In a game that the Knights are hoping will help vault them back into the National rankings, Clarkson travels to Rhode Island for a rare weeknight game against the Friars of Providence College. Providence is the Knights 3rd straight Hockey East opponent and the 2nd this season that Knights fans will remember from the old ECAC Days.
Providence got off to a good start with a 6-1 win vs Sacred Heart. They also have 2 exhibition games under their belt, a 5-2 win over Western Ontario and a 4-2 loss to Quinnipiac. Providence Associate Head Coach, Ron Rolston is a former Assistant Coach with the Knights. From 1996 to '99 Ron helped the Knights to an ECAC Title in '99 and played a key role in the development of some of Clarkson's best pro's,(Willie Mitchell, Erik Cole, & Kent Huskins). The Friars return 5 of their top 6 point producers from last season and their top returning D is Sr Max Crozier (7-16-23), who a 3rd Team All Hockey East. In net, the Friars will look to Bruins draft pick Philip Svedeback, who played against Sacred Heart to earn the win with 15 saves and also made 22 saves on 26 shots in a 4-2 loss to Quinnipiac in an exhibition game.
For the Knights,
Noah Beck was named ECAC Defenseman of the Week after a 2 goal and 2 assist performance on the weekend.
Ethan Haider played in both games last weekend. He made 63 saves on 70 shots. The Knights will look to rebound against a team that historically has been a good matchup for them. Clarkson leads the all time series, 36-18-2. In the past few years both teams have meet in various locations including the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the 2017 Friendship Four in Belfast, with their last meeting at Cheel in Oct of 2019, a 4-2 Providence win.
Hockey East, like the ECAC, has a streaming agreement with ESPN+, so tonight's game will air on ESPN+ and can be heard on B99.3 FM.
