History of Friar
Women’s Hockey
Important Names/Events
1974-75: The 1974-75 season was the inaugural
campaign of women’s ice hockey at Providence.
Under head coach Tom Palamara, the first-year
team played opponents such as Boston College and
Boston University, finishing its inaugural season
with a 0-8-0 record.
2003-04 Hockey East Champions: The 2003-04
squad captured its second Hockey East tournament
title and its third league title. It defeated New
Hampshire, 3-0, to win the Women’s Hockey East
Tournament title. They also posted a 21-13-2 mark
overall for the season, their 13th 20-win campaign
and their 27th with a winning record.
Championship Teams
2004-05 Hockey East Champions: The 2004-05
squad captured its third Hockey East tournament
title and its fourth straight league title in as many
years. The team also won the Hockey East regular
season title and earned the program’s first NCAA
Tournament bid.
1983-84 ECAC Champions: The 1983-84 Friars
were the first women’s ice hockey team to win the
ECAC Championship title. Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed, the Friars dealt No. 4
Princeton a 4-0 loss in the semifinals. The Friars
then defeated New Hampshire, 1-0, in overtime to
finish the season with a 21-2-0 record.
1984-85 ECAC Champions: The 1984-85 squad
captured the ECAC Championship title. It marked
the second-consecutive season that the Friars won
the league title. The team finished with an 18-2-1
record overall for the season. The Friars defeated
Northeastern, 2-1, in the Semifinals, followed by
a 4-2 victory over top-ranked New Hampshire in
the Championship.
1991-92 ECAC Champions: The 1991-92 Friars
defeated three-time defending champion New
Hampshire, 2-1, at Schneider Arena to capture the
ECAC title. The 1991-92 squad finished the year
with an impressive 22-2-1 record.
1992-93 ECAC Champions: The 1992-93 team,
which posted a 21-5-3 record overall, met New
Hampshire once again in the ECAC Championships. The Friars, who defeated Dartmouth, 3-2,
in the semifinals were victorious again, defeating
New Hampshire, 3-0, for the ECAC Championship title.
1993-94 ECAC Champions: The 1993-94 Friars
posted a 19-8-4 mark for the season and defeated
Northeastern in the ECAC Championship game.
PC’s third-consecutive ECAC Championship
title came after the Friars defeated Dartmouth,
4-1, in the quarterfinals, New Hampshire, 3-2,
in the semifinals and Northeastern, 5-2, in the
Championship game.
1994-95 ECAC Champions: The 1994-95 team,
which was ranked fourth in the ECAC, brought
home the team’s sixth ECAC Championship title.
The Friars skated to a 2-1 overtime decision over
New Hampshire in the title game and finished the
season with an 18-9-4 overall record.
2001-02 ECAC Eastern League Champions:
For the first time in seven years, the Friars
captured an ECAC title as the team won the
ECAC Eastern League Championship. The Friars
defeated Northeastern, 1-0. The 2001-02 Friars
finished the season with an impressive 20-13-4
mark under coach Bob Deraney.
2002-03 Hockey East Champions: The 2002-03
squad captured the Hockey East regular season
and tournament titles, winning the regular season
with a 13-1-1 record and then defeating UNH,
1-0, to win the inaugural Women’s Hockey East
Tournament title. They also won a school-record
24 games, posting a 24-6-6 mark overall for the
season.
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Important Names in Providence Women’s Ice Hockey History
This list only includes those Friars who are in the PC Hall of Fame, earned AllAmerica accolades, were Olympians, rank in the top-10 in overall scoring, was a
top goaltender, coached the team to a championship or were instrumental in the
growth of the program.
