# 2022–23 Providence Friars men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Providence Friars Men's ice hockey season was the 72nd season of play for the program and 39th in Hockey East. The Friars represented Providence College in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Nate Leaman in his 12th season, and played their home games at Schneider Arena.

## Season

Despite losing nearly half of the players from the previous season, Providence shot out of the gate with a tremendous start to the season. Using a very strong defense to insulate freshman starter Philip Svedebäck, the Friars won their first three games before dropping a weekend series with defending national champion, Denver. The losses didn't seem to slow them down since, as soon as they got back east, Providence went undefeated over a 9-game stretch. The streak included a sweep of then-#5 Massachusetts and put the Friars at the top of the Hockey East standings. The team ran into a little trouble just before the winter break but, as Christmas approached, Providence was well on its way to making the NCAA tournament.
While the first half of the season could hardly have gone better, the second half turned into a nightmare. The offense stalled in the back half of the year, averaging just over 2 goals per game and was shutout four times, as opposed to over 3 goals per game in the first half and no shutouts. While the goaltending was solid, if unspectacular, Providence's inability to score caused the team to tumble down the conference standings as the losses began to mount. A 5-game losing skid knocked the Friars out of the polls and their playoff chances dwindled. Providence finished the regular season by going 3–9–2 in its final 14 games and finished 1 game above .500.
When the team's postseason began, the Friars knew they had to win the conference tournament for any chance at an NCAA berth. The offense continued to be a problem when Providence took on a surging New Hampshire squad. The defense did its job and stymied the Wildcats, holding them to just 23 shot, but the offense needed extra time to get the game winner. Their quarterfinal game was eerily similar to the UNH match as Providence and Northeastern fought to a 1–1 draw after 60 minutes. Brady Berard's 1st goal of the season 4 minutes into overtime sent the Friars into the semifinal and a date with top-seeded Boston University. The PC defense continued to hold down the opposition's scoring chances, holding BU to just 15 shots in regulation. Unfortunately, the Friars were again only able to score once in regulation and a third consecutive overtime game was required. BU took over in the extra session and fired 10 pucks on goal in under 11 minutes. The final one got past Svedebäck and ended Providence's run.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Davis Bunz | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers) |
| Austin Cain | Goaltender | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Michael Callahan | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Boston Bruins) |
| Garrett Devine | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Alex Esposito | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders) |
| Kyle Koopman | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Matt Koopman | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Massachusetts |
| Tomáš Mazura | Forward | Czech Republic | Transferred to St. Lawrence |
| Ben Mirageas | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Kohen Olischefski | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Rochester Americans) |
| Luke Perunovich | Defenseman | United States | Graduate transfer to St. Thomas |
| Jimmy Scannell | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jaxson Stauber | Goaltender | United States | Signed professional contract (Chicago Blackhawks) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Brady Berard | Forward | United States | 18 | East Greenwich, RI |
| Jaroslav Chmelař | Forward | Czech Republic | 19 | Nove Mesto nad Metuji, CZE; selected 144th overall in 2021 |
| Chase Dafoe | Forward | United States | 20 | Beverly, MA |
| John Driscoll | Goaltender | United States | 22 | Huntley, IL; sophomore walk-on |
| Connor Kelley | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Maple Grove, MN; transfer from Minnesota Duluth; selected 204th overall in 2021 |
| Austen May | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Woodhaven, MI |
| Grant Porter | Forward | Canada | 20 | Weston, MA |
| Austin Roden | Goaltender | Canada | 24 | Surrey, BC; transfer from Omaha |
| Bennett Schimek | Forward | United States | 19 | Mendota Heights, MN |
| Garrett Sundquist | Defenseman | United States | 21 | South Glastonbury, CT |
| Philip Svedebäck | Goaltender | Sweden | 20 | Stockholm, SWE; selected 117th overall in 2021 |
| Liam Valente | Forward | Sweden | 19 | Märsta, SWE |

