Preview: No. 11 UConn vs. No. 15 Providence

How to watch

Date: Friday, Nov. 7 | Saturday, Nov. 8

Time: 7 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. ET

Location: Toscano Family Ice Forum, Storrs, CT | Schneider Arena, Providence, RI

Stream: ESPN+

Providence Friars

Record: 3-3-1 (1-1-0 Hockey East)

Location: Providence, RI

Head coach: Nate Leaman (15th season)

USCHO Poll: No. 15

Scouting the Friars 

A projected top-3 conference matchup awaits UConn this weekend as it gears up for a home-and-home with No. 15 Providence. The Friars, voted to finish runner-up in Hockey East to BU, have a deep and capable roster, one that head coach Nate Leaman hopes could bring a national championship back to Rhode Island for the first time since his team’s dominant run in 2014-15.

So what about this year’s Friar team? Providence came in at No. 9 nationally in the preseason poll and rose as high as No. 7. Then the Friars were swept by current No. 2 Michigan in their first two games of the season, getting outscored 8-2 at home and outshot by a wide margin. That’s the only real blemish on their record thus far. The sweep is bracketed by a 2-1 win over No. 5 Quinnipiac, albeit in a preseason exhibition, and a four-game unbeaten streak only recently snapped last Saturday in a 5-1 loss to UMass Lowell — during which Providence started a 19-year-old freshman in net. 

During their unbeaten stretch, the Friars ran over RPI 5-1, beat and tied with St. Thomas and grabbed a win of their own over the River Hawks, scoring 17 goals over the four games.

The youth movement in Rhode Island is apparent. Underclassmen have controlled much of the scoring for Providence with the team’s top four leaders in points all just freshmen or sophomores. Team leader John Mustard (5-3–8) had 20 points all of last year but has started this season with a point in each of Providence’s seven games. Freshman Jonathon Fauchon ranks second, joining the team after winning MVP of the QMJHL with 103 points in 64 games. The top four is rounded out by sophomore Logan Sawyer (1-5–6), a 2024 third-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, and sophomore Will Elger (4-1–5), who had just 18 points in 36 games last season. 

The biggest name to tab on Providence is freshman center Roger McQueen. Selected No. 10 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft by the Anaheim Ducks, his 6-foot-5 frame and unique skillset make him a legitimate NHL prospect and sure-fire big leaguer someday soon. His campaign is off to a slow start — no goals and four points in seven games — but that’s somewhat to be expected for a 19-year-old adjusting to the physicality so famous in Hockey East. 

Defensively, Providence has struggled to find its footing in the season’s early going. Providence’s 84 blocked shots are the fourth-lowest in Hockey East so far this year, while UConn’s 116 are tied with Maine for the second most. 

The goaltending has struggled, too. Leaman has tried his hand with two of three rostered goalies and found scattered success with either. Senior Philip Svedebäck made every start in the team’s first six games and has now surpassed 100 appearances with the Friars over four seasons. In the team’s 7-4 win over St. Thomas on Oct. 25, Svedebäck allowed three first-period goals and was pulled for freshman Jack Parsons, who impressed enough to earn another start as the Friars mounted a comeback win. The two split starts next weekend against UMass Lowell and while Svedebäck got back on track with a 25-save win, Parsons struggled, allowing four goals in the loss. Both goaltenders have a save percentage under .900 and a GAA around 3.00.

Svedebäck’s established track record makes him more than likely to start Friday — if not Saturday, too — against UConn, though it could see Parsons or even fellow freshman Aaron Matthews at some point as Leaman tries to sort out his net-minder struggles. 

Series history

In 29 all-time matchups, UConn is just 7-16-6 against Providence. Recent matchups between the two have fared more even with the Huskies 3-3-3 against the Friars dating back to the 2021-22 season. In three games last year, the two split the season series before UConn grabbed a 3-1 win in the Hockey East quarterfinal round.

By the numbers

2 — Only two UConn skaters (Huston Karpman and Trey Scott) have yet to record a point this season. Mike Murtagh’s two-goal game against Merrimack rocketed him to the top of UConn’s leaderboard, now tied with Jake Richard for seven apiece. Providence has five players with zero points. 

7 — The Friars have converted seven power play goals on 23 attempts. Their 30.4% success rate is No. 7 in the nation while UConn is No. 22 in the nation at 22.2%.

9 — There are just nine players from the 50 states on Providence’s roster, zero of which are from Rhode Island. They do have 10 players from Canada, two from Czechia, and one from Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Germany, each. UConn has 16 players from the U.S., and two — Joseph Odyniec and Ryan Sanborn — are from Connecticut. 

57 — Providence ranks third in the nation in face-off win percentage with a 57% conversion rate, just under Bowling Green (58.8%) and Wisconsin (57.9). The Huskies rank No. 34, winning draws 49.4% of the time. 

95 — Providence’s freshman forward Roger McQueen wears No. 95 after Lightning McQueen from Disney’s Cars franchise. So, so fitting for the top-10 prospect.

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