Northeastern and UMass Lowell Square Off for the Fourth Time

Game Notes (.pdf)

Northeastern vs. UMass Lowell • Round 4
Friday night’s clash of Northeastern and UMass Lowell marks the fourth time these two clubs meet in the regular season. The River Hawks own a 2-1 advantage in decisions, but Northeastern’s 2-1 victory over UML counted towards the Ledyard National Bank Classic championship on Jan. 3. UMass Lowell started off the season series with a 3-1 win at Tsongas Arena on Oct. 24 before knocking off the Huskies on NESN in a 6-5 overtime thriller just 20 days ago. Friday’s matchup concludes the three-game Hockey East series, but a Northeastern win would even the win-loss total against the River Hawks on the year. Boston University is the only other team Northeastern is guaranteed to face four times this year, as the Huskies and Terriers face off in the first round of the Beanpot on Feb. 1. (Northeastern and Boston College have the potential to play four games against one another in the second round of the Beanpot.) In the first three meetings, two games have been decided by one goal as UMass Lowell has outscored Northeastern, 10-8, through 180:34 minutes of play this season. The River Hawks own the overall series record, 52-36-7, and each head coach owns a winning record against the opposing club. Greg Cronin is 11-9-1 all-time against UMass Lowell while Blaise MacDonald has compiled a 15-13-3 mark against the Huskies.

Looking at Lowell
UMass Lowell skates into Matthews Arena on a two-game winning streak with home victories over Merrimack (5-4) and Boston College (3-1). The River Hawks snapped a two-game funk, dropping a set to Massachusetts two weekends ago. Since the calendar switched to 2010, UMass Lowell has compiled a 4-3-1 record and is looking to break the .500 mark on Saint Botolph St. for the month. The River Hawks’ pivotal four-point pickup boost UML into fourth place heading into the weekend, owners of an 8-6-2 conference record, 14-9-2 overall. UMass Lowell’s season has oscillated since the beginning of October, winning eight of its first 11 games, but then losing seven of the last 14 decisions. The River Hawks pride themselves on its league-leading scoring defense, surrendering only 2.40 goals per game. UML’s mark stands as the 12th-best figure in the country. Senior Kory Falite continues to lead UMass Lowell’s offensive attack with a team-best 14 goals and 24 points. Nick Schaus stands as UML’s leading assist generator, as the senior leads the club with 17 helpers. Scott Campbell has netted a club-high four powerplay goals while Jeremy Dehner has compiled a team-best +16 rating through 25 games. Goaltenders Carter Hutton and Nevin Hamilton have anchored UML’s defense with respective records of 8-6-0 and 6-3-2. Hutton’s 2.07 goals against average is eighth best in the country (first in Hockey East) while his save percentage of .926 is 10th (second in Hockey East).

Last Time Out against Lowell
Despite erasing a three-goal deficit in the third period, #14 UMass Lowell dashed Northeastern’s bid at a comeback as Michael Scheu sent in the game-winning overtime goal for the 6-5 win at Matthews Arena on Saturday night. The Huskies outshot UML, 19-7, in the third frame with junior Wade MacLeod sewing up the score at 15:37. UMass Lowell had a trifecta of three-goal leads over the course of the game. Senior Jim Driscoll made it a 5-4 game at 14:49 of the third, marking his first goal since Feb. 27, 2009 against the River Hawks. UMass Lowell took command early, tallying the first three goals of the contest before senior Kyle Kraemer stopped the bleeding at 15:23 of the first period. Chris Auger lit the lamp right off the bat and wristed a quick bullet past rookie goalie Chris Rawlings at 1:17 of the opening stanza. Paul Worthington was the beneficiary of a behind-the-back pass from Kory Falite at 7:53 of the first. Ben Holmstrom wrangled the puck off the boards, sent it to Falite on the corner who whipped it behind to Worthington’s waiting stick for the 2-0 buffer. Jeremy Dehner added another UML tally at 11:20 with a goal from his own rebound. Dehner grabbed the carom from his initial blast, peeled around the net, and stuffed it past Rawlings’ outstretched right pad for the 3-0 cushion. At 7:47 of the second, Campbell beat Rawlings right in front on Schaus’ rebound to negate Kraemer’s tally and maintain the three-goal advantage, 4-1. Steve Silva’s contact to the head roughing call with five seconds remaining in the second handicapped NU’s numbers in the final 20 minutes, but the Huskies immediately rallied to start the third thanks to freshman Jake Newton’s first-career shorthanded goal at 00:55. Scheu cashed in on the Silva penalty at 1:52 of the third on a feed from David Vallorani. Scheu banged home the pass on Rawlings’ glove side to reclaim the three-goal edge, 5-2, but Northeastern roared back with three unanswered to extend the game to overtime. Steve Capraro’s tripping penalty at 15:26 gave way to MacLeod’s equalizer at 15:37. A Falite-to-Scheu give-and-go goal was the dagger in Northeastern’s comeback with just 16 seconds remaining in overtime. Scheu crashed the post and tipped in Falite’s feed at 4:34 for the win.

Huskies Leaders against UMass Lowell
Wade MacLeod has tallied a team-best nine points (4-5-9) through 10-career games against UMass Lowell while fourth-year skaters Kyle Kraemer (4-3-7) and David Strathman (1-6-7) have each collected seven points against UML. Greg Costa (3-3-6) and Tyler McNeely (1-5-6) are owners of six points against the Lowell natives whereas Steve Silva has registered five points (2-3-5). Jim Driscoll (2-2-4), Chris Donovan (0-4-4) and Jake Newton have logged four points and Mike McLaughlin (2-1-3), Alex Tuckerman (1-2-3) and Garrett Vermeersch (0-3-3) have contributed three points. Rookie Robbie Vrolyk registered an assist on Jan. 9.

Northeastern in Game Before the Beanpot
With the 58th annual Beanpot Tournament lurking on February 1, it should be noted that the Huskies have amassed a 20-34-3 record in games immediately before the Beanpot.

Huskies Add Some ‘Power” to the Line Up
Mike Power, who last skated with the Green Mountain Glades of the EJHL (Eastern Junior Hockey League) during the 2007-08 season, will complement the Huskies’ defense by adding size at 6’1, 195 lbs. Power started out his prep career at Buckingham Browne & Nichols (Cambridge, Mass.), skating with the club from 2005-07. In his second season, Power captained the Buckingham Browne & Nichols prep bunch under head coach Terrence Butt. The West Roxbury, Mass. native was awarded the 2007 Coach’s Cup in his final season with the team. Power just finished clearing NCAA waivers and has been granted active status on the team.

