Providence came out in the 3rd period with the same fight and urgency that they played with all night. They never sat back and turtled and, as a result, Cornell’s push didn’t amount to much of anything. Big Red did show some fight but ultimately Providence’s Hayden Hawkey was squeaky clean in this game.
Cornell’s frustrations mounted and, at times, boiled over a bit. Big Red had a chance to crack the egg on the scoreboard with a scramble in front but couldn’t find the back of the net. Appropriate pushing and shoving in front of the net ensued. Don’t worry hockey moms; backup arrived!
The pressure put on by Providence was also a great clock killer and it forced Cornell to pull their goalie earlier than they would have liked. Down 3-0 with just under three minutes to play, the Big Red faithful needed a miracle.
Eventually Brandon Duhaime sealed the deal for the Friars with an empty net goal to make it 4-0. Providence closed out the game strong to preserve Hawkey’s shutout. Friars fans can start celebrating because their team is packing for Buffalo!
It certainly helps drawing your home arena for the first couple of rounds but ultimately the team still has to execute to advance. The Providence Friars certainly did not disappoint the home-fans. After rolling through #1 Minnesota St, they continued their momentum and shutout Cornell 4-0 to advance to the Frozen Four. It will be the 5th appearance for the Providence Friars, the first since 2015, when they won the National Championship.
They will head to Buffalo and prepare for the winner of Minnesota Duluth and Quinnipiac.
Congratulations to Cornell on a great season and a somewhat improbable run as they were looking for their first Frozen Four appearance in school history. Unfortunately for Big Red, they fall one win short of that dream. Providence was the better team all night and earned a well-deserved 4-0 victory.