BOSTON — It is possible to get Jon Gillies rattled, at least in practice.
Providence College defenseman Mark Adams was laughing Wednesday while recalling the time he nearly decapitated his star goaltender.
FROZEN FOUR
At TD Garden, Boston
Thursday
• Nebraska-Omaha (20-12-6) vs. Providence (24-13-2), 5 p.m.
• Boston University (27-7-5) vs. North Dakota (29-9-3), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
• Championship, 7:30 p.m.
“I was coming back from a leg injury and I forgot that you’re not allowed to shoot high on Jonny. It’s a joke me and him have. I’m not great at controlling my shots like the forwards are,” Adams said.
Adams’ first shot in that practice whizzed above Gillies’ ear. He apologized. His next shot whistled by Gillies’ other ear. Another apology.
And then …
“I came back down the third time and I actually hit him in the head. So he wound up, did a fake baseball swing at me and I actually fell,” Adams said. “He was kidding, but I thought he was serious. He did scare me.”
Imagine how Gillies’ opponents feel.
Gillies, the 6-foot-5 junior from South Portland, has won 58 games at Providence College, 13 of them shutouts. He’s the main reason the Friars (24-13-2) are in the Frozen Four for the first time in 30 years, facing newcomer Nebraska Omaha (20-12-6) at 5 p.m. Thursday at TD Garden.
“He’s very, very competitive, does not like to get scored on in practice either,” said Providence College forward Trevor Mingoia. “I think that’s the best thing about him. He allows us to make some more creative plays knowing that he’s going to be able to bail us out once in a while.”
Providence College defeated top seed Miami of Ohio and Denver two weeks ago to earn the trip to its fourth Frozen Four. Gillies made 52 saves in those wins. This playoff run is the reason he passed on the chance to turn pro with the Calgary Flames last spring and returned for his junior season.
“I knew that the team we had in our locker room and the type of character players on and off the ice, that I would have the privilege of playing with once again,” said Gillies, a third-round draft pick by the Flames in 2012. “It was a couple-day process, but at the end of the day, the reason you come back to college hockey is to be a part of something like this and have a chance to compete for a national championship.”
Providence College meets a Mavericks team coached by the legendary Dean Blais, who led North Dakota to national championships in 1997 and 2000 and is in his sixth year in Omaha. It’s definitely the less-heralded matchup. North Dakota meets Boston University in the second game at 8:30 p.m. Those programs have 43 Frozen Four appearances and 12 titles between them.
The Friars and Terriers are Hockey East rivals of the University of Maine, which hasn’t reached the Frozen Four since back-to-back appearances in 2006 and 2007, giving this event a distinct local flavor.
Gillies, who is 3-1 in NCAA tournament play, said he’s learned not to be fazed by such moments.
“I think one of the big things in a game like that is not to overemphasize it in your mind, not treat it more than it is,” he said. “It’s the same game of hockey, and you’ve got to remember to have fun with it. You’ve just got to prepare the same way and not do too much, not try to do too much, just stick to what makes you successful and what’s made you successful all season.”
Nebraska Omaha also relies on a stellar goaltender. Ryan Massa had a breakout season as a senior, leading the nation with a .939 save percentage. The Mavericks’ top seven scorers are freshmen and sophomores. Nebraska Omaha advanced to its first Frozen Four with victories over Harvard and Rochester Institute of Technology.
“He was a Superman at the start of the year. He really held us in every game, stopping maybe 15 quality shots. We’ve reduced that a lot, but still he’s the reason why we’re here,” Blais said of Massa, before comparing him to Gillies.
“I think (Gillies is) really technical, where he doesn’t give you a lot to shoot at. I think Ryan Massa is a little bit more athletic, maybe a little bit better athletically and side to side. But Gillies, if he sees the first shot, he usually stops it. So our thinking with that is we’ve got to get rebounds, we’ve got to get tip-ins, we’ve got to shoot through legs and get ugly goals if that’s what it takes. So we’re prepared for him.”
Gillies, who is likely to turn pro after this tournament, will be prepared as well.
Adams, one of four seniors on the Friars’ roster, raved about his goaltender’s ability to keep his head.
“I’ve never seen someone that calm in certain situations,” Adams said.
“Mistakes are going to happen throughout the game. It’s part of hockey. But having Jonny on the back end like that, it’s definitely settling. He’s a terrific goalie.”
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