The University of Connecticut men’s hockey team hits the road for Providence on Thursday before hosting the Friars Saturday evening.
UConn only managed one point against Merrimack last weekend. The Ice Bus lost 5-4 on Friday and won a shootout against the Warriors on Saturday night.
The Ice Bus is 3-4-1 on the season and 1-2-1 in Hockey East. Providence is 5-1 on the year and are 2-0 in Hockey East after sweeping the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Their lone loss came last Saturday against the always formidable Quinnipiac.
The Friars went 23-11-2 last year, making the NCAA tournament before losing to Quinnipiac in the opening round. They are poised to make another run at the 2027 tournament.
Joey Muldowney has started to heat up for the Ice Bus after a slow first few games. The forward had an overtime game winner against Boston University two weeks ago and had two goals and three assists in the games against Merrimack last weekend. He will continue to be a driving force in head coach Mike Cavanaugh’s offense this weekend.
Two other skaters to watch are Kaden Shahan and Jeremy Loranger. Shahan cooled down against Merrimack, but the junior had a goal in all three of his previous games.
Loranger transferred in from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and has made an instant impact for the Huskies. He got his first goal in a loss to Boston University and accumulated three points against Merrimack. The Canadian’s presence adds a new wrinkle to a UConn team who lost a lot of key offensive pieces to the NHL and graduation.
Kam Hendrickson and Veeti Louhivaara have split time as goalie eight games into the season. The Huskies are 3-1 when Hendrickson plays and 0-3-1 when Louhivaara is the goaltender. Despite the loss last week, Hendrickson has 142 saves on the season and will serve as a tough test for the Friars.
Jonathon Fauchon and Ryder Cali lead the Providence offense with four goals each. The Friars have outscored opponents 22-11 so far to start the season. Logan Sawyer and Julius Sumpf are also threats, each having seven assists on the year.
Jack Parsons is the main starter in net for the Friars. He is 4-1 on the season including two shutouts. The sophomore has 141 saves on the young season, but has allowed three power play goals, something the Huskies can take advantage of.
UConn is 7-17-6 all-time against Providence. They went 0-2-1 against the Friars last season, including a shootout win. This matchup will be a tough test for two teams that made the NCAA tournament the past two years and who are hopeful to make another run at the dance again.
Thursday’s puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Schneider arena, and Saturday’s game at Toscano Family Ice Forum is set for a 5 p.m. puck drop. Fans can watch the Ice Bus in action on ESPN+.