Duran has Providence on doorstep
Bruins draftee leading Friars’ push for NCAAs
There was never much doubt that Riley Duran was going to be a hockey player.
The Woburn native’s journey began at the age of 4 when he would hit the ice for his older sister Kayla’s mite hockey practices at O’Brien Rink, and continued in elementary school when he attended practices at Woburn High, where his father, Jim, is the coach.
“I remember just going to practice every day after school and trying to play with the big guys,” said Duran.
These days, it’s Duran who is considered one of the big guys. The 6-foot-1-inch, 194pound forward is toward the end of his junior year with Providence, which is very much in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament with four games to play in the regular season.
“When he plays his best, he’s playing a power game,” said Providence coach Nate Leaman. “He’s involved with plays along the wall. He’s involved with taking pucks to the net. He’s heavy over the puck when he’s playing his best hockey.”
Duran took a bit of a winding road before landing with the Friars, one that would lead him to playing his freshman year in high school for his father before moving on for one season at Malden Catholic. After he announced his commitment to Providence, he finished up with two seasons at Lawrence Academy, where he posted 22 goals and 22 assists in 27 games as a senior leading up to the 2020 NHL Draft.
The wait to hear his name called was longer than usual, as the draft, typically held in late June, was pushed back to October because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Duran’s patience would pay off when the Bruins selected him in the sixth round.
“It was really cool,” said Duran. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up, and so I kind of just said, ‘Hey, if I get picked, that’s awesome, but if I don’t, it’s not a big deal.’ Luckily enough, the Bruins grabbed me.”
There was one more pit stop when he played one season with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL before joining Providence in 2021. After his freshman season, he was selected to represent the US at the World Junior Championship and impressed, posting two goals and three assists in five games.
He had a strong showing at Bruins development camp last summer, but probably could benefit from another year with Providence, where he would likely have more of a leadership role as a senior.
That’s a decision that can wait, however, as the Friars (17-10-3, 10-7-3) are 10th in the PairWise, the rating system used to determine the NCAA field. They play three of their final four games at home, beginning with a home-and-home series with Merrimack that begins Thursday at Schneider Arena before moving to North Andover Friday.
Playoff positioning will be on the line. Providence is fourth in Hockey East, 2 points behind No. 9 Maine, which has a pair of games at Vermont, and 1 point ahead of No. 13 UMass, which will play a home-and-home with UMass Lowell. The top five teams get a bye for the first round of the conference tournament, with the top four receiving home ice in the quarterfinals.
The Friars will close out the season with a pair of games at home next weekend, beginning with No. 2 Boston University, which will be coming off a bye, and wrapping up against a Northeastern squad that is making a push to host in the first round.
“They’re big games,” said Duran. “Hockey East is really close right now in the standings, and we’re just trying to make the tournament this year. There’s been a little drought the last couple of years, so we just have one goal right now and it’s just to win some hockey games.”
Weekend plans
At 17 th in the PairWise, UNH is on the outside looking in at the tournament field but could play its way back into contention if it can knock off No. 1 Boston College. The home-and-home series begins Friday at Whittemore Center and concludes Sunday at Conte Forum . . . Harvard concludes its regular season at home with games against Yale and Brown this weekend. The Crimson reside in eighth place in the ECAC, 1 point ahead of Yale and Princeton for the final spot to host a first-round playoff game . . . The Atlantic Hockey playoffs begin this weekend. Bentley narrowly missed out on a bye, but will host Robert Morris Saturday night in the single-elimination first round. The Falcons have been stingy on defense, allowing two or fewer goals in 20 of their 34 games, and are fifth nationally in fewest goals allowed per game at 2.29. Sophomore Connor Hasley was named the conference’s Goaltender of the Month after going 3-0-1 in February with a .952 save percentage and a 1.23 goalsagainst average for the Falcons. Holy Cross earned a bye with its second-place finish and will host a quarterfinal series beginning March 8.