## Roster

As of August 22, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 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 | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #4 Boston University †* | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 99 | 62 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 154 | 106 |
| #14 Merrimack | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 72 | 52 | 38 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 106 | 89 |
| #16 Northeastern | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 78 | 45 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 107 | 82 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 78 | 71 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 113 | 96 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 56 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 89 | 82 |
| Maine | 24 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 62 | 65 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 92 | 94 |
| Providence | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 64 | 60 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 103 | 87 |
| Boston College | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 70 | 73 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 104 | 104 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 55 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 94 | 103 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 44 | 76 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 74 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 36 | 76 | 36 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 103 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates regular season champion * 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 |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 1 | 2:00 PM | Western Ontario* | #15 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island (Exhibition) | ESPN+ | Roden | W 5–1 | 2,812 | |
| October 2 | 2:00 PM | at #7 Quinnipiac* | #15 | M&T Bank Arena • Hamden, Connecticut (Exhibition) | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 2–4 | 0 | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 PM | Sacred Heart* | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 6–1 | 2,706 | 1–0–0 |
| October 13 | 7:00 PM | Clarkson* | #15 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 5–2 | 1,992 | 2–0–0 |
| October 15 | 7:30 PM | at #7 Northeastern | #15 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 2–1 | 4,742 | 3–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 21 | 9:00 PM | at #4 Denver* | #11 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Evoca | Svedebäck | L 1–4 | 5,218 | 3–1–0 |
| October 22 | 8:00 PM | at #4 Denver* | #11 | Magness Arena • Denver, Colorado | Evoca | Svedebäck | L 2–3 | 6,324 | 3–2–0 |
| October 28 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | #13 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 3,906 | 3–2–1 (1–0–1) |
| October 29 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire | #13 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 3–1 | 2,333 | 4–2–1 (2–0–1) |
| November 4 | 7:00 PM | #5 Massachusetts | #14 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 7–4 | 2,981 | 5–2–1 (3–0–1) |
| November 5 | 7:00 PM | at #5 Massachusetts | #14 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,790 | 6–2–1 (4–0–1) |
| November 11 | 7:00 PM | #7 Connecticut | #9 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 1–1 $^{SOL}$ | 3,310 | 6–2–2 (4–0–2) |
| November 12 | 3:05 PM | at #7 Connecticut | #9 | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 6–6 $^{SOL}$ | - | 6–2–3 (4–0–3) |
| November 18 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | #9 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Roden | W 4–0 | 2,258 | 7–2–3 (5–0–3) |
| November 19 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | #9 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Roden | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,176 | 8–2–3 (6–0–3) |
| November 25 | 7:00 PM | St. Lawrence* | #8 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 4–3 | 1,615 | 9–2–3 |
| November 26 | 7:00 PM | Brown* | #8 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island (Mayor's Cup) | ESPN+ | Roden | L 2–3 | 1,885 | 9–3–3 |
| December 2 | 7:00 PM | at Boston College | #10 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 5,119 | 9–3–4 (6–0–4) |
| December 3 | 7:00 PM | Boston College | #10 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 3,042 | 9–3–5 (6–0–5) |
| December 10 | 7:00 PM | #11 Merrimack | #10 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 2–3 | 2,618 | 9–4–5 (6–1–5) |
| Ledyard Bank Classic ||||||||||
| December 30 | 4:00 PM | vs. Yale* | #12 | Thompson Arena • Hanover, New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Classic Semifinal) | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 3–0 | 1,252 | 10–4–5 |
| December 31 | 7:30 PM | vs. #6 Merrimack* | #12 | Thompson Arena • Hanover, New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Classic Championship) | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 6–1 | 1,229 | 11–4–5 |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| January 6 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire | #11 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 0–2 | 2,842 | 11–5–5 (6–2–5) |
| January 8 | 2:00 PM | at Army* | #11 | Tate Rink • West Point, New York | FloHockey | Svedebäck | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,214 | 11–5–6 |