Looking to Start the New Decade Right
If the Huskies can even the series record against UMass Lowell on Friday night, Northeastern will have put together its first winning month of the season. Before puck drop, the Huskies are 4-3-0 in the month of January. The win would also even out there Hockey East mark to 3-3-0.

Newton’s Not Messing Around
Freshman defenseman Jake Newton has scored eight points in his last seven outings, including four goals and four assists. Newton sent the Huskies to victory with his game-winning powerplay goal against Providence on Jan. 19. The tally marked the rookie’s second-career game-clincher as well as his fourth multi-point performance of the season. The San Jacinto, Calif. native netted his first shorthanded goal the last time UMass Lowell paid a visit to Matthews Arena on Jan. 9 and was named to the Ledyard National Bank-All Tournament team after potting the tournament-winner against the River Hawks on Jan. 3. The rookie blue liner is ranked 20th in the country in freshman scoring and tied for second in Hockey East play. Newton is tabbed 30th in the country in regards to defensive scoring and tied for 10th in the league. Newton is tied for second on the team with 15 points (6-9-15).

Ending the Extra-Man Draught
Jake Newton’s game-winning powerplay goal also ended a three-game powerplay scoring draught for Northeastern. NU’s three-game scoreless powerplay stretch matched a season-long from Nov. 27 – Dec. 5. Northeastern is 23-for-135 (.170) on powerplay chances.

Helpless Tallies
Jake Newton’s powerplay goal and Tyler McNeely’s empty netter against Providence on Jan. 19 both came without any help, marking the second and third unassisted tallies of the year for Northeastern. The Huskies first unassisted marker of the season came from the twig of Alex Tuckerman against Maine on Nov. 14.

Bouncing Back
The Huskies have responded well this season after a setback. Northeastern has accrued a 7-4 record this season in reaction to a loss.

Don’t Call It a Comeback
Northeastern’s 3-1 victory at Vermont marks the first time the Huskies have won a game after trailing upon conclusion of the first period. Northeastern lost its last eight games of the season when facing a deficit through 20 minutes of action. Strangely enough, Northeastern’s two-goal buffer was the first time the Huskies emerged victoriously by a pair of tallies this season. NU also knocked off Providence on Jan. 19 by a pair of tallies, as well.

Is There Anybody In There?
Tyler McNeely iced the game against Providence with Northeastern’s second empty-net goal in three games, marking the captain’s seventh tally of the season. On Jan. 15 at Vermont, Wade MacLeod notched NU’s first empty-netter to seal the 3-1 victory as part of a three-point weekend. The gimmie goal was MacLeod’s seventh tally of the year.

Rawlings Racks Up 1,000 Minutes
Rookie Chris Rawlings’ earned his first start at Colorado College on Oct. 9, 2009 and has since broken through the 1,000-minute mark in net this year. The first-year backstopper has totaled 1110:04 in net and has pieced together a 9-9-1 mark through 19 games played. The North Delta, B.C. native owns a goals against of 2.97 and is stopping pucks at a rate of 90.5 percent.

Stopping Points
Following the 9-2 setback at Vermont on Jan. 16, the Huskies accounted for their 150th total point of the season by way of Wade MacLeod’s tally in the third period. Northeastern also broke through the 50-goal plateau and has chalked up 57 tallies through 22 tilts. On the whole, Northeastern has totaled 155 points this season.

Third Period Lockdown
When it comes to stopping pucks in the third period, Northeastern is tops in Hockey East. The Huskies have surrendered a league-low 16 goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation. The next closets club is Massachusetts with 20.

MacLeod Making Things Happen
Wade MacLeod, last season’ points leader, had his six-game scoring streak put to rest against Providence on Jan. 19. The Coquitlam, B.C. native started off his scoring stretch with a two-point performance against Dartmouth on Jan. 2 and carried it all the way through to Jan. 16. Over those six games, MacLeod gathered eight points, including four goals and four assists. With the hot streak, MacLeod is now tied for the team lead with 17 points (8-9-17). MacLeod’s goal against UMass Lowell (Jan. 9) marked his 75th-career point and he is now sitting at 79 career points (33-46-79). MacLeod is certainly on pace to join the 100-points club by either late this season or early next year. The last Husky to log 100-career points was Mike Morris (2002-07). He finished with 109 points (45-64-109). Only four other skaters in Hockey East have the inside track on MacLeod to reach the 100-point plateau, including Nick Bonino (BU – 97 pts.), Kory Falite (UML – 96 pts.), Brian Gibbons (BC - 89 pts.) and Joe Whitney (BC – 84 pts.)

Captain Coming Through
Northeastern’s captain, junior Tyler McNeely, scored the Huskies’ lone goal in a 4-1 loss to UMass on Jan. 10. McNeely played an integral role in the Huskies’ five goals against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. The Burnaby, British Columbia native recorded Northeastern’s first playmaker (three assists in one game) since Chris Donovan performed the feat against Boston College on Feb. 2, 2009. McNeely and Donovan are the only NU skaters to have logged three points in one game this season, as well. McNeely now has 14 points on the year (7-8-16).

A Goal Every Five Minutes
Northeastern expunged UMass Lowell’s three-goal advantage with a flurry of tallies in the third period on Jan. 9. The Huskies four-goal third period matched a season best in goals scored in one period. The last time NU racked up four goals in 20 minutes was in the 5-2 victory against Maine on Nov. 14. Wade MacLeod’s rifle from the circle extended the game into overtime, but UML’s Michael Scheu dash the comeback bid by netting the game-winner at 4:34 in the extra session.

Mountain Man
Rookie goaltender Bryan Mountain earned his third start in net against Massachusetts on Jan. 10. Mountain turned aside 20 attempts, upping his overall saves total to 68. Mountain did not get much help up front as the Huskies posted a season-low 13 shots against the Minutemen. The Bryn Mawr, Pa. native’s GAA rests at 3.06 with an 86.6 save percentage. Mountain notched his first collegiate victory against Merrimack on Dec. 5, 2-1.

Age Before Beauty
Senior assistant captain Jim Driscoll leads Northeastern with 122 total games under his belt. The Dedham, Mass. blueliner finally secured his first-career two-point outing with a goal and an assist against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. Driscoll most recently scored at Vermont on Jan. 16 and has tallied four goals and 14 assists over his tenure on Huntington Ave.

