UConn takes down Providence in Hockey East Quarterfinals, 3-1

UConn men’s hockey is shipping up to Boston for the second time in program history. On Friday, the 4-seed Huskies defeated the 5-seed Providence Friars 3-1 in the Hockey East Quarterfinals at Toscano Family Ice Forum and will move on to the semis at the TD Garden next week.

Hudson Schandor, who went down with an injury in the first period, scored a game-tying goal late in the second period before Joey Muldowney put UConn ahead 20 seconds into the third then finished it off with an empty-netter.

Tyler Muszelik was spectacular in net, stopping 32 of 33 shots while making big saves when called upon.

The Huskies owned the bulk of the possession early and parlayed that into the first power play of the night. While it should’ve been a prime opportunity for them to take the lead considering the unit entered on a 10-game goal streak, Providence went ahead on a shorthanded goal.

The Friars broke out of the zone on a 2v1 rush and out-skated UConn’s back-check up the ice to score on a cross-ice pass in transition. Just like that, the visitors went up 1-0.

From there, Providence took over with long stretches of zone time. When the Huskies recovered the puck, they struggled to navigate the Friars’ heavy forecheck and often failed to clear it. Even though Providence owned an 18-9 edge in attempts in the opening 20 minutes, UConn’s defense held on to keep the deficit at one.

In the middle stanza, the Huskies had a few quick looks on the doorstep but couldn’t finish. Later, they got their second power play but couldn’t convert and remained down 1-0.

Schandor refused to let it stay that way, though. After going down with an injury in the first period, he was limited to just two shifts in the second.

He made them count. On the latter, Schandor ended up wide open at the top of the circles, where he collected a pass from Muldowney and buried the chance to even the score at 1-1 with 3:25 left in the period.

It didn’t stay tied long. 20 seconds into the third, Muldowney blasted a one-timer to put UConn ahead 2-1. Later in the period, Providence nearly tied it when Nick Poisson had a free look on the back post but Muszelik robbed him with a pad save.

As the clock wound down, the Huskies remained on the front foot and held the Friars in their own zone. That pressure meant Providence couldn’t pull the goalie until 1:05 remained. Soon after, Muldowney knocked the puck out of the zone and it ended up in the goal for the empty-netter with 47.4 remaining to extend UConn’s lead to 3-1 — which became the final.

This will be the Huskies’ second time going to Boston after making their first trip in 2022. The semifinals are set for next Thursday at TD Garden, though they won’t learn who they’ll play (or when) until the rest of the quarterfinal matchups are decided tomorrow.

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