Chris Bailey ‘94 played for three consecutive ECAC Championship teams (‘92, ‘93, ‘94), capturing the championship title
three of the four years she played at PC. In her senior year,
Bailey was third on her team in goals scored (11), assists (17),
and points (28). Bailey played at the World Championships in
1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000. She tallied six assists while playing for the US Women’s National Team. She also played on the
Gold Medal US Olympic Team in 1998 as well as the Silver
Medal Olympic Team in 2002. Bailey returned to Providence
College after graduating in 1994 to serve as an assistant coach of the Friars for two
seasons. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of
the 1998 Olympic Team.
Laurie Baker ‘97 was one of the top all-around players ever at
Providence College. She ranks third all-time in points scored
in a single season with 71 during the 1996-97 season. That
same season, Baker recorded the second-highest single-season
goal total at PC with 43. Despite playing just two seasons at
Providence, she ranks 11th all-time at PC for goals scored with
75. Baker’s final year as a Friar resulted in an incredible 43
goals, 28 assists and 71 points. Baker was an ECAC All-Star
First Team Forward in 1997 and the ECAC Rookie of the Year
in 1996. Among other accomplishments, she was named USA Hockey Player of
the Year in 1997 and helped the 1998 US Olympic Team win the Gold Medal in
Nagano, Japan, as well as the 2002 squad capture the silver medal in Salt Lake City.
She also played in the World Championships in 1997 and 2000. Baker was named
Providence College Athlete of the Year in 1997. She was inducted into the Hockey
Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of the 1998 Olympic Team.
Jackie (Gladu) Barto ‘84 began appearing on the Friar records
list her freshman year. As a rookie, she was the leading scorer
on her team with 31 goals that first season (1980-81) and later
went on to score 40 goals in a her senior year, making her the
fourth leading goal scorer in a single season ever at PC. In her
PC career as a hockey player, Gladu tallied 113 goals, 87 assists
and 200 points, making her the No. 5 all-time leader in points.
In 1981 and 1984, she was named Providence College Athlete
of the Year, making her the second freshman to ever receive
that title. In 1994, Jackie Barto (previously Gladu), became the head coach of the
Friars. Her coaching career proved to be successful as well, as her 1994-95 squad
won the ECAC Championships. In her five-year career as a coach, Barto posted a
70-53-10, mark giving her a .563 winning percentage. In 1994-95, Barto was named
New England Hockey Writers Coach of the Year and also holds a place in Providence
College’s Hall of Fame. In addition to hockey, she also played field hockey and
softball as a Friar. She later served as a coach of both these teams. Currently, she
is the head coach at Ohio State University.
Important Names/Events
Beth Beagan ‘92 helped her team to the ECAC Championship
title her senior year, but her hockey career didn’t end there. She
went on to play at the World Championships in 1990, 1992 and
1994. Beagan was named to the ECAC All-Star Team her junior
and senior years, as she tallied an impressive 174 points for the
Friars in her career, which ranks her in PC’s top 10 in points
scored. She also ranks fifth all-time with 105 assists.
Bob Bellemore ‘66 was one of the top goaltenders to have ever
played at The College. Bellemore ranks fifth all-time with a
career goals against average of 3.12 for the men’s team. In
his sophomore year (1964), he helped the Friars win their first
ECAC title and gain their first berth in the NCAA Final Four.
Bellemore also starred on the baseball team, captaining the squad
in his senior year. Bellemore began his coaching career as the
part-time assistant men’s ice hockey coach and in 1972, he joined
Lou Lamoriello’s staff as a full-time assistant coach until 1986.
In 1986-87, Bellemore held the title of Arena Director of Schneider Arena. Bellemore left PC in 1987 to become the goaltending coach for the New Jersey Devils.
He returned to PC in 1991 to finish his master’s degree and to become the assistant
women’s ice hockey coach, a position he still holds. In 1984, Bob was inducted into
the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.
Helen Bert was the pioneer of female athletics at Providence
College. In 1971, she was appointed as the first woman in the PC
athletics department as she became the Coordinator of Women’s
Athletics and was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director, later
emerging as Associate Athletic Director under Lou Lamoriello.