Freshman Phenoms
Newcomers Jake Newton and Garrett Vermeersch have transitioned nicely into the collegiate ranks as Newton and Vermeersch rank tied for second and fourth, respectively, amongst rookies in Hockey East with 0.68 and 0.67 points per game. Vermeersch recorded his first-career two assists outing against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9 while Newton charted his first-career shorthanded goal along with an assist in the same contest. Newton is T-20th in the country amongst all rookie scorers while Vermeersch is T-22nd.

Get Tuck the Puck…and MacLeod, Too
Out of the 10 games Alex Tuckerman has registered a point in, the Huskies have gone on to win seven of those occasions. NU is also 3-0 when Tuckerman assembles a positive plus/minus rating. Tuckerman is sixth on the team with 11 points, including five goals and six assists. In the 11 games in which MacLeod has tallied at least one points this year. the Huskies have won seven of those contests.

Scoring Schematics
Northeastern’s style of play is represented in its scoring trends. Once the Huskies obtain a lead, they don’t like to relinquish it. When leading after the first period, Northeastern is 3-0 and when tied heading into the final period, Northeastern has won all four episodes. When owning a lead heading into the third, the Huskies are 6-0-1. When Northeastern lights the lamp first, the Huskies are 7-1-1. In one-goal affairs, the Huskies have won five-of-seven tilts.

Powerplay Perpetrators
Against UMass Lowell on Jan. 3, Northeastern lit the lamp in its fourth straight game on the powerplay, marking the third time this season the Huskies have scored an extra-man tally in four consecutive outings. Most recently, Northeastern put away a pair of powerplay tallies in both the Dartmouth and UMass-Lowell games at the Ledyard National Bank Classic. Tuckerman and McNeely turned the trick again against Dartmouth while Tuckerman and Newton’s goals stood enough to earn the victory. Kyle Kraemer and Wade MacLeod’s powerplay blasts against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9 stand as the most recent pair of powerplay goals in one game.

Powerplay Game-Winners
Northeastern has registered four-game winning goals with the extra-man advantage. Junior Steve Silva scored NU’s third goal in a 3-2 win over Bentley in the home opener while Wade MacLeod offered up the lone tally in the 1-0 win over Boston University on Nov. 6. Jake Newton has netted the last two powerplay game-winners, with his first coming against UMass Lowell on Jan. 3 and his most recent was against Providence on Jan. 19.

Huskies Amongst the Elite
Kyle Kraemer’s 0.41 goals per game (8) is tied for 77th in the entire country while Wade MacLeod’s 0.38 tallies per trip are good for 98th.  Jake Newtonhas thursted up the defensive scoring charts as the rookie is now in 30th in the nation amongst defensemen with 0.68 points per game. Newton is also T-20th in the country amongst rookies, second in the conference. Classmate Garrett Vermeersch is tied as the nation’s 22nd highest-scoring rookie with 0.67 points per game. Vermeersch’s mark stands tied for fourth-best amongst all newcomers in Hockey East.

Double-Digit Scoring
Six Huskies have tabulated 10 points or more thus far. Kyle Kraemer and Wade MacLeod lead the way with 17 points (9-8-17) | (8-9-17) while Tyler McNeely (7-8-15) and Jake Newton (6-9-15) are tied for second with 15 points. Garrett Vermeersch (5-9-14) is in fifth with 14 points while Alex Tuckerman has tabulated 11 points (5-6-11).

Score First, Win Later
Of the nine games in which Northeastern has scored first, the Huskies have come away with seven victories. The Boston College (5-1, L) and Providence (3-3, T) games were the only two outings Northeastern did not win when drawing first blood. Northeastern’s victories in which it attacked the scoreboard first came against Colorado College (4-3, Oct. 10), Boston University (1-0, Nov. 6), Providence (4-1, Nov. 20), Merrimack (2-1, Dec. 5), Dartmouth (7-0, Jan. 2) and UMass-Lowell (2-1, Jan. 3) and Providence (3-1, Jan. 19).

Clutch When It Counts
Northeastern has gone into the third period tied with its opponent on four occasions this year. In all four instances, the Huskies emerged victoriously. The first triumph came against Boston University as both squads skated to a scoreless 40 minutes before Wade MacLeod lit the lamp to dash BU’s bid. In the Maine victory, the Huskies erupted for three third-period tallies as NU and MU were locked at 1-1 heading into the final stanza. Against Merrimack, both squads opened the third period owning one goal. David Strathman ended the drama with his second-career game winner. Most recently, Jake Newton put away the tournament-winner against UMass-Lowell, breaking a 1-1 tie.

Multi-Point Performers
Eleven Huskies have chalked up a multi-point game this season as Wade MacLeod leads the charge with five under his belt. MacLeod’s most recent two-point outing was at Vermont (1-1-2). Jake Newton and Kyle Kraemer have turned the trick four times this season while Garrett Vermeersch has logged three multi-point games. Tyler McNeely has posted two while Steve Silva (1-1-2), Drew Muench (0-2-2), David Strathman (0-2-2), Alex Tuckerman (1-1-2) and Chris Donovan (1-2-3) have all notched one multi-point performance. Donovan and McNeely’s three points at Colorado College (1-2-3) and UMass Lowell (0-3-3) remain a team best.

Tuesday Night Showdown at Matthews Arena

Game Notes (.pdf)

Northeastern vs. Providence
Tuesday night’s contest marks the tale of two teams as Northeastern makes its way back to Matthews Arena following a 9-2 setback while the Friars just knocked off Boston University and Maine, respectively, this past weekend. Of all 12 opposing teams Northeastern has on its 2009-10 docket, Providence is one of two teams Northeastern has yet to lose to in its last five meetings (Dartmouth is the others team). Dating back to Oct. 17, 2008, the Huskies beat Providence in four straight before a 3-3 stalemate ended the Friars’ losing streak to Northeastern. A Huskies’ victory would put four points between the Friars, as Northeastern is currently in eighth place in Hockey East (11 points) while PC clings onto ninth with nine points. Providence holds the overall series advantage at 75-49-13. Head coach Greg Cronin is 8-6-2 lifetime against Providence while PC’s Time Army has assembled a 5-7-2 when facing the Huskies. A Tuesday game is a rare occurrence on Northeastern’s schedule. The last time the Huskies tangled on a Tuesday was Nov. 14, 2006 when Northeastern was slighted in a 4-3 overtime battle at Schneider Arena. Northeastern also opened its 2006-07 season on a Tuesday at Boston College on Oct. 10, losing 5-2.

