Pregame notes and line combinations from Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island before Miami and Providence meet in the second NCAA East Region Semifinal on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Welcome inside the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island where the 2015 NCAA Division 1 Men's Ice Hockey Championship East Regional continues with Providence College taking on top-seeded NCHC champion Miami. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m.
The game will be televised on ESPNU with John Buccigross and Barry Melrose on the call.
The Friars dropped a tight three-game series to New Hampshire in the Hockey East quarterfinals, both by 2-1 scores, but returns to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.
Junior Nick Saracino is the team's leading scorer with 33 points, after finishing second to current senior Ross Mauermann, including three goals and four points in his last four games. Mauermann was named Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star for a second consecutive year.
Third-year Jon Gillies' 1.95 goals-against average and .931 save percentage lead Hockey East and rank among the top seven goaltenders in the nation. The Flames prospect is just the second Friar ever to earn consecutive Hockey East First-Team All-Star honors.
Despite less than a three-mile distance from PC's Schneider Arena and the Dunk, the Friars are playing downtown for the first time under head coach Nate Leaman and since November 2004 when they faced Merrimack in the Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Pot.
The RedHawks are the tournament's No. 4 overall seed, topping the field in Providence. Miami has made the NCAA field nine times in the last ten years and 12 times in program history, but has not defeated a Hockey East team in the national tournament since toppling host New Hampshire in the 2007 Northeast Regional.
Miami senior Blake Coleman scored a hat trick in Saturday's 3-1 NCHC championship win over St. Cloud State, but will not play as he also received his third game misconduct of the season. Austin Czarnik leads the RedHawks with 34 assists and 43 points.
Junior Riley Barber closely follows Czarnik with 40 points on 20 goals. His status was questionable for the entire week, according to head coach Enrico Blasi, as he suffered a knee injury last Saturday night.
PC and Miami will be meeting for the fourth consecutive season tonight after the teams after not playing since 2000-01. Tonight marks their 11th all-time meeting with the series tied 4-4-2.
Here are tonight's lines:
FRIARS (22-13-2, 13-8-1 Hockey East)
Shane Luke - Ross Mauermann - Trevor Mingoia
Nick Saracino - Noel Acciari - Brian Pinho
Kevin Rooney - Mark Jankowski - Brandon Tanev
Steven McParland - Stefan Demopoulos
Jake Walman - John Gilmour
Kyle McKenzie - Josh Monk
Tom Parisi - Anthony Florentino
(extra) Mark Adams
Jon Gillies
Nick Ellis
Brendan Leahy
REDHAWKS (25-13-1, 14-9-1-1 NCHC)
Conor Lemirande - Colin Sullivan - Devin Loe
Cody Murphy - Justin Greenberg - Andrew Schmit
Alex Wideman - Sean Kuraly - Alex Gacek
Anthony Louis - Austin Czarnik - Kevin Morris
Louie Belpedio - Matthew Caito
Chris Joyaux - Ben Paulides
Scott Dornbrock - Taylor Richart
Jay Williams
Ryan McKay