Bert helped establish 12 Division I varsity women’s sports
at Providence College and was recognized nationally for her
programs. On February 24, 1984 Bert became the first woman
inductee of the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame. She
also was inducted into the North Providence Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the
Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1996. Helen Bert opened up many doors for
female athletes, and will be remembered and celebrated for her crusade.
Alana Blahoski ‘96 played in an impressive 121 games for the
Friars, registering 35 goals and 48 assists for 83 career points.
She helped the Friars capture three ECAC Championship titles.
As a defenseman, she was named ECAC Player of the Year, New
England Hockey Writers Player of the Year and Providence College Athlete of the Year in 1996. Blahoski helped the US bring
home a Gold Medal in the 1998 Olympics and played in the World
Championships in 1997, 1999 and 2000, recording two goals and
four assists for the US Women’s National Team. Blahoski also
played softball for PC. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as
a member of the 1998 Olympic Team.
Lisa Brown-Miller ‘88 dominated during her four years playing
for the Friars, registering 92 career goals. She registered 154
career points from 1984-88. In 1985, her freshman season, she
scored the winning goal against New Hampshire as PC captured
the ECAC Championship title. In 1988, she was the ECAC
Division I Player of the Year. She also made the ECAC All-Star
Team her sophomore and senior years. Brown-Miller played for
the 1998 Gold Medalist US Olympic Team. She also played on
six US Women’s National Teams (1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996
and 1997), recording 13 goals and 25 assists in 30 games. She was inducted into the
Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of the 1998 Olympic Team.
Cindy Curley ‘85 tallied an incredible 225 points in her career
as a Friar between 1981 and 1985, ranking third on the College’s
all-time scoring list. She scored more than 60 points in two different seasons for the Friars. She ranks fourth all-time on PC’s
goal scoring list with 110 goals and third on the school’s all-time
career assists list with 115. Curley played at the World Championships in 1987, 1990, 1992 and 1994 and she was selected
to the All-Tournament Team in 1990. She led the Friars to their
first two ECAC Championship titles, scoring the winning goal in
the ECAC Championship in 1984, and was one of the first women’s hockey players
to be named to the ECAC All-Star Team her senior year. Curley was also the first
women’s hockey player to be awarded PC’s Paul Connolly Award, given to a senior
female who is both a distinguished athlete and student. She was inducted into the
Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sara DeCosta ‘00 was one of the greatest netminders in Friar
history. She allowed just 177 goals and made an amazing 2,324
saves as a Friar. She finished her PC career with a .929 save
percentage and a 2.15 goals against average. In her sophomore
and junior years, she was named to the ECAC All-Star Team. She
was named PC’s Athlete of the Year in 1998 and 1999. In 1999
and 2000, DeCosta was an All-American selection, making her
the first women’s ice hockey player to earn All-American status.
DeCosta was named to the US Olympic Team in both 1998 and
2002, helping the US to the Gold Medal in 1998. She also played in the 2000 World
Championships. DeCosta earned USA Hockey Player of the Year honors in 2000
and 2002. She was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member of
the 1998 Olympic Team.
Bob Deraney will be entering his 11th season as head coach
of the Friars. His last 10 seasons with the women’s ice hockey
program have proven very successful. His 2001-02 squad skated
to the ECAC Eastern League Championship title, and the next
three teams (02-03, 03-04, 04-05) each captured Hockey East
Championship titles. In his first year coaching at the college,
Deraney guided the Friars to their 10th 20-win season. In 2005,
the Friars finished first in their league and posted a 21-11-5 record overall. Prior to coaching at PC, Deraney was a goaltender
at Boston University where he played on some of Head Coach Jack Parker’s most
successful teams, winning the Hockey East Championship his junior year. He
then went on to the NHL training camps with the New York Rangers and Boston
Bruins. He later played minor league hockey, playing for the Johnstown Chiefs of
the ECHL and the Flint Spirits of the IHL. He began his coaching career in 1989
where he spent one season at Northeastern followed by three seasons working on
the Dartmouth staff. Deraney then spent five seasons as the top assistant coach at
UMass-Amherst before coming to PC.