Freshening Up on the Friars
Following the 3-3 tie in Providence on Nov. 21, the Friars dispatched UMass Lowell, 4-2, before losing six straight to Dartmouth, Maine (2), New Hampshire and Boston College (2). Providence rolls into Matthews Arena on its third two-game winning streak of the season with a 9-10-1 record (4-8-1 Hockey East). Matt Bergland directs Providence’s scoring attack with a team-best 18 points and nine tallies. Kyle MacKinnon has totaled 16 points (8-8-16) through 20 tilts while Mark Fayne’s 10 helpers stands a club-high thus far. MacKinnon has spent the most time in the penalty box, totaling 29 minutes on nine infractions while Chris Eppich’s +5 ranking in a Friars’ best. Alex Beuadry has accumulated an 8-8-1 record, allowing only 2.42 goals per game while posting a save percentage of .925. Providence ranks last in the league with 2.40 goals per game but stands tied for second with Boston College in scoring defense, surrendering a meager 2.65 goals per trip. The Friars’ powerplay unit is in eighth place in Hockey East as Providence has converted 13/73 chances (17.8 percent). Providence’s penalty kill has functioned efficiently this season, as its 85.1 percent killing rate (80/94) is second only to Boston College.

Last Time Out against Providence
Senior Greg Costa scored his first goal of the season, 15th career, with help from freshmen brothers Drew and Justin Daniels. It was Drew Daniels’ first-career point and marks the first time this season the sibling connection recorded a point on the same play. Providence rounded out the seesaw battle after Daniel New tied the game up at 10:26 of the third. Northeastern and PC swapped tallies throughout the contest to solidify the stalemate. Freshman Chris Rawlings turned aside 36 shots in net to earn his first-career draw while PC’s Alex Beuadry stopped 32 shots. Northeastern attacked the scoreboard first on a backhander from Costa at 6:23 of the first. Drew Daniels moved the puck up the far boards and fired the puck into the slot to trigger a play. Justin Daniels first shot was obstructed, but Costa was in the perfect position to paddle it past Alex Beaurdy with the backhand for the 1-0 lead. The Friars evened it up at 14:16 with a powerplay blast from New. Senior Dylan Wiwchar was sent off for interference at 12:51 to give PC the extra man. David Brown and Matt Germain cycled the puck around with the extra skater and Brown kicked it out to New just inside the blue line. New utilized a screen in front Chris Rawlings to go top shelf, 1-1. David Brown handicapped the Friars early in the second with a slashing call at 1:28. Kraemer made quick work of the extra-man advantage with a snapshot from the right circle at 1:52 to recoup the lead, 2-1. Immediately off the faceoff, the Huskies took control in PC’s zone and worked it around with Newton and Vermeersch setting up the senior with powerplay marker. Upon conclusion of a Huskies’ powerplay, Providence quickly upped its tempo in transition and carted the puck into NU’s zone. Matt Bergland tied it by tipping it past Rawlings in front, 2-2, at 8:34 with Germain and New receiving credit on the help. Northeastern kept the back-and-forth battle going with its second tally of the frame at 15:13 as Vermeersch deflected a shot teed up from Tuckerman. Tuckerman forced a turnover in Friars’ territory and fed the puck through to the slot. Vermeersch tipped it out of mid-air while standing in front of the crease for the 3-2 advantage. New slipped the game-tying goal underneath Rawlings pad at 10:26 of the third to create the third tie of the contest, 3-3. In overtime, the Huskies logged three shots to the Friars two, but neither team could break the tie.

Huskies Leaders against Providence
Wade MacLeod leads the career charges against Providence with 10 points (4-6-10) in just eight games while Kyle Kraemer (2-4-6) and Tyler McNeely (3-3-6) have both registered six points. Chris Donovan’s five points (2-3-5) ranks fourth on the club whereas David Strathman and Steve Silva have each doled out four helpers in nine and eight games, respectively. Alex Tuckerman and Garrett Vermeersch have each logged a goal and two assists against Providence. Mike McLaughlin has lit the lamp twice when facing the Friars while Jake Newton owns two assists in two-career games against PC. Seven others have recorded a point in their careers against PC.

Don’t Call It a Comeback
Northeastern’s 3-1 victory at Vermont marks the first time the Huskies have won a game after trailing upon conclusion of the first period. Northeastern lost its last eight games of the season when facing a deficit through 20 minutes of action. Strangely enough, Northeastern’s two-goal buffer was the first time the Huskies emerged victoriously by a pair of tallies this season.

Rawlings Racks Up 1,000 Minutes
Rookie Chris Rawlings’ earned his first start at Colorado College on Oct. 9, 2009 and has since broken through the 1,000-minute mark in net this year. The first-year backstopper has totaled 1050:04 in net and has pieced together an 8-9-1 mark through 18 games played. The North Delta, B.C. native owns a goals against of 3.09 and is stopping pucks at a rate of 90.2 percent.

Stopping Points
Following the 9-2 setback at Vermont on Jan. 16, the Huskies accounted for their 150th total point of the season by way of Wade MacLeod’s tally in the third period. Northeastern also broke through the 50-goal plateau and has chalked up 54 tallies through 21 tilts.

Is There Anybody In There?
As part of a three-point weekend, Wade MacLeod sealed the 3-1 victory at Vermont on Jan. 15 with Northeastern’s first empty-net goal of the season. The gimmie goal was MacLeod’s seventh tally of the year.

Third Period Lockdown
When it comes to stopping pucks in the third period, Northeastern is tops in Hockey East. The Huskies have surrendered a league-low 16 goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation. The next closets club is Massachusetts with 19.

MacLeod: A Man Possessed
Wade MacLeod, last season’ points leader, is currently working on a career-best six-game point streak. The Coquitlam, B.C. native started off his scoring stretch with a two-point performance against Dartmouth and hasn’t stopped since. Over the last six contests, MacLeod has gathered eight points, including four goals and four assists. If MacLeod were to registered a goal or assist against Providence, the third-year forward would match Kyle Kraemer’s recent streak of seven games; the longest of any current Husky. MacLeod’s goal against UMass Lowell (Jan. 9) marked his 75th-career point and he is now sitting at 79 career points (33-46-79). MacLeod is certainly on pace to join the 100-points club by either late this season or early next year. The last Husky to log 100-career points was Mike Morris (2002-07). He finished with 109 points (45-64-109).

