Acciari, Friars set for first Frozen Four appearance in 30 years

Matt Metcalf, Sports Editor
Posted 4/7/15

A majority of youth hockey players growing up in Rhode Island have a common goal – to one day play for Providence College.

Only few have actually achieved that goal – players like Warwick’s …

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Acciari, Friars set for first Frozen Four appearance in 30 years

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A majority of youth hockey players growing up in Rhode Island have a common goal – to one day play for Providence College.

Only few have actually achieved that goal – players like Warwick’s John and Dave Cavanagh, Cody Wild and Drew and Mike Omicioli.

Add former Hendricken All-Stater Noel Acciari to that list.

Acciari, who’s a junior captain for the Friars this season, has already had a collegiate career to remember.

But what he and the Friars accomplished last weekend will be forever etched in the school’s record book.

Entering the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed, the Friars were placed in the East Region to be played at none other than the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

The Friars certainly defended their home turf, downing top-seeded Miami of Ohio, 7-5, before punching their ticket to the school’s first Frozen Four since 1985 with a 4-1 win over Denver in the regional final.

Having a big hand in both wins was Acciari, pacing the Friars with a goal and an assist against the RedHawks and a power play goal against the Pioneers.

For his efforts, Acciari was named the region’s Most Outstanding Player, but there was no question that the team’s accomplishment far exceeded any personal accolades.

“It’s a great feeling and it’s a great group of guys to go with,” Acciari said of his team making it to the Frozen Four. “We’re excited, but we’re trying to stay level-headed and have a good week of practice.”

With the wins coming in Providence, it felt like the accomplishment was about more than just this year’s team, as the community really rallied around the team and gave them a true home crowd at the ‘Dunk.

Providence’s attendance for the two-day tournament far exceeded that of the other three venues. Providence recorded an attendance of 14,228, while Fargo, N.D., had the second highest with 10,590.

For the Friars and Acciari, the draw couldn’t have been better.

“It was an unbelievable experience playing in Providence,” Acciari said. “Our fan base was unbelievable. Our students were bussed over from school and we had great support from them. It was great that everyone from around the state came out to support us, and we were glad that we could get the wins to make it to the Frozen Four.”

Individually, Acciari has been one of the top all-around forwards in the Hockey East this season. Currently, he has compiled 30 points over 39 games on 14 goals and 16 assists, but it’s everything else that Acciari brings that makes him so valuable to the team.

He leads the Friars in plus/minus, faceoff percentage and blocked shots, so it came as no surprise that the Hockey East tabbed Acciari as the league’s Defensive Forward of the Year – marking the third-straight season that a Friar has captured that award. Tim Schaller won the award in 2012-13 and senior captain Ross Mauermann was selected last season.

“It’s a good feeling to get that,” Acciari said. “To follow up Tim Schaller two years ago and Ross Mauermann last year is a great feeling. I have to give credit to our defensemen – our defensive core is really good. And of course our goalie, Jon Gillies, gives us the defensive help that we need.”

In addition to the statistical numbers, which speak for themselves, Acciari carries a winning persona about him, a factor that surely played a role in him getting voted as a captain on this year’s team.

“It’s great to be a captain, but I have to thank my coaches and teammates for voting for me,” Acciari said. “It’s a good feeling to be a hometown guy and to be able to lead the team to where we are now.”

The pair of Friars’ wins set up a Frozen Four match-up against the Midwest Regional champion, Nebraska-Omaha. That game is set for 5 p.m. on Thursday at the TD Garden.

The Frozen Four appearance was undoubtedly satisfying after getting so close a season ago, falling in the East Region final to the eventual national champion, Union College.

After that loss, the team was hungry to get back to that spot and take the next step. That experience certainly paid dividends this time around.

“Being there last year was a good experience,” Acciari said. “I think we were a little satisfied with just getting there, but this year we had a bigger goal in mind in getting past the regional and making it to the Frozen Four. Making it to the region final last year and losing helped us prepare a little better and mature as a team.”

Omaha is a favorable draw on paper, as Boston University, who will essentially be playing a home game, and North Dakota will meet in the other Frozen Four game – arguably the two top teams in the nation.

Acciari was adamant that the Friars can’t take anyone lightly at this point, though, as every team has made it this far for a reason.

“They’re a top four team at this stage of the game and they have a hot goalie,” Acciari said. “They can run all four forward lines, so I think we need to just play our game and play like we did in the second period against Miami. I think it’s going to be a good game – anyone can beat anyone at this time.”

As a captain, Acciari is playing a role in making sure his teammates are focusing on the task at hand, as the Frozen Four appearance was a great achievement, but now there is a bigger goal in mind.

“Things have been kind of crazy with the media and everyone congratulating us, but we have to put everything behind us going into Thursday,” Acciari said. “We have to treat it like it’s just another game. A two-game sweep is what we need to focus on.”

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