Susan Duffy ‘82 was one of the first great female hockey players at Providence College, tallying 195 points in her hockey
career. In her sophomore year, the team posted its first 20-win
campaign. In 1982, she served as a co-captain and was instrumental in bringing her team to its first-ever appearance in the
EAIAW Championships
Cammi Granato ‘93 is one of the greatest women’s hockey players in the world. She was named ECAC Player of the Year three
consecutive seasons at PC and made the ECAC All-Star team all
four years. Granato led the Friars to two ECAC Championship
titles and finished her career with an amazing 256 points, the
most any women’s ice hockey player has recorded at the College.
She is also the leader for single-season points with 84 (1992-93),
goals with 48 (1991-92) and assists with 43 (1992-93). She is
the all-time leading goal scorer at Providence College with an
impressive 139 career tallies, and ranks second all-time in assists with 117. She played
for Team USA after PC and posted 343 points from 1990-2005. Among numerous
accomplishments, Granato played at the World Championships on nine occasions,
as well as for the US Olympic teams in 1998 and 2002 where she was the team’s
captain both years, capturing the gold medal in 1998. In 1992 and 1997, Granato
made the World Championship All-Tournament Team and in 1996 she was named
USA Hockey Player of the Year. In 2007, she became the first female to recieve the
NHL’s Lester Patrick Award. In 2008, she was inducted into the Providence College
Athletic Hall of Fame and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. She is the first female to
receive the prestigious honor. She was inducted into the Hall in 2009 as a member
of the 1998 Olympic Team.
Kristin Gigliotti ‘07 played in 140 games during her four-year
span as a defenseman for PC. She finished her career with 103
points on 40 goals and 63 assists. She helped the Friars to the
Hockey East Championship in 2004 and 2005. She was named
a New England Hockey Writer’s All Star in 2006 and 2007 as
well as a Second Team All-American in 2006. Gigliotti was
also selected as a Hockey East First-Team All Star in 2006 and
2007. She finished her career ranked second all-time with 258
penalty minutes.
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Important Names/Events
Kelli Halcisak ‘04 was one of the top defenders all-time at PC.
After spending her freshman year at Ohio State, where she led
the team in scoring with 40 points (13 goals, 27 assists), she
transferred to PC. She tallied 119 points (43 goals, 76 assists)
as a Friar. She helped the Friars win three-consecutive league
championships (2002 ECAC Eastern League, 2003 and 2004
Hockey East). Halcisak was named an ECAC All-Star in 2002
and a Hockey East All-Star in 2003 and 2004. She was also a
three-time New England Hockey Writers All-Star (2002-04).
She was a member of the silver medal winning 2004 U.S. World Championship
team. Halcisak was also the first Providence defender to be named an All-American
(Second Team 2003, First Team 2004). She was also chosen represent team USA in
the 2007 IIHF Women’s World Championships.
Kathy Lenehan ‘81 paved the way for future Friar hockey greatness. She scored 154 points in three seasons with the Friars and
broke records throughout her career when women’s hockey at
PC was improving and gaining prominence. Lenahan notched
84 career assists. She ranks fourth all-time for assists in a singleseason with 35 during the 1979-80 season. Lenehan also starred
for the field hockey and softball teams at Providence.
Heather Linstad ‘89 was one of the first of a long line of high
scoring forwards to lead the PC women’s hockey program to
prominence. In her Friar career, she scored 76 goals and tallied
72 assists for 148 points. Her senior year, she registered the most
goals (18), assists (30), and points (48) for her team. Linstad was
named to the ECAC All-Star Team and received ECAC Player
of the Year honors her senior year (1989). She served as the
women’s ice hockey head coach at Northeastern, and she has held
the same title at Connecticut for the last nine seasons.