Captain Coming Through
Northeastern’s captain, junior Tyler McNeely, scored the Huskies’ lone goal in a 4-1 loss to UMass on Jan. 10, marking his fourth point in the last two games. McNeely played an integral role in the Huskies’ five goals against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. The Burnaby, British Columbia native recorded Northeastern’s first playmaker (three assists in one game) since Chris Donovan performed the feat against Boston College on Feb. 2, 2009. McNeely and Donovan are the only NU skaters to have logged three points in one game this season, as well. McNeely now has 14 points on the year (6-8-14).

A Goal Every Five Minutes
Northeastern expunged UMass Lowell’s three-goal advantage with a flurry of tallies in the third period on Jan. 9. The Huskies four-goal third period matched a season best in goals scored in one period. The last time NU racked up four goals in 20 minutes was in the 5-2 victory against Maine on Nov. 14. Wade MacLeod’s rifle from the circle extended the game into overtime, but UML’s Michael Scheu dash the comeback bid by netting the game-winner at 4:34 in the extra session.

Mountain Man
Rookie goaltender Bryan Mountain earned his third start in net against Massachusetts on Jan. 10. Mountain turned aside 20 attempts, upping his overall saves total to 68. Mountain did not get much help up front as the Huskies posted a season-low 13 shots against the Minutemen. The Bryn Mawr, Pa. native’s GAA rests at 3.06 with an 86.6 save percentage. Mountain notched his first collegiate victory against Merrimack on Dec. 5, 2-1.

Age Before Beauty
Senior assistant captain Jim Driscoll leads Northeastern with 121 total games under his belt. The Dedham, Mass. blueliner finally secured his first-career two-point outing with a goal and an assist against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. Driscoll most recently scored at Vermont on Jan. 16 and has tallied four goals and 14 assists over his tenure on Huntington Ave.

Freshman Phenoms
Newcomers Garrett Vermeersch and Jake Newton have transitioned nicely into the collegiate ranks as Vermeersch and Newton rank third and fourth, respectively, amongst rookies in Hockey East with 0.70 and 0.62 points per game. Vermeersch recorded his first-career two assists outing against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9 while Newton charted his first-career shorthanded goal along with an assist in the same contest. Vermeersch is 22nd in the country amongst all rookie scorers while Newton is in 27th.

Northeastern Takes on Vermont at Gutterson Fieldhouse

Game Notes (.PDF)

Northeastern vs. Vermont
Northeastern makes its first trip to Gutterson Fieldhouse since it topped Vermont, 5-3, on Nov. 11, 2008, avenging a three-game Hockey East quarterfinal losing affair from the 2008 season. The Huskies extended stay in Burlington was spoiled in the deciding contest as the Catamounts advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 victory, exactly one night after Dennis McCauley dialed up the overtime winner in game two. A pair of wins for the Huskies would do wonders as Northeastern endured a set of tough losses at the hands of UMass Lowell, 6-5, in overtime coupled with a 4-1 setback against Massachusetts on Sunday night. Despite a 4-9-1 record in conference action, the Huskies lurk just one point behind the Catamounts in the Hockey East Standings and have a chance to shoot up the charts before hosting Providence in a rare Tuesday night home game. In the last meeting between Northeastern and Vermont, the turkey was still settling as the two clubs squared off the Friday after Thanksgiving at Matthews Arena. Vermont claimed victory, 3-2, upping its overall series record over the Huskies to 22-15-4. Out of all the teams in Hockey East, Northeastern has collided with the Catamounts the least. NU and UVM played in the 40th encounter back on Nov. 27. Head coach Greg Cronin has gone 4-9-3 against the Catamounts while UVM skipper Kevin Sneddon has put together a 6-7-5 mark against the Huskies.

Catching Up with the Catamounts
Since Vermont and Northeastern met on Nov. 27, UVM has lost only one game, piecing together a 5-1-1 record. The Catamounts have a couple signature wins on their schedule, including a 6-4 victory at Denver, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, on Oct. 10. Vermont also beat Boston College, ranked #12 at the time, 4-1, and shutout No. 10 Yale, 1-0. Against ranked opponents this season, Vermont has risen to the occasion and gone 5-3-1. After the NU clash, Vermont blanked Yale, 1-0, and then tied Boston University, 3-3. A loss to New Hampshire spawned UVM’s latest four-game winning streak as the Catamounts are riding high from winning their own tournament, the Catamount Cup, on Jan. 2-3. Vermont outlasted Alabama-Huntsville, 4-3, in the first round and won the tournament by downing #12 Minnesota-Duluth, 5-2. Twelve days will separate the tournament victory to the Northeastern game, marking the squad’s longest break on the docket. Senior Brayden Irwin leads Vermont in points (17), goals, (7) and penalty minutes (13-37). Irwin has also factored in three of UVM’s 13 powerplay goals this season, tied for the team lead with Jack Downing and Brian Roloff. Sophomore Rob Madore and senior Mike Spillane have shared time staffing the net as Madore has compiled a record of 6-4-2. Spillane is allowing 3.11 goals per game with a 4-2-0 record while Madore has surrendered 2.93 goals per game. Vermont’s scoring offense is tied for seventh in the league, averaging three goals per game while the defense stands in sixth, allowing 3.06 tallies per trip.
Last Time Out against Vermont
Northeastern was not able to overcome Vermont’s early 2-0 lead in the first period as the Catamounts claimed a 3-2 victory at Matthews Arena. The Catamounts jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the initial period. The Huskies answered twice to cut it to one on two occasions, but David Pacan’s lamplighter at 10:10 of the second proved to be the game winner. Brayden Irwin capitalized at 3:28 of the first after Chris Rawlings’ clearing attempt went astray. Rawlings tried to launch the puck down the far boards, but Irwin intercepted the pass, skated in and wristed one top-shelf for the early 1-0 lead. Jack Downing doubled up at 12:08 after Rawlings lost his stick in the crease. Sebastian Stalberg tossed the puck on net initially to force NU’s netminder to part ways with his stick. Downing took advantage of the vulnerable situation for the 2-0 edge. Kramer’s tally at 6:29 of the second made it a one-goal game. Muench generated the play from the far boards along the blueline as he sailed a pass to Newton in the near slot. Kraemer found a seam, crashed the net and netted Newton’s perfect pass to cut UVM’s lead in half, 2-1. Almost four minutes later, Pacan grabbed another Northeastern turnover in its own zone and zipped it by Rawlings at 10:10 for the game winner. Daniels and junior Wade MacLeod crafted a beautiful give-and-go marker at 9:38 to give the Huskies hope, but Vermont was able to play sound defense to snuff out Northeastern’s comeback bid. Daniels’ goal came on a redirection from MacLeod’s pass as the newcomer tipped it out of mid-air up and over Madore’s glove to set the final count, 3-2.

