I can't believe some of the comments regarding Providence from some folks on
Hockey-L. Providence has been renovated extensively over the past decade, true,
but it was never the "dump" some people have believed it to be. The convention
center, which is brand-new (and cost a fortune--but that's another matter), is
right next to the Civic Center, and with a large parking garage next to it, fans
will find this to be an ideal situation for the NCAAs--in terms of location,
convenience and safety. Ditto for Meehan Auditorium at Brown, and Schneider
Arena at PC. I've been all around New England (and New York) college hockey
arenas, and Meehan and Schneider are clearly two of the very best around. To the
folks bashing Providence, I ask you: Have any of you people REALLY been to
Providence? Do you have any idea what you're talking about? If you're concerned
about safety, just venture into Detroit or Boston Garden and enjoy.
Also, kudos to coach Paul Pooley for bringing his Providence College team
together brilliantly. Being a lifelong Friar hockey fan (yes, I'm of the few), I
can proudly say that this is one of the top PC squads I've seen in years. The
win over UNH at Conte last week in the Hockey East Quarterfinals was nothing
short of brilliant coaching on coach Pooley's part, and perfect execution by a
hard-working Friar team. PC dominated the flow of the game, and did a flawless
job throughout on the larger (and more favorable to UNH) ice surface. Even UNH's
two goals were on the "garbage" side (i.e. screen-shot through 3 players on the
power-play), illustrating just how in command the Friars were against the Cats.
UNH played hard but were clearly thrown off by the Friar game-plan. I salute
Dick Umile on a great season, and am looking forward to rooting for the Cats
come NCAA tourney time.
As for the Friars, PC showed that that 8-1 romp over BU in February was NOT a
fluke, and the Friars' 4-1-3 record in their last eight games (which also
included a 7-0 shutout over Lowell and a 6-6 regular season tie with the same
Wildcats) shows them to be one of the hottest in the country. Regarding the
Friday Semi-Final at the Garden, I admit that Maine is superior (and who
wouldn't?), but hey, you never know! The way PC is playing...I don't know what's
going to happen. But win OR lose on Friday, one thing's for certain--coach
Pooley and the Friars have made their mark, and there are going to be great
seasons of hockey at PC in the years ahead.
Andy Dursin
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