Dutchmen to meet Friars in regional final

by Ryan Fay

Top-ranked Union will face 10th-ranked Providence in the East Regional final, set for 3 p.m. today at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.

The game will be the first meeting between the last two Union head coaches, current bench boss Rick Bennett and his predecessor, Nate Leaman. The latter was Union's head coach from 2003-2011. Bennett, then Union's associate head coach, was elevated to the top job within hours of Leaman's departure.

Both coaches have done well since. Bennett, a former player and assistant coach at Providence, has a 77-27-16 record in his first three seasons. He has guided Union to two ECAC Hockey regular season championships, three straight ECACH postseason titles, three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and the program's lone Frozen Four appearance.

Leaman took over a Providence program that went 25-60-17 in the three seasons before he arrived. But he has engineered a turnaround, going 53-44-17, including 22 victories this year. Providence has made three consecutive appearances in the Hockey East Tournament semifinals and is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

The connections between Union and Providence extend beyond the head coaches.

Friars assistant coach Ben Barr was on Leaman's staff at Union from 2008-2011.

Providence forward Trevor Mingoia was recruited to Union by Leaman. Mingoia played the 2011-2012 season with the Dutchmen before leaving the program in Oct. 2012. He finished last season with the U.S Hockey League's Tri-City Storm and committed to Providence in March.

Providence forward Drew Brown originally committed to Union, but decommitted and followed Leaman to Providence.

Bob Driscoll, Providence's athletic director, was an assistant athletic director and baseball coach at Union from 1977-1981. He served as interim men's hockey head coach during the 1977-1978 season after then head coach Ned Harkness and the team quit. Driscoll went 0-19 with a roster comprised of intramural and junior varsity players.

The final can be seen on ESPN2.

The winner advances to the Frozen Four April 10-12 in Philadelphia.

Follow @UnionHockeyBlog