
| #1 Massachusetts * | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.44 | 76 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 52.01 | 69 | 63 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 70 | 69 |
| #16 Providence | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.80 | 63 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 67 |
| Northeastern | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49.94 | 68 | 60 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 64 |
| #19 Massachusetts–Lowell | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48.00 | 46 | 53 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 63 |
| Maine | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 46.66 | 41 | 61 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 68 |
| Merrimack | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45.38 | 47 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 66 |
| New Hampshire | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 43.66 | 51 | 83 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 60 | 88 |
| Vermont | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.02 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 42 |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 No Regular Season Champion Awarded * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| December 4 | 6:00 PM | at #2 Boston College | #12 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | NESN | Mollot-Hill | L 0–3 | 0 | 0–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| December 5 | 7:00 PM | vs. #2 Boston College | #12 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Mollot-Hill | L 0–9 | 0 | 0–2–0 (0–2–0) |
| December 13 | 5:00 PM | at #8 Massachusetts–Lowell | #19 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Stauber | W 4–2 | 0 | 1–2–0 (1–2–0) |
| December 19 | 1:05 PM | at #12 Northeastern | #19 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Stauber | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 0 | 1–2–1 (1–2–1) |
| December 20 | 3:36 PM | vs. #12 Northeastern | #19 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | W 5–0 | 0 | 2–2–1 (2–2–1) |
| December 28 | 3:00 PM | at Connecticut | #15 | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | | Stauber | L 0–2 | 0 | 2–3–1 (2–3–1) |
| January 1 | 1:00 PM | vs. Vermont | #15 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | T 0–0 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 2–3–2 (2–3–2) |
| January 2 | 7:00 PM | vs. Vermont | #15 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | W 3–1 | 0 | 3–3–2 (3–3–2) |
| January 8 | 6:00 PM | at Boston University | #16 | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Stauber | W 7–3 | 0 | 4–3–2 (4–3–2) |
| January 9 | 7:00 PM | vs. Boston University | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | L 4–6 | 0 | 4–4–2 (4–4–2) |
| January 15 | 3:30 PM | vs. Maine | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | L 3–4 | 0 | 4–5–2 (4–5–2) |
| January 16 | 4:30 PM | vs. Maine | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | W 3–2 | 0 | 5–5–2 (5–5–2) |
| January 22 | 3:00 PM | at #8 Massachusetts | #18 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | | Stauber | T 0–0 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 5–5–3 (5–5–3) |
| January 23 | 3:00 PM | vs. #8 Massachusetts | #18 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+ | Stauber | T 1–1 $^{SOL}$ | 0 | 5–5–4 (5–5–4) |
| January 29 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | #17 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | NESN | Stauber | W 5–1 | 0 | 6–5–4 (6–5–4) |
| January 31 | 3:30 PM | vs. New Hampshire | #17 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Stauber | W 3–2 | 0 | 7–5–4 (7–5–4) |
| February 6 | 2:05 PM | at Merrimack | #16 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | | Stauber | W 5–1 | 0 | 8–5–4 (8–5–4) |
| February 7 | 2:00 PM | vs. Merrimack | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | | Stauber | L 2–3 | 0 | 8–6–4 (8–6–4) |
| February 12 | 4:30 PM | vs. #20 Connecticut | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+ | Stauber | W 4–0 | 0 | 9–6–4 (9–6–4) |
| February 23 | 4:30 PM | vs. #9 Massachusetts | #14 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | | Stauber | L 1–8 | 0 | 9–7–4 (9–7–4) |
| February 27 | 4:35 PM | at #17 Northeastern | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Stauber | W 4–2 | 0 | 10–7–4 (10–7–4) |
| February 28 | 7:00 PM | vs. #17 Northeastern | #14 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | | Stauber | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 0 | 10–7–5 (10–7–5) |
| March 5 | 5:00 PM | at Connecticut | #15 | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | | Stauber | L 3–5 | 0 | 10–8–5 (10–8–5) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 14 | 3:30 PM | at Connecticut* | #17 | Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut (Hockey East Quarterfinals) | | Stauber | W 6–1 | 0 | 11–8–5 |
| March 17 | 7:00 PM | at #6 Massachusetts* | #14 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Semifinals) | NESN | Stauber | L 2–5 | 0 | 11–9–5 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Tyce Thompson | C | 25 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 16 |
| Parker Ford | C | 25 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 14 |
| Patrick Moynihan | C | 17 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 8 |
| Greg Printz | LW | 25 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 12 |
| Nick Poisson | F | 24 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 23 |
| Michael Callahan | D | 25 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 12 |
| Ben Mirageas | D | 25 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 20 |
| Brett Berard | LW | 19 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| Uula Ruikka | D | 22 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
| Max Crozier | D | 17 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Jason O'Neill | F | 25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 14 |
| Craig Needham | C | 25 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Matt Koopman | C | 22 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Chase Yoder | F | 25 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Cam McDonald | D | 24 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Matt Tugnutt | C/RW | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| John McDermott | LW | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Davis Bunz | D | 25 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Jamie Engelbert | C | 23 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Albin Nilsson | C | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Luke Johnson | D | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Anton Martinsson | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Mollot-Hill | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garrett Devine | F | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jack Adams | C/RW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Perunovich | D | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jaxson Stauber | G | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 4 |
| Total | | | 71 | 119 | 190 | 234 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Jaxson Stauber | 23 | 1393 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 52 | 567 | 4 | .916 | 2.24 |
| Gabe Mollot-Hill | 2 | 107 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 44 | 0 | .846 | 4.47 |
| Anton Martinsson | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 16.82 |
| Empty Net | - | 13 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 25 | 1525 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 67 | 614 | 4 | .902 | 2.64 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 16 | - | 16 |
| USA Today | NR | 15 | 13 | 12 | NR | NR | 13 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 14 | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Tyce Thompson | Hockey East Second Team | |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2021 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 3 | 91 | Taige Harding$^†$ | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 4 | 101 | Guillaume Richard$^†$ | Washington Capitals |
† incoming freshman