Providence College has the most complete team, top to bottom, in Hockey East. There’s little disputing that notion as the Friars enter the home stretch, but it’s two veterans who have stepped up their game recently.
Since returning from the semester break, Providence is 5-0-1. A win at Boston College and a tie at Boston University last weekend kept the momentum going heading into this weekend’s home-and-home series against UConn.
While depth and balance are staples of the program, the team’s two Hobey Baker Award nominees have come out firing on all cylinders since returning from the Christmas break.
Senior captain Brian Pinho, the team’s top center, and junior winger Erik Foley have each scored at least a point in five of the six games. Pinho has four goals and six assists during that span while Foley has three markers and four helpers.
It’s not just the offensive production that Pinho brings to the table night in and night out. The 2013 third round pick of the Washington Capitals wins face-offs, blocks shots, plays a responsible, 200-foot game, and leads on and off the ice.
“Pinho is really going right now. There’s no doubt about it. He’s come back after break and he really has his legs going. It started with [the Three Rivers] championship game in Pittsburgh,” said head coach Nate Leaman.
“He’s a great player. He never makes a mistake. It’s hard to find a player like him,” Foley concurred.
Pinho, a North Andover, Mass., native, had a goal and an assist in last Friday’s 4-1 win at BC, but it was an obscure play some casual fans might not remember that impressed his coach.
“Brian is the guy that can go out and make plays. The play that he made to draw the penalty at the end of the first period gave us a boost of confidence. Brian is doing a good job leading the way for us,” said Leaman.
Providence doesn’t possess high draft picks like BU or stars with gaudy offensive numbers like Northeastern, but the Friars win when they execute their system and play to the structure that their coaching staff harps on.
“We’re doing the little things right. We’re finishing hits and blocking shots. We’re coming together as a group and finding our gel,” said Foley, who is starting to find himself offensively.
The 2015 third round pick of the Winnipeg Jets isn’t a player who will often make the highlights, but his big frame and strength allow him to take over games below the dots.
“I’m trying to be heavy down low, take pucks to the net, and use my shot. I just want to make plays,” said Foley, a native of Mansfield, Mass.
The Friars still have a ways to go before winning a Hockey East Championship, but Leaman’s team is within striking distance of first place Boston College. The fact that Providence isn’t in first place has a lot to do with the team’s youth.
“We’re young. A lot of people don’t realize how young we are. Even tonight we made so many young mistakes,” Leaman said after the 4-1 win at BC.
While the inconsistency can be maddening for Friar faithful, a sweep against a UConn team that is winless in its last four outings could go a long way to shredding that moniker.