Huskies Leaders against Vermont
Tyler McNeely (2-4-6) and David Strathman (1-5-6) have posted the most career-points against the Catamounts with six while Drew Muench (2-3-5) and Alex Tuckerman (1-4-5) have each registered five. Kyle Kraemer (3-1-4) is the leading goal scorer with three and joins the four-point club with Wade MacLeod (1-3-4), Steve Silva (1-3-4) and Steve Quailer (1-3-4). Jim Driscoll, Mike McLaughlin, Justin Daniels, Greg Costa and Jake Newton have all made the scoring sheet once in their careers against Vermont.

MacLeod Matches a Career-Best and Passes a Milestone
Wade MacLeod, last year’s points leader, matched a career-best on Sunday night via his eighth assist of the year. MacLeod has scored a point in his last four game, marking the second time in his two and a half year career he has carried a four-game pointstreak into a contest. A goal or an assist against UVM would set a new benchmark for the Coquitlam, British Columbia native. MacLeod  has posted five points (2-3-5) over his four-game stretch as he is tied for second in points (6-8-14) with freshman Garrett Vermeersch (5-9-14). MacLeod’s sixth goal of the season against UMass Lowell also marked his 75th-career point for the Huskies (MacLeod now has 76 with his assist against UMass). MacLeod is most certainly on pace to join the 100-points club by either late this season or early next year. The last Husky to log 100-career points was Mike Morris (2002-07). He finished with 109 points (45-64-109).

Captain Coming Through
Northeastern’s captain, junior Tyler McNeely, scored the Huskies’ lone goal in a 4-1 loss to UMass on Jan. 10, marking his fourth point in the last two games. McNeely played an integral role in the Huskies’ five goals against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. The Burnaby, British Columbia native recorded Northeastern’s first playmaker (three assists in one game) since Chris Donovan performed the feat against Boston College on Feb. 2, 2009. McNeely and Donovan are the only NU skaters to have logged three points in one game this season, as well. McNeely doubled his assists total against the River Hawks and now has six on the season, 12 points in all.

A Goal Every Five Minutes
Northeastern expunged UMass Lowell’s three-goal advantage with a flurry of goals in the third period on Jan. 9. The Huskies four-goal third period matched a season best in goals scored in one period. The last time NU racked up four goals in 20 minutes was in the 5-2 victory against Maine on Nov. 14. Wade MacLeod’s rifle from the circle extended the game into overtime, but UML’s Michael Scheu dash the comeback bid by netting the game-winner at 4:34 in the extra session.

Mountain Man
Rookie goaltender Bryan Mountain earned his third start in net against Massachusetts on Jan. 10. Mountain turned aside 20 attempts, upping his overall saves total to 68. Mountain did not get much help up front as the Huskies posted a season-low 13 shots against the Minutemen. The Bryn Mawr, Pa. native’s GAA rests at 2.56 with an 88.3 save percentage. Mountain notched his first collegiate victory against Merrimack on Dec. 5, 2-1.

Age Before Beauty
Senior assistant captain Jim Driscoll leads Northeastern with 119 total games under his belt. The Dedham, Mass. blueliner finally secured his first-career two-point outing with a goal and an assist against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9. Driscoll has tallied three goals and 14 assists over his tenure on Huntington Ave.

Freshman Phenoms
Newcomers Garrett Vermeersch and Jake Newton have transitioned nicely into the collegiate ranks as Vermeersch and Newton rank third and fourth, respectively, amongst rookies in Hockey East with 0.78 and 0.63 points per game. Vermeersch recorded his first-career two assists outing against UMass Lowell on Jan. 9 while Newton charted his first-career shorthanded goal along with an assist in the same contest. Vermeersch is 16th in the country amongst all rookie scorers while Newton is tied for 25th.

Ledyard National Bank Classic Recap
In winning the Ledyard National Bank Classic, Northeastern picked up its first tournament win since claiming the Badger Showdown on Dec. 28-29, 2008. The Huskies clipped Bowling Green, 4-3, in the first round and claimed the title with a 2-1 triumph against Colgate. On Jan. 2-3, Northeastern won two straight to capture one of six holiday tournaments in Division I action. In the first contest, NU matched up with tournament-host Dartmouth and made a statement by hanging seven goals on the Big Green while the defense smothered DC’s offense to post the second shutout of the season. Seven different skaters lit the lamp as the Huskies’ posted a season-best 20 points in the game. Northeastern also registered a season-best 42 shots on target. The Huskies met up with UMass-Lowell in a non-conference championship bout after the River Hawks routed Holy Cross, 3-0. Even though UML outshot Northeastern, 16-7, in the second stanza, Alex Tuckerman and Jake Newton’s powerplay tallies proved to be enough to take home the trophy with a 2-1 victory.

To the Victor Go the Spoils
Northeastern’s championship victory yielded three post-tournament awards, including two National Ledyard Bank Classic All-Tournament members and the Tournament MVP. Freshman Chris Rawlings stopped all 32 shots in his second-career shutout against Dartmouth and backed up the performance with a 28-save outing in the championship game, anchoring Northeastern’s defense for the victory. The last freshman goaltender for Northeastern to record a pair of shutouts was Brad Thiessen, as he pitched four his rookie campaign (2006-07). Sophomore Alex Tuckerman and freshman Jake Newton displayed sound performances, each recording two goals and an assist over the course of the tournament, bearing All-Tournament honors. Tuckerman logged a 5 x 3 powerplay tally against Dartmouth while Newton piled on for the last goal of the game in even-strength fashion. Both skaters registered assists in the game as well, as Tuckerman and Newton recorded their third and second-career multi-point efforts, respectively, against the Big Green. In the championship game, Tuckerman potted his second powerplay blast to open the scoring while Newton delivered the game-winning goal with the extra skater.

