Young Friars Shock Hockey East, Win Title

Young Friars Shock Hockey East, Win Title

The Providence College Friars are Hockey East champions! This young team, built on hard work and a blue-collar mentality, didn’t just win the regular season title; they proved that experience isn’t everything. Led by a core of talented freshmen and sophomores, the Friars overcame a major setback to secure their first outright regular season championship in program history.

A Culture of Winning

Head coach Nate Leman has built a winning culture in Providence over the last 15 years. His teams are known for their dedication and a belief that every player has an important role. This philosophy was put to the test this season. Leman, who guided the program to its first national championship in 2015, always focuses on daily improvement. “You just try to get better each day,” Leman stated. “The big successes that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of, it was always about how do we get better? How do we keep taking the next step?”

Embracing Youth

After a tough loss in last year’s NCAA tournament, Providence decided to embrace a youth movement. This season, seven of their top nine scorers are either freshmen or sophomores. Coach Leman understands that coaching young players requires patience. “You have to be patient with a young group and keep the big picture in mind of you know what they can become,” he explained. “There’s going to be some mistakes along the way and you have to be patient with your teaching.” He sees the growth not just on the ice, but as young men.

Adversity Strikes, Resilience Shines

The Friars’ season hit a major bump on January 3rd. After starting the year with a strong 9-7-2 record, senior goalie Philip Fedback suffered a sprained MCL. Fedback, the team’s only senior and a key leader, was sidelined. “He came back to be a leader of this team, to be the only senior. And then for that to happen, you feel for him,” Leman said. This challenge forced the team to dig deep. “The only thing that makes you grow is adversity,” Leman reflected. “If we weren’t a team and and we weren’t strong and guys didn’t care about the team, we weren’t going to make the adjustments when Philip went down.”

Freshman Goalie Steps Up

With Fedback out, freshman goalie Jack Parsons was thrust into the starting role. Parsons was ready. “I knew the work I had put in on a daily basis that I was ready for it,” Parsons said. “This is the opportunity I wanted. However long it was going to be, I was going to step in and play as hard as I could to for our team to give us a chance to win on every night.” His arrival marked a turning point for the team. “It was kind of a really big turning moment for all of us,” Parsons added. “We kind of came together and said, ‘Hey, this is where we either flip our season around or just let it go downhill.’ And I think we all kind of bought in.”

A Nine-Game Winning Streak

Parsons immediately made an impact. In his first six starts, Providence defeated top 20 teams Maine, Boston College, and Boston University twice each. He also recorded two shutouts during this stretch. “OH MY GOD, JACK PARSONS,” one commentator exclaimed. “The poise and the confidence that he showed was amazing.” This stellar play seemed to energize the entire team. “I got to think that rubbed off to his teammates; they looked at this kid and said, ‘Okay, he’s got it now. We got to do our thing,’ and they just went from there.” The Friars went on a remarkable nine-game winning streak with Parsons in net.

McQueen, Mustard, and Sawyer Lead the Offense

The young offensive talent also stepped up. Freshman Roger McQueen was a consistent scoring threat, netting crucial goals. He was joined by sophomores John Mustard and Logan Sawyer, who also found the back of the net regularly. McQueen’s ability to score was highlighted with a commentator exclaiming, “Roger McQueen snipes one.” Sawyer also contributed significantly, as noted by “Logan Sawyer scores.” This combination of strong goaltending and an emerging offense propelled the Friars forward.

Hockey East Champions

The Friars carried this incredible momentum throughout the rest of the season. They went on to win the program’s first outright Hockey East regular season title. Their final record stood at an impressive 23-10-2. “Providence holds on and they hold the Hockey East regular season TITLE BY THEMSELVES,” a commentator announced. The team’s maturity and approach to the game have grown significantly. “The growth has been huge in the maturity aspect of how young our team is and the lack of experience per se,” Leman noted. “The way we approach every day in practice, the way we approach every game, it’s definitely grown significantly since the first half.”

Looking Ahead

This young Providence squad believes in themselves and each other. “We have a good group of guys to be able to believe in each other and we know we can beat anyone on any given night,” said one player. “I think it’s just uh believing that to our core.” As they head into the tournament, the focus remains on playing their best hockey. “I think that the tournament’s about execution. And it’s not about experience,” Leman concluded. “That’s what we have to be focused on in being the best version of Providence College for 60 minutes.”
The Friars have proven that a blend of hard work, coaching, and youthful confidence can lead to championship success.

Source: How the Providence Friars' youthful core stepped up | Game On (YouTube)