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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – After erasing two-goal deficit early in the second period, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (4-5-4, 1-4-2) nearly did it again late in regulation, but No. 19 Providence (4-4-2, 1-2-1) was able to stave off a late Husky rush to escape with a 5-4 victory on Saturday night at Schneider Arena.
 
PC jumped out to a 2-0 lead before a Brendan Collier shorthanded goal cut the Friar lead to one at the end of the opening frame. After the Friars extended the lead back to two, Zach Aston-Reese and Adam Gaudette tied the game at three, but a pair of late Providence goals would give the hosts another two-goal lead through 40 minutes. Northeastern continued to fight, though, and brought it to within one with 90 seconds to play on a Dylan Sikura power play tally, but couldn't net the equalizer.

Aston-Reese finished with four points (one goal, three assists) on the night, while Sikura (one goal, one assist), Garret Cockerill (two assists) and Gaudette (one goal, one assist) all logged multi-point nights. Brandon Duhaime, Scott Conway, Josh Wilkins and Jacob Bryson all recorded a goal and an assist to pace Providence, while Hayden Hawkey made 21 stops in goal. Ryan Ruck mad 16 saves in net for Northeastern, while Jake Theut made six stops in 17 minutes of relief during the second period.
 
The Friars held a slight 27-25 edge in shots on goal during a penalty filled event as Northeastern went 2-of-7 on the man advantage while PC also went 2-of-7. Providence, though, dominated the face-off dot, winning 45-of-67 draws.
 
Goal descriptions:
• Providence struck first with 11:56 remaining in the period with a face-off goal from Foley. Following a clean win from Alex Cromwell, Josh Wilkins fired a shot from the left side that Ruck got a stick on, but the rebound popped out above the crease, where Foley quickly settled it and hammered it home for his fifth of the year.
 
• The Friars found the back of the net just 12 seconds later on a goal from Alex Conway. On the ensuing face-off after the Foley tally, Niko Rufo flew down the left side before firing a shot on goal that was knocked into the air, but Conway was there to bat the puck home for his third of the year.
 
• Northeastern closed the gap to one with 2:39 remaining in the first period on Collier's first of the season. With the Huskies on the penalty kill, Zach Aston-Reese won a puck battle along the half wall before spotting Collier cutting to the net. Aston-Reese then flung the puck over to his fellow assistant captain for a one-timer past Hawkey.
 
• Providence regained its two-goal lead just 1:22 into the second period on Bryson's second of the season. With PC controlling the puck in the attacking zone, the puck squirted out to Bryson at the top of the left face-off dot, who then rocketed a slap shot over the blocker of Ruck for the score.
 
• The Huskies continued to fight, though, and made it a 3-2 game less than two minutes after the Bryson goal on Aston-Reese's ninth of the season. As Cockerill sent a pass up to John Stevens entering the attacking zone, Stevens tapped it to Aston-Reese as he flew over the blue line. Aston-Reese then patiently waited out a defenseman as he went for the poke check before cutting to the slot and firing a shot that got through Hawkey.
 
• Northeastern knotted the game at three with 13:18 to go in the second period with a power play tally from Gaudette. As the Huskies moved the puck around the zone, Aston-Reese hit Sikura with a pass in the slot. Sikura then took a couple strides to the right before dishing a backhand pass to Gaudette at the left post for the one-timer past Hawkey.
 
• PC took a 4-3 lead with 5:29 remaining in the second as Duhaime notched his second of the year. Conway began the play by finding Kasper Bjorkquist below the goal line. Bjorkquist then sent a pass up to Duhaime atop the left dot for a one-timer that got over Theut's glove for the score.
 
• The Friars extended their lead to two with less than a minute to play in the period with a power play tally from Wilkins, ripping a one-timer from the right dot inside the left post off a pass from Duhaime on the far side.
 
• Northeastern brought it to within one with 1:30 left in regulation on Sikura's sixth of the year with the Huskies on the power play. NU pulled Ruck in favor of the extra attacker, giving the Huskies a six-on-four skating advantage, and was able to put the puck in a dangerous area in front of Hawkey, and pounded away at it before Sikura knocked it home on the doorstep.
 
Stats of the game:
• Northeastern is now 54-83-17 all-time against Providence.
 
• Aston-Reese moved into a tie for 44th on Northeastern's all-time scoring list with 105 points (44 goals, 61 assists).
 
• Collier's shorthanded goal was his first goal since Nov. 28, 2015 against Colgate at the Friendship Four, a span of 38 games.
 
The road ahead:
• Northeastern will be back in action on Friday when the Huskies host No. 7/7 Minnesota at 7 p.m. from Matthews Arena.