Denver dominates Providence in NCAA men's hockey Manchester Regional semifinal

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The championship hopes of the Providence College men’s hockey team were dashed in just minutes of its opening NCAA Tournament game.

The Friars gifted Denver, the defending champions, an empty-net goal less than three minutes into the Manchester Regional semifinal. Providence goalie, Philip Svedebäck, misplayed the puck behind his own net and it flipped out onto the unguarded crease where Denver’s Connor Caponi was able to knock it home just 2:25 into the game.

Denver showed it was the better team for the remaining three periods and dispatched Providence, 5-1, in front of 7,368 fans on Friday night at Southern New Hampshire University Arena.

“We made some of our own problems in the game,” Providence coach Nate Leaman said. “When you get to this level, the teams are so close that you can't make the game harder on yourself. You have to take what's given.

"I thought all year, playing five or six freshmen forwards, it was a learning point for this team.”

Denver (30-11-1) advances to the regional final on Sunday vs. No. 1 Boston College for a national championship rematch. Puck drop is 7 p.m. on Sunday.

“I think certainly you're never going to complain when you get to go up 1-0 on a goal like that in this event,” Denver coach David Carle said. “I personally didn't love our first seven or eight minutes of the game. I thought we started to manage the puck better beyond that and started to make them turn and it allowed our puck pressure game to create turnovers and frustrate them.”

Providence (21-11-5), in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019 and 16th overall, did itself no favors in the second period. Denver opened the frame with Zeev Buium’s goal from the high slot. Aidan Thompson dropped the puck for Buium at the top of the right circle and the junior deked inside for a shot and a goal with 3:17 left.

Buium, on the power play, then found Sam Harris outside the crease for a 3-0 advantage at the 6:01 mark of the second period. The Pioneers carried that advantage into the second intermission despite having to kill off three minor penalties in the period.

“They wouldn’t let us get secondary offensive zone play,” Leaman said. “They had no problem throwing it out in the neutral zone. We would defend, we would recover, but then we try to do something out of our zone and then we would get extended.”

“I think our special teams were a huge factor,” Carle said. “Especially in that second period — to be able to get the lead and then kill off those three minor penalties.”

Denver scored to start the third period as Thompson drilled a one-timer 3:53 into the frame. Denver entered as the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. The Pioneers averaged a four goals per game this season.

Providence’s lone goal came after Garrett Brown was called for elbowing at the 11:35 mark of the third period. Austen May scored seconds into the five-minute major for Providence, but that’s all the Friars managed.

Providence pulled Svedebäck for a two-man advantage late and Carter King scored an empty-net goal with 4:47 left. King and Buium each tallied three points in the win. Denver’s Matt Davis finished with 30 saves. Svedebäck managed just 15 saves against the Pioneers’ talented attack.

“I think it’s more of a lesson that they have been at different stages, but they hadn't been at this stage yet,” Leaman said of his group. “You play the past champion, they're a mature group and they brought a lot of experience to the table. That will be the takeaway.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Denver dominates Providence in NCAA regional semifinal