John Marchetti has the highest winning percentage of any
women’s ice hockey coach at PC (.779 percent). From 198094, he coached the Friars to a 262-69-15 record. Marchetti led
the Friars to all but two ECAC title games in his 14 years as a
head coach. Under his coaching, the Friars brought home the
championship title five times (1984, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994).
Marchetti, who also served as the women’s hockey head coach
at Yale, stands at fourth all-time in the NCAA Division I record
book for wins by a women’s hockey head coach with 292.
Vicki Movsessian-Lamoriello ‘94 was one of the top defenders all-time at PC. From 1990-94, she played in 89 games,
tallied 12 goals and 41 assists for 53 points. She helped the
Friars capture the ECAC title in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Movsessian was named to the ECAC All-Star Team three times and
was also a two-time New England Hockey Writers All-Star
(1992-93, 1993-94). She played in the 1994 and 1997 World
Championships as well as the 1998 Olympics in Nagano,
Japan where she helped the US capture a Gold Medal. She
was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009 as a member
of the 1998 Olympic Team.
Kelly O’Leary ‘90 was one of the toughest defensive competitors
in the history of Friar hockey. From 1986-90 she played in 98
games, tallied an impressive 63 goals and 60 assists for 123 career
points. She also recorded 108 penalty minutes. Her 108 penalty
minutes rank 12th-most all-time at PC. O’Leary was named to
the ECAC All-Star Team in both her junior and senior years as
a Friar. She was also named ECAC Player of the Year for the
1989-90 season. In 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997, O’Leary played
in the World Championships for Team USA. She was named to
the World Championship All-Tournament Team three times (1990, 1994, 1997).
Stephanie O’Sullivan ‘95 was one of the greatest forwards ever
at Providence College, finishing her career with an incredible
126 goals, 127 assists, and 253 points. O’Sullivan dominates the
Friar record book as she is second in career points, first in assists
and second in goals scored. She also is ranked fifth in points,
goals and assists in a single season. O’Sullivan was named the
1991-92 ECAC Rookie of the Year as a freshman and Player of
the Year her senior season in 1994-95. She also was named an
ECAC All-Star First Team forward three years in a row from
1992-1995 and played in the World Championships in 1994, ‘97, ‘99 and ‘00. She
tallied 10 goals and 13 assists for the US Women’s National Team in just 20 games.
In 2008, she was inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame.
Tom Palamara was the first head coach of the women’s hockey
program at Providence College. Palamara, a sophomore at the
College at the time, coached the team for the first six years of
its existence. After finishing 0-8-0 in their inaugural season, the
team turned things around and by its third season it posted its
first of 21 straight winning seasons.
Mary Ellen Riordan ‘82 scored an impressive 214 points with
106 goals and 108 assists for the Friars. She ranks fourth alltime at Providence for both points and assists. Her coach John
Marchetti once said that she was, “A very solid player who can
play both offense and defense.”
Jessica Tabb ‘01 was one of the most accomplished players
ever for the Friars. She was the ECAC Rookie of the Year in the
1997-98 season, a 2001 All-American, a New England Hockey
Writers All-Star her sophomore through senior years and was the
Providence College Athlete of the Year in 2001. Tabb also was
named to the ECAC All-Star Team her sophomore and senior
years. She ranks ninth all-time in points with 170 and eighth in
goals scored (86). Her 34 assists in a single season ranks seventh
all-time. Tabb played for the 1996 Under-19 National Team and
the 1999 and 2000 Under-21 National Teams as well. She was one of three Friars
to be named to the 2003 World Championship team.
