Providence and Boston College were the No. 1 and No. 4 ranked teams, respectively, in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey through Christmas.
They won't be following Monday's results in Estero, Fla.
The Friars, last year's national champions, lost for the first time in 19 games with a 2-1 overtime setback to No. 9 Cornell in the first round of the 2015 Florida College Hockey Classic. Jeff Kubiak connected just under three minutes into sudden death for the Big Red to hand Providence its first loss since mid-March.
In the nightcap at Germain Arena, BC squandered an early 2-0 lead en route to a 3-2 loss to unranked Ohio State, which had won just three times in all this season entering the tournament. John Wiitala's goal seven-and-a-half minutes into the third period stood up as the game-winner for the Buckeyes, who were outshot, 32-19, by the Eagles. BC's Miles Wood is suspended for today's game after incurring a checking from behind penalty and game disqualification in the final five seconds of regulation.
BC and Providence will meet in today's consolation contest at 4:05 p.m. ET, followed by the title tilt between Cornell and OSU at 7:05 p.m. ET. Cornell has participated in every Classic since the event began in 2000, and has claimed the tournament title four times (2003, 2005, 2008, 2013). The Buckeyes are seeking their first-ever Classic crown after previously finishing third in 2001 and 2002, where they bested the Big Red in the consolation game both of those years.
ADDENDUM: Providence edged BC, 2-1, in the consolation, while OSU bombed Cornell, 8-0, to win the title going away.
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