DATE:           December 7, 1997
CONTACT:        Arthur Parks (401) 865-2759
 
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE HOCKEY NOTES:
FRIARS EARN TWO WINS AGAINST MAINE... The Providence College men's
hockey
team earned a weekend sweep against the Maine Black Bears on Dec. 5-6.
On
Dec. 6, PC completed the sweep with a 7-2 win at Schneider Arena.  The
win
gave PC a 2-1 record against Maine this season and marked the first time
the Friars won a regular-season series against Maine since the 1985-86
season.  In the win on Dec. 6, junior Troy Lake (Edmonton, Alberta) led
the
offense with a game high three points (two goals, one assist).  Junior
Mike
Omicioli (W. Warwick, R.I.), junior Fernando Pisani (Edmonton, Alberta),
sophomore Nick Lent (Westwood, Mass.), sophomore Doug Sheppard
(Georgetown,
Ontario) and senior Nick Sinerate (Northboro, Mass.) also scored for PC.
Freshman netminder Boyd Ballard (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) recorded 32
stops
and his eighth win of the season.  The previous night, PC ended a
four-game
losing streak against Maine with a 6-2 victory at Schneider Arena.
Freshman Heath Gordon (Pembroke, Mass.), junior Jon Cameron (Langley,
British Columbia), sophomore Jerry Keefe (Billerica, Mass.), Lake,
Pisani
and Lent each netted one goal for the Friars.  Ballard made 33 stops in
net.
 
BALLARD SHINES IN NET... Freshman goaltender Boyd Ballard (Weyburn,
Saskatchewan) stopped 65 of 69 shots and led the Friars to two HOCKEY
EAST
wins against the Maine Black Bears on Dec. 5-6 at Schneider Arena.  On
Dec.
5, Ballard made 33 stops and earned the game's No. 2 star in the Friars'
6-2 victory.  On Dec. 6, the rookie netminder posted 32 saves, shutout
Maine over the final two periods of the game and received the game's
No. 1
star in PC's 7-2 win.  In the two wins against Maine, Ballard posted a
2.00
goals against average and a .942 save percentage.  He was successful in
shutting down the potent Black Bear power play.  Maine entered the
weekend
series at 38 percent in man-advantage situations.  Ballard only allowed
one
goal during 13 Maine power plays over the two-game series.  In 10 games
this season, Ballard has posted an 8-1-1 mark, a 2.77 goals against
average
and a .914 save percentage.
 
LAKE INCREASES OFFENSE... Junior left wing Troy Lake (Edmonton, Alberta)
recorded three goals and one assist in PC's two HOCKEY EAST wins against
Maine on Dec. 5-6.  On Dec. 5, Lake tallied one goal in the Friars' 6-2
win
at Schneider Arena.  The following night, he netted two goals and
registered one assist in PC's 7-2 victory at Schneider.  For Lake it
marked
his first career three-point game and second multiple-goal game.  Lake
has
tallied one or more goals in each of the last four games.  He is tied
for
fourth on the team in scoring (11 points) and is tied for third in goals
(seven).
 
FRIARS' MASS. SCORING... In PC's weekend sweep against Maine on Dec.
5-6,
all four Massachusetts natives on the Providence roster registered at
least
one goal.  Freshman Heath Gordon of Pembroke, Mass. (one goal),
sophomore
Nick Lent of Westwood, Mass. (two goals), sophomore Jerry Keefe of
Billerica, Mass. (one goal) and senior Nick Sinerate of Northboro, Mass.
(one goal) combined to tally five of the team's 13 goals in the two
games.
The Mass. players also scored in crucial situations as Keefe tallied the
game winner in the 6-2 win on Dec. 5 and Lent potted the game-winning
tally
in the 7-2 victory on Dec. 6.
 
FRIARS SCORE SHORTHANDED... PC scored one short-handed goal in each of
its
two games against Maine on Dec. 5-6.  On Dec. 5, junior Jon Cameron
(Langley, British Columbia) tallied the first short-handed goal of his
career in PC's 6-2 victory.  The following night, junior Mike Omicioli
(W.
Warwick) added to his team leading point total (24) with his first
career
short-handed tally.
 
PISANI SCORES... Sophomore left wing Fernando Pisani (Edmonton, Alberta)
recorded one goal in each of the Friars' two wins against Maine on Dec.
5-6.  Pisani has notched one more points in each of the last nine games.
He leads the team in goals (10) and power-play goals (four) and is
second
in scoring (19 points) and assists (nine).  A 1996 eighth-round draft
pick
of the Edmonton, Oilers, Pisani has recorded 49 points (22 goals, 27
assists) in 49 career games.
 
OMICIOLI LEADS OFFENSE... Junior center Mike Omicioli notched one goal
and
one assist in two wins against Maine on Dec. 5-6.  Omicioli has
registered
one or more points in each of the last nine games.  The W. Warwick, R.I.
native leads the team in scoring (24 points) and assists (17).  In 75
career games, he has notched 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists).
 
KEEFE RETURNS TO LINEUP... Sophomore Jerry Keefe returned the PC lineup
on
Dec. 5 after missing five games with a shoulder injury and tallied his
second game-winning goal of the season in the Friars' 6-2 win against
Maine
at Schneider Arena.  The following night, he added one assist in PC's
7-2
victory against Maine at Schneider.  In nine games this season, Keefe
has
scored three goals and added four assists.  The Billerica, Mass. native,
has tallied 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 38 career games.
 
NEXT GAMES... The Friars will return to action on Dec. 27-28 at the
Sheraton/USAirways Tournament in Burlington, Vt.  The Friars will play
Vermont on Dec. 27 and the following night they will battle Bowling
Green
or Dartmouth.
 
 
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Deron Treadwell - [log in to unmask]
University of Maine