Karen Thatcher ‘06 finished her career with 167 points in 132
games played, ranking her tied for 10th all-time. She had a hand
in PC’s Hockey East Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005. A top10 Patty Kazmaier Finalist, Thatcher led the team in scoring for
the second-straight time in 2005 with 47 points. She was named
Hockey East Co-Player of the Year in 2005. She earned the
Hockey East Sportsmanship Award three-consecutive seasons
as well as All-Academic honors. Thatcher was named an AllAmerica Second Team selection, a Hockey East All-Star, New
England Hockey Writers All-Star and Providence College Athlete of the Year in her
final season with the Friars. Since graduating, Thatcher has played with the US
National team, including the 2008 and 2009 IIHF Championships where she helped
Team USA to back-to-back gold medals for the first time in USA Hockey history.
Alison Wheeler ‘97 was a very talented all-around hockey
player. Wheeler was second on her team in scoring (48
points) her rookie season at Providence College and scored
the game-winning goal in the ECAC Championships against
New Hampshire in 1994. She also went on to score yet another
game-winning goal to take home the ECAC Championship title
in 1995. Wheeler ranks seventh on PC’s all-time scoring list in
points (184) and sixth in assists (103), as well as ninth on the
school’s all-time goals list (81). As a sophomore, Wheeler was
named to the New England Hockey Writer’s All-Star team.
The Class of 2005 was one of the most celebrated classes
in Friar history, as it captured four straight league titles in
as many years and earned the program’s first NCAA tournament bid. Members include: Mara Amrhein, Danielle
Bourgette, Hilary Greaves, Emily Gryp, Ashley Payton,
Christina Redmond, Amy Thomas and Rush Zimmerman.
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All-Americans/Players of the Year
Sara DeCosta - All-American
1999 - Second Team
2000 - First Team
Jessica Tabb - All-American
2001 - Second Team
Kelli Halcisak - All-American
2003 - Second Team
2004 - First Team
Kristin Gigliotti - All-American
2006 - Second Team
ECAC Division I Players of the Year
Lisa Brown
1988
Karen Thatcher All-American
2006 - Second Team
2005- Hockey East Player of the Year
Heather Linstad
1989
Cammi Granato
Stephanie O’Sullivan
1991, 1992 & 1993
1995
Kelly O’Leary
1990
Alana Blahoski
1996
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Providence College Hockey History
The Beginnings
Providence College was founded by Bishop Matthew Harkins during the 700th anniversary of the Dominican Order. The doors were to open on
September 22, 1918, but with World War I raging in Europe, it was decided to postpone the opening until the following fall. On September 17, 1919,
71 undergraduates registered.
Women’s hockey became a varsity sport at Providence College during the 1974-75 season. It started as an intramural sport during the previous
year at the College and was well received, so Helen Bert, who was in charge of women’s athletics at Providence, moved to have it become a varsity
program. The Friars did not win a game that first season but saw much improvement over the next four seasons. By the 1979-80 season the Friars
finished with one of the best records in college hockey at 20-2-0. It was the first of twelve, 20-win seasons for the program. Unfortunately, statistics
were not diligently kept for several of the early seasons and only the team’s win-loss records are available.
The first record of a Friars’ victory is during the 1976-77 season at Boston University. Providence defeated the Terriers, 9-1, as it registered the
first winning season in the program’s history with a 9-4-0 record.
The Championships
Over the years, Providence College has been one of the top programs in college hockey. The Friars have won 10 tournament championships during their 31 seasons. Providence won back-to-back titles in 1983-84 and 1984-85, four in a row from 2001-02 to 2004-05 and four in a row from the
1991-92 season through the 1994-95 season. Three squads that earned unique distinction at Providence were the 1984 team, the 1992 team and the 2003
team. The 1983-84 Friars was the first women’s ice hockey team to win the ECAC Championship title. Entering the tournament as the No. 1 seed, the
Friars dealt No. 4 Princeton a 4-0 loss in the semifinals. The Friars then defeated New Hampshire, 1-0, in overtime to finish the season with a 21-2-0
record. The 1991-92 Friars defeated three-time defending champion New Hampshire, 2-1, at Schneider Arena to capture the ECAC title. The 1991-92
squad finished the year with an impressive 22-2-1 record. The 2002-03 squad captured the inaugural Hockey East regular season and tournament titles.