Seven-Goal Surplus
Northeastern’s seven-goal trouncing of Dartmouth marks the largest margin of victory under Greg Cronin’s tenure. The last time NU hit the seven-goal plateau was a 7-3 win at Maine on Jan. 4, 2008. The first time NU touched upon seven tallies under Cronin was a 7-2 victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 30, 2006. The Huskies’ seven-goal win is the largest margin of victory since NU flattened UConn, 10-1, on Oct. 11, 2002.

Three-Point Club
Five Huskies tallied three points at the Ledyard National Bank Classic. Jake Newton and Alex Tuckerman directed the goal scoring with two apiece while both of Tuckerman’s tallies came via the powerplay. Newton delivered the heroics with the tournament-winning powerplay blast with a goal and an assist against DC. Senior Kyle Kraemer and junior Wade MacLeod each recorded a goal and two assists while senior blueliner David Strathman chalked up a trifecta of helpers in two games.

Rawlings Rewarded
Chris Rawlings was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week as announced by the Hockey East league office on Jan. 4 for his impressive play at Dartmouth. The North Delta, British Columbia native won both contests, make a combined total of 60 stops and surrendered just one goal throughout the entire tournament. The honor marked the second award for Northeastern’s rookie netminder. Rawlings was tapped Rookie of the Week on Nov. 9, 2009 after attaining his first-ever shutout against Boston University, stopping a career-best 43 shots in a 1-0 victory. After allowing just one goal in 119:56 minutes this weekend, Rawlings lowered his goals against average to 2.76. Rawlings has stopped 443 of the 483 total shots he’s faced this season, totaling a .917 save percentage. Amongst Hockey East company, the rookie is third in save percentage (.917), better than nine other goalies in the conference. Rawlings’ goals against average (2.76) currently ranks fifth.

Get Tuck the Puck
Out of the 10 games Alex Tuckerman has registered a point in, the Huskies have gone on to win seven of those occasions. NU is also 3-0 when Tuckerman assembles a positive plus/minus rating. Tuckerman is sixth on the team with 11 points, including five goals and six assists. Tuckerman is also the team’s penalty minutes leader, as the Orleans, Mass. native has been whistled 12 times for 43 minutes.

Scoring Schematics
Northeastern’s style of play is represented in its scoring trends. Once the Huskies obtain a lead, they don’t like to relinquish it. When leading after the first period, Northeastern is 3-0 and when tied heading into the final period, Northeastern has won all four episodes. When owning a lead heading into the third, the Huskies are 4-0-1. When Northeastern lights the lamp first, the Huskies are 6-1-1. In one-goal affairs, the Huskies have won five-of-seven tilts.

Powerplay Perpetrators
Against UMass Lowell, Northeastern lit the lamp in its fourth straight game on the powerplay, marking the third time this season the Huskies have scored an extra-man tally in four consecutive outings. Most recently, Northeastern put away a pair of powerplay tallies in both the Dartmouth and UMass-Lowell games at the Ledyard National Bank Classic. Tuckerman and McNeely turned the trick again against Dartmouth while Tuckerman and Newton’s goals stood enough to earn the victory. Kyle Kraemer and Wade MacLeod’s powerplay blasts stand as the most recent pair of powerplay goals in one game.

Powerplay Game-Winners
Northeastern has registered three-game winning goals with the extra-man advantage. Junior Steve Silva scored the NU’s third goal in a 3-2 win over Bentley in the home opener while Wade MacLeod offered up the lone tally in the 1-0 win over Boston University on Nov. 6. Jake Newton’s powerplay rip against UMass-Lowell on Jan. 3 stands as the third powerplay goal to stand as a game-winner.

Huskies Amongst the Elite
Tyler McNeely leads Northeastern with four powerplay goals on the year, 0.22 per game. McNeely’s figure is tied for 43rd in the nation and tied for fifth in Hockey East play. Jake Newtonhas thursted up the defensive scoring charts as the rookie is now tied for 38th in the nation amongst defensemen with 0.63 points per game. Newton is also T-25th in the country amongst rookies, fourth in the conference. Classmate Garrett Vermeersch is the nation’s 16th highest-scoring rookie with 0.78 points per game. Vermeersch’s mark stands third-best amongst all newcomers in Hockey East.

Double-Digit Scoring
Six Huskies have tabulated 10 points or more thus far. Kyle Kraemer leads the way with 15 points (8-7-15) while Garrett Vermeersch (5-9-14) and  Wade MacLeod (6-8-14) and have totaled 14 points. Jake Newton (5-7-12), Alex Tuckerman (5-6-11) and Tyler McNeely (6-6-12) became the newest members of the double-digits scoring club.

A Review of the Aughts (2000s)
Northeastern’s first game of the last decade came on Jan. 7, 2000 when the Huskies overcame Massachusetts in overtime, 2-1. The final game of the decade was a 5-1 loss at Maine on Dec. 12, 2009. Including those two contests, along with the 360 games sandwiched in between, the Huskies compiled a record of 135-182-45 in the first decade of the 21st century. NU’s winning percentage over that span equaled 43.5 percent. The Huskies best overall, complete season record last decade was the 2008-09 campaign when NU tied a school-record and went 25-12-4 under Greg Cronin. In Cronin’s first season, the Huskies finished with a record of 3-24-7, indicating what kind of direction he has the program set for in the future. Northeastern’s longest winning streak from 2000-2009 was five games, occurring twice from Dec. 6, 2003 – Jan. 3, 2004 and Oct. 11 – Oct. 25, 2008. Mike Ryan (1999-2003), currently of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, was NU’s leading scorer of the decade with 113 total points. Ryan’s 24 goals in 2001-02 also stand as the highest total in the last 10 years.

