Providence and Brown met at the Providence Civic Center today for the
annual Mayor's Cup game and bragging rights in the city of Providence.  The
fans in attendance saw a solid 60 minutes of action as the Friars and Bruins
skated to a 2-2 tie.
   The freshman line of Dillabough, Green, and Guzior opened the scoring for
the Friars at the 6:32 mark.  Guzior took a shot from the right point but
Parson made the save leaving the puck loose in front.  Dillabough's swipe sent
the puck trickling behind Parsons putting the Friars up 1-0.  The power-play
goal was setup by a penalty to Mike Traggio.  Traggio attempted to clear a
Friar out from in front and picked up two for cross checking in the process.
   Both teams had excellent scoring opportunities later in the period.  A
defensive lapse by the Paskowski/Balboni combination sent Brown's Mike Flynn
in alone.  Dan Dennis picked up the save and the Friars came right back with
a two on one.  This time it was Parson's turn to stonewall Dave Green.  The
Friars held a slight 10-8 advantage in shots after one period.
   Brown got on the board early in the second.  Patrick Thompson picked up his
second goal of the season, putting a screened shot past Dennis.  Dennis never
saw the shot and didn't react until the puck bounced out of the net.  Three
Friars set up a nice wall in front and Thompson fired the puck over Dennis'
left shoulder.
   The Friars had a strong shorthanded bid at the 8:30 mark with Balboni in
the box for interference.  Once again, Parson shut the door, turning back 3
consecutive shots from point blank range.
   The Bruins appeared to take the lead when a scramble in front found the
puck behind Dennis.  Referee Drew Taylor disallowed the goal saying the whistle
had blown before the puck crossed the line.  In all likelihood the goal would
have been disallowed anyway as it was kicked in by a Brown forward (although
Taylor may not have seen that from his vantage point on the opposite side.)
   Providence held a 12-8 shots advantage in the second.  Overall, it was a
strong second period for the Friars who normally struggle at the midpoint.
   The third period was good, old fashioned, hard hitting hockey.  It was one
of the more exciting periods of hockey I've seen with both teams having great
opportunities.  Providence took the lead at the 3:20 mark.  Brady Kramer fed
Sousa at the point and Sousa fired a nice low shot through the five hole.
Sousa's one of the few Friar defensemen with a strong shot from the point and
he put it to good use on that shot.
   Brady Kramer's attempt to put the Friars up by 2 at the 9:10 mark was stymied
by Mike Parsons once again.  Kramer stole the puck at the red line and came in
2 on 1.  His shot from the right was picked off by Parsons.
   With four minutes remaining, Providence called a timeout.  At that point, it
appears coach Mike McShane ordered the team into a prevent defense.  Brown
capitalized and scored the tying goal at 17:40.  Mulhern setup Smitko with
a beautiful centering pass from the corner.  Smitko beat Dennis to the stick
side for his first goal of the season.
   The overtime was a wild affair with most of the action in the Bruins end.
Parsons was under siege for a solid 1:30 straight but once again he shut the
door.  The best opportunity came for the Friars when Chad Quenneville rang one
off the inside of the post.  Browns best shot in the overtime occurred when Eric
Trach hit Dennis in the pads from point blank range.
   The Mayor's Cup was awarded to the captains and coaches of both teams in a
brief ceremony following the game.  Friar fans expressed extreme displeasure in
the coaching style of Mike McShane as a load chorus of "boos" rang out during
his introduction.  The Friars are now 3-7-1 overall, remaining 1-6 in Hockey
East.  Brown is 3-2-2 overall, 3-2-1 in ECAC action.
 
Box Score:
 
Scoring by Period:
                1       2       3       OT      Total
PC              1       0       1       0       2
Brown   0       1       1       0       2
 
Saves by Period:
                        1       2       3       OT      Total
Dennis - PC     8       8       14      2       32
Parsons - Brown 10      12      4       4       30
 
FIRST PERIOD:  PC - Dillabough (Guzior, Green) 6:32
  Penalties: Brown - Traggio (Cross Checking) 6:06, PC - Gill (Holding) 10:05,
    PC - Rowe (High Sticking) 17:52
 
SECOND PERIOD:  Brown - Thompson (Hannah, Martino) 2:35
  Penalties:  PC - Balboni (Interference) 7:05, PC - Paskowski (Slashing) 16:30,
    Brown - Trach (Roughing) 16:30, PC - Rowe (Delay of Game) 18:55
 
THIRD PERIOD:  PC - Sousa (Kramer, Quenneville) 3:20, Brown - Smitko (Mulhern,
    Kathol) 17:40
  Penalties:  PC - Breen (Interference) 7:52, PC - Green (Tripping) 10:27,
    Brown - Mulhern (Holding) 11:18, PC - Dillabough (Hit after Whistle) 15:11,
    Brown - Traggio (Hit after Whistle) 15:11
 
OVERTIME:  No Scoring
  Penalties:  None
 
 
Total Penalties:
 
  PC:  8/16
  Brown:  4/8
 
Powerplays:
 
  PC:  1/2
  Brown:  0/6
 
Officials:
  Referee: Drew Taylor
  Referee: Jeff Bunyon
  Linesman: John Jones
 
Attendance:  5133
 
Friends of Friar Hockey Three Stars:
   1) Mike Parsons -- Brown
   2) Dan Dennis -- PC
   3) Ron Smitko -- Brown
 
 
-- Ron Correia
   [log in to unmask]
   "Let's Go Friars!"