PC won the regular season with a 13-1-1 record and defeated New Hampshire, 1-0, to win the inaugural Women’s Hockey East Tournament title. They
also won a school-record 24 games, posting a 24-6-6 mark overall for the season. By claiming the inaugural Hockey East title, Providence now can lay
claim to having not only played a key role in founding both the men’s and women’s Hockey East leagues, but being its first champions.
The Coaches
A total of five people have held the honor of coaching the Providence College Friars. The inaugural 1974-75 season was rough for the Friars and
the team’s head coach Tom Palamara. The squad, which started the year before as an intramural team, had to learn how to play the game of hockey
as it practiced. Palamara, a sophomore at the College, coached the team for the first six years of its existence. After finishing 0-8-0 in its inaugural
season the team turned things around and by its third season it posted its first of 21-straight winning seasons. After the 1979-80 season, the program’s
first 20-win campaign, Palamara stepped aside and John Marchetti became the Friars’ second head coach.
John Marchetti led Providence during its most successful era of hockey to date. From 1980-94, the Friars won five titles and posted an impressive
record of 262-69-15. The team won the inaugural ECAC tournament in 1983-84 and only failed to reach the finals twice in the next 10 years. From
1991-92 through 1993-94, Providence won three-straight ECAC titles and went 62-15-8 overall.
Jackie Barto, a 1984 graduate of the College, took over the reins of the program for the 1994-95 season. Barto, a former three-sport star while
at Providence, led the squad to its fourth-straight and sixth title overall in her first season and was named the New England Hockey Writers Coach of
the Year. Coach Barto, like the student-athlete Barto, was a three-sport coach for field hockey and softball as well as hockey. The Friars made a fifth
straight appearance in the ECAC title game during the 1995-96 season but fell to New Hampshire in five overtimes, 3-2. Barto left after the 1997-98
season to become the head coach at Ohio State and was replaced by Tom Sheehan. Sheehan coached the Friars for one season and posted a 13-10-1
record.
In 1999-2000, Providence hired current coach Bob Deraney, who had been the top assistant coach at UMass-Amherst for the previous five seasons.
Deraney’s squads have posted 20-win seasons in five of his 10 campaigns and won titles four of those years. In 2001-02, their last year in the ECAC,
the Friars defeated Northeastern, 1-0, at Storrs, Conn. to win the Eastern League title. After becoming a founding member of the new women’s Hockey
East, Providence has earned two regular season and three tournament championships. By winning the Women’s Hockey East tournament, Providence
College has the distinct honor of having been the inaugural champions for both men’s and women’s Hockey East tournaments.
The Players
Most importantly, the players have shaped the history of Friar hockey. Providence College has produced its share of incredible hockey players.
However, there are some names that have become synonymous with Friar hockey. Granato, DeCosta, Baker, Bailey, Blahoski, Thatcher, BrownMiller, Movsessian-Lamoriello, Curley, Riordan, Barto, O’Sullivan, Tabb, Bugden, and Duffy have all placed their names at the top of the Friar record
books.
In the program’s history, there have been seven All-Americans, 33 ECAC All-Stars, six ECAC Players of the Year, two Hockey East Players of
the Year, 18 Hockey East All-Stars, 24 New England All-Stars, three New England Players of the Year, four Patty Kazmaier nominees, 11 Olympians
and four USA Hockey Players of the Year. Currently, Providence hockey alumni can be found throughout the hockey world in both the coaching and
playing ranks. Some of the more prominent positions include Jackie Barto as the head coach at Ohio State and Heather Linstad as the head coach at
Connecticut. Several former players play professionally in Canada, Europe and for USA Hockey. The 1998 U.S. Olympic Team was recently inducted
into the Olympic Hall of Fame. PC holds the honor of sending seven players, the most of any college, to Nagano, Japan to help earn gold in the first
ever women’s hockey event in the Olympics.
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