| January 13 | 7:00 PM | at #10 Merrimack | #14 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 8–3 | 2,067 | 12–5–6 (7–2–5) |
| January 14 | 7:00 PM | at #10 Merrimack | #14 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 0–3 | 2,088 | 12–6–6 (7–3–5) |
| January 17 | 7:00 PM | at Princeton* | #12 | Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton, New Jersey | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 2–3 | 1,553 | 12–7–6 |
| January 27 | 7:00 PM | at Maine | #17 | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 2–3 | 3,476 | 12–8–6 (7–4–5) |
| January 28 | 7:00 PM | at Maine | #17 | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 0–3 | 4,441 | 12–9–6 (7–5–5) |
| February 3 | 7:00 PM | Massachusetts | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 2–3 | 3,236 | 12–10–6 (7–6–5) |
| February 5 | 2:00 PM | at Vermont | | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 3–1 | 2,435 | 13–10–6 (8–6–5) |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | #20 Northeastern | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 2,972 | 13–10–7 (8–6–6) |
| February 17 | 7:00 PM | #18 Massachusetts Lowell | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,626 | 14–10–7 (9–6–6) |
| February 18 | 6:05 PM | at #18 Massachusetts Lowell | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 1–2 | 4,675 | 14–11–7 (9–7–6) |
| March 3 | 7:00 PM | at #7 Boston University | | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+, ESPN+ | Roden | L 4–6 | 4,846 | 14–12–7 (9–8–6) |
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | #7 Boston University | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+, ESPN+ | Roden | L 0–2 | 2,476 | 14–13–7 (9–9–6) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 8 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire* | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island (First Round) | ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 1,286 | 15–13–7 |
| March 11 | 7:00 PM | at #15 Northeastern* | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | NESN+, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 2,192 | 16–13–7 |
| March 17 | 4:00 PM | vs. #5 Boston University* | | TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Semifinal) | NESN, ESPN+ | Svedebäck | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 13,187 | 16–14–7 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Parker Ford | C/RW | 37 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 22 |
| Brett Berard | LW | 36 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 35 |
| Max Crozier | D | 37 | 3 | 21 | 24 | 33 |
| Bennett Schimek | F | 37 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 12 |
| Nick Poisson | F | 37 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 17 |
| Riley Duran | C | 29 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 33 |
| Taige Harding | D | 37 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 19 |
| Chase Yoder | C | 37 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 14 |
| Jaroslav Chmelar | LW/RW | 33 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 |
| Liam Valente | C/LW | 30 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Patrick Moynihan | RW | 34 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 41 |
| Jamie Engelbert | C | 37 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 14 |
| Craig Needham | C | 37 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 16 |
| Guillaume Richard | D | 31 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Cody Monds | RW | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Uula Ruikka | D | 29 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 28 |
| Cam McDonald | D | 37 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
| Connor Kelley | D | 21 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| Austen May | RW | 21 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Brady Berard | C | 34 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| Luke Johnson | D | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Michael Citara | RW | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Garrett Sundquist | D | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Austin Roden | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| William Schimek | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Grant Porter | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Dafoe | F | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Philip Svedebäck | G | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 103 | 164 | 267 | 375 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Philip Svedebäck | 34 | 2013:08 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 73 | 733 | 1 | .909 | 2.18 |
| Austin Roden | 8 | 249:11 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 80 | 1 | .870 | 2.89 |
| Empty Net | - | 17:44 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 37 | 2284:03 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 87 | 813 | 2 | .903 | 2.29 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 15 | - | 16 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | - | 11 | 14 | 12 | 17 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 13т | 14 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 16 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Max Crozier | Hockey East Third Team | |
| Parker Ford | Hockey East Third Team | |

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2023 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 5 | 153 | Hudson Malinoski $^†$ | Toronto Maple Leafs |
† incoming freshman