Takeaway’s From The Ledyard Bank Championship
By Brendan Locke — January 9, 2025
Providence is a Frozen 4 team.
There you go—after four hours of driving, four hockey games, and two days committed to this tournament, that’s the takeaway.
I hope you continue to read this, but if there is one thing you can tell your friends that will make them say, “Wow, that person knows college puck,” just tell them the Friars are going to be making a deep run this postseason.
I had never been to the Ledyard Bank Classic before, and quite frankly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This event is really one of a kind in the New England scene, as teams will head west to Milwaukee or Vegas. But up in little old Hanover, New Hampshire, for 35 years, they’ve been pulling this tournament off, and it seemingly gets better year after year.
After the day 1 victory over Alaska Anchorage Dartmouth coach Reid Cashman spoke: “I think the upper valley is a hockey community, it’s been a hockey community since 1905… the town supports it, the school does a great job… we get calls all the time teams want to come here… this is one of the most beautiful places in the country and there’s just something magical about it.”
He’s not wrong.
Hanover, New Hampshire is a Hallmark Christmas movie set in real life.
The town is decorated to the nines, and you walk down the street and pass the players from the teams in the tournament going window shopping just as you are.
Every bar and restaurant that you walk into you get the same question “You here for the classic?” It’s an amalgamation of skiers, professors, and the hockey community supporting their event. I would strongly encourage anyone who is a New England hockey fan to do the same. (Shoutout to Molly’s downtown home of the $2 margarita, I did not indulge but I will be back.)
To the hockey
Providence and Northeastern bat leadoff to kickstart the event, before the break PC coach Nate Leaman mentioned that “I almost wish there wasn’t a break” playing their best hockey of the year. The Friars cruised in November going 8-2 and topped it off with a sweep at home over #8 Colorado College.
On the other end of the see-saw we have Northeastern, the Huskies sat 5 games below .500 and despite a backs-against-the-wall win over Boston College at the end of November, could not rally and dropped their next 2 Hockey East matchups to UNH and Merrimack to finish off the break.
If you are going to beat this Providence team, you need to lead from the front.
After a scoreless first period where the Huskies controlled most of the play Northeastern had to be thrilled with where they were at, then just 47 seconds into the 2nd…
This is where PC gets you, you fall behind and they just make it impossible to come back. With forward lines that come at you in waves and big strong defensemen that rarely misstep, what does get through the Phil Svedeback usually isn’t a difficult save.
Then this happens.
Now you’re dead, chasing the puck and trying to force things a disaster for any team, never mind one that is searching for an offense like Northeastern.
Northeastern would get one back, with an individual effort from Jack Williams to make it 2-1 halfway through the 3rd period. But a Graham Gamache goal with 3 minutes left would all but end it.
PC never looked stressed for a moment and came away with a 3-1 victory.
Game 2
That was 2 teams that I had seen multiple times throughout the season and was familiar with names and play styles.
The next game I was the complete opposite, with the hosts of the tournament, Dartmouth, and a team that’s 4,558 from my home base in Boston the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage.
This game turned into a good old-fashioned shootout!
With a great crowd on hand, Dartmouth scored first and jumped out to a 1-0 lead just moments into the game. Alaska challenged for offsides, and the goal got called back, straight off the next faceoff Dimitry Kebreau would strike to make it 1-0 Seawolves.
So the Big Green went from striking first and leading from the front to looking up at the scoreboard and trailing in the span of about 7 seconds.
However, it would not take long to turn the tides and level the score.
Dartmouth would answer just a minute later via Nikita Nikora to make it 1-1 and Dartmouth would begin to flex their muscles a bit a take over the game.
Alaska would find another with 5 minutes remaining in the 2nd to regain the lead, this time via Cole Connor and completely against the run of play the Seawolves took the lead into the 1st intermission.
Dartmouth would knot us up again at 2-2 from Cooper Flinton who come up huge down the line, yet the Seawolves would find another, this time…
From the logo!
Insert Peyton Pritchard's video halfcourt shot… ok maybe the stakes are slightly different, but still!
Then a Dartmouth barrage came including this beauty, that even made it to our Insta page!
Alaska would tack on a late goal to make it 5-4 with under 5 minutes remaining but the Big Green battened down the hatches with a handful of key blocks at the end, namely from their captain, a New Hampshire native Cooper Flinton.
“I always know someone in the stands. I always feel at home whether that be at St. Paul’s or even here… it’s a little further away but every game means that much more to me”
Dartmouth would survive the early chaos and hang on at the end for a 5-4 win over a plucky Alaska team.
Day 2
Northeastern would face off with Alaska in the 3rd place game in a game it felt like the Huskies needed, or else things may begin to slip away.
Alaska gave them everything they could handle and more including taking a 3-2 lead with 5 minutes remaining in the game.
But stop me if you’ve heard this before, a Hryckowian brother came up clutch. This time Dylan, via the top line for the Huskies with Jack Williams and Cam Lund, they needed it and they got it.
In overtime, Cam Lund stepped in and saved the day.
The Huskies survived the Seawolves and got a win that they will look to string into a streak. With a favorable draw of the schedule in 2025 the Huskies have a small gap in the door, but they can’t misstep to avoid it slamming in their face.
Championship
This was an acid trip of a hockey game.
Phil Svedback, potentially the best goalie in Hockey East this season, let up 3 goals on 5 shots in the first period. And they weren’t great either, it was like watching a car crash in slow motion. A shocking display from the Bruins draft pick who has been so steady for the Friars. Combined with Dartmouth controlling much of the tempo of the game it felt like Dartmouth may be able to jump on a top 10 team and get a signature win on this magical season.
PC would then put the clamps on and take over the game, I asked head coach Reid Cashman why it was so difficult to get through the neutral zone against PC.
“It’s their reloads… their forwards you might get by them, but they’re coming. So they’re going to catch you from behind and then their D keep everything in front of you.”
Dartmouth wouldn’t get through the neutral zone very often the rest of the game…
They mustered a mere 2 shots on net the entire period and PC took over. They would capitalize twice taking the lead via Will Logan banging home a rebound at the end of the 2nd.
As you previously read, if you are trailing to PC, then you are dead.
A late push from the Big Green could not generate much if any offense.
PC would walk away winners of the Ledyard Bank Classic and would collect another trophy earlier this week in the Mayor’s Cup over Brown.
This team has little to no weaknesses and has been rolling week in and week out, since October.
Adding Trevor Connelly back to the lineup as he makes his return from gold at the World Junior Championships bolsters this lineup further. With all of that being said, what is the best thing that the Friars have going for them?
They are having fun doing it.
“One of the high school teams in Rhode Island watched us practice over the break, one parent said to me after your guys have a lot of fun. You know, we’ve won seven in a row so that helps, but they’ve bought in and we have a great group… it’s a lot of fun coming to the rink as a coach and it’s a lot of fun for them.”
That encapsulates it, I have not seen a team this season that gets louder on the bench for a blocked shot or zone clearance. Combining that with the quality of players and system.
The sky is the limit for this team.