Schedule of Events for Saturday's Harvard Invitational

  

Field Events:
• 9:00am Women’s Weight, followed by Men’s Weight,
followed by Women’s SP, followed by Men’s SP
Women’s LJ, followed by Men’s LJ, followed by
Women’s TJ, Followed by Men’s TJ
• 10:30am Women’s PV, followed by Men’s PV
• 12:30pm Women’s HJ, followed by Men’s HJ

Running Events:
• 10:00 AM Women’s 60m Hurdle Trials *
• 10:15 AM Men’s 60m Hurdle Trials *
• 10:45 AM Women’s 60m Dash Trials *
• 11:00 AM Men’s 60m Dash Trials *
• 11:20 AM Women’s 60m Hurdle Final (2 sections)
• 11:25 AM Men’s 60m Hurdle Final (2 sections)
• 11:40 AM Women’s 60m Final(2 sections)
• 11:50 AM Men’s 60m Final(2 sections)
• 12:00 PM Women’s 5K Final
• 12:20 PM Men’s 5K Final
• 12:55 PM Women’s Mile
• 1:20 PM Men’s Mile
• 1:45 PM Women’s 400
• 2:00 PM Men’s 400
• 2:25 PM Women’s 500
• 2:35 PM Men’s 500
• 2:50 PM Women’s 800
• 3:10 PM Men’s 800
• 3:30 PM Women’s 1000
• 3:50 PM Men’s 1000
• 4:05 PM Women’s 200
• 4:30 PM Men’s 200
• 4:50 PM Women’s 3K
• 5:30 PM Men’s 3K
• 5:55 PM Women’s 4x400 Relay
• 6:05 PM Men’s 4x400 Relay

Minimums Marks:
• Women’s Weight 11.50m
• Men’s Weight 12.70m
• Women’s Shot put 10.00m
• Men’s Shot put 13.00m
• Women’s Long Jump 4.60m
• Men’s Long Jump 5.50m
• Women’s Triple Jump No Min. Mark
• Men’s Triple Jump No Min. Mark
· Events will run three attempts and top 8 to final
· First legal jump/throw is measured if under minimum mark standard
· The times are approximate as the schedule will roll one event after the
other
Vertical Jumping Events: Opening Height:
• Women’s Pole Vault 2.75m
• Men’s High Jump 1.85m
• Men’s Pole Vault 3.80m
• Women’s High Jump 1.55m

Northeastern University Women's Hockey Makes History at Fenway Park

6:23 p.m. - Despite the loss, Northeastern University made history on Friday, January 8, 2010 by playing in the first-ever women's collegiate outdoor game. The snow, the lights, the fans and the venue made for an unforgettable event for everyone involved. UNH outshot Northeastern, 33-18, en route to the 5-3 victory.

6:21 p.m. - Schelling was pulled with 39 second left, but New Hampshire capitalized on the unstaffed net as Kristina Lavoie lit the lamp to seal the 5-3 victory at 19:44. Courtney Birchard was awarded the assist

6:18 p.m. - Northeastern calls a timeout with 52 seconds remaining. UNH owns a 32-18 advantage in shots.

6:17 p.m. - New Hampshire is clamping down and keeping the puck out of NU zone - one minute remaining.

6:14 p.m. -  The temperature is now at 21 mph and the wind chill has dropped to 13 mph with 3:30 remaining in regulation.

6:10 p.m. - New Hampshire scored its third-straight goal to take its first lead of the contest at 14:30 in the third period. Kristina Lavoie scored her seventh goal of the season with assists from Micaela Long and Courtney Birchard.

6:08 p.m. - UNH is outshooting Northeaster, 11-1, through the first 13 minutes of the third period.

6:07 p.m. - Just to make matters more difficult, the snow is falling and its hardest clip of the game with only seven minutes to play in regulation.

UNH GOAL 3-3 6:04 p.m. - New Hampshire's Micaela Long buried the equalizer at 11:03 for the Wildcats' first powerplay goal of the game. Assists were given out to Courtney Birchard and Kelly Paton.

6:02 p.m. - Kristi Kehoe negated the 5 x 4 NU advantage at 9:02 with an interference call on the near boards in New Hampshire's zone.

5:59 p.m. - Courtney Birchard committed a tripping penalty at 8:18 of the third to give Northeastern the extra-man advantage.

5:57 p.m. - Schelling made a huge save on Kristina Lavoie to keep the Huskies ahead, 3-2 - there is a about 12:50 remaining in the contest.

UNH GOAL 3-2 5:49 p.m. - Julie Allen cut into Northeastern's lead by tapping in her own rebound at 1:30 of the third stanza. Kristine Horn was awarded the assist. Schelling made the initial save on the doorstop, but Allen corralled the rebound and slid it past Schelling's glove, 3-2.

5:47 p.m. - The third period is underway, as the Citgo sign blinks away in the backdrop.

5:31 p.m. - The zambonis are back out trying to smooth out the snowy, sluggish ice for the final period.

5:29 p.m. - The Huskies head into the Red Sox batting cage (locker room) with a 3-1 advantage. New Hampshire outshot NU in the second period, 10-8, and lead over, 19-13, with 40 minutes in the books.

5:22 p.m. - The Northeastern sports info office did not enter the meterology field for a reason. The snow is back and heavier than before. Never mind that last report!

5:20 p.m. - The snow is starting to taper off with about six minute remaining in the second period. UNH did not convert on Hogan's penalty.

5:14 p.m. - Annie Hogan was called for hooking at 10:44 of the second period - her second of the contest.

NORTHEASTERN GOAL 3-1 5:08 p.m. - Brittany Esposito knocked in the first powerplay goal in outdoor history with help from Annie Hogan and Kristi Kehoe at 7:28 of the second period. UNH was called for holding at 6:46 to give the Huskies the extra skater advantage. NU is 1-1 on the powerplay thus far.

5:02 p.m. - New Hampshire had a complete breakaway, but Florence Schelling shutdown the Wildcats' attempt at an equalizer - there's a reason Schelling has the best GAA in Hockey East!

5:00 p.m. - The second period is underway and the snow is starting to pick up - should make for an interesting remainder of the game.

4:42 p.m. - The zambonis are out on the sheet attempting to clear the mess on the ice during the first intermission.

4:40 p.m. - With the first 20 minutes of history in the books, Northeastern owns a 2-1 advantage heading into the second period. UNH leads in the shots department after the first period, 9-5.

4:36 p.m. - Northeastern came out with some fire to start things off, but the Huskies are back on their heels a little bit right now. The Wildcats have had the puck in NU's zone for the good part of the lat ive minutes.

4:29 p.m. - Fenway Park's lights are casting some really cool shadows of the players on the ice.  A darker, mini version of each skater is chasing the real-life player around. The sights of this game are truly spectacular.

4:26 p.m. - Annie Hogan was whistled for tripping, the first penalty of the game, at 9:56 of the first period.

4:24 p.m. - The snow is really starting to affect the game now - the staff's shovels are full after just a couple seconds of plowing. It should be interesting to see how this pans out.

4:23 p.m. - The snow, although it looks light from the press box, is accumulating quickly and sticking to the ice. The Fenway staff had to come out and shovel snow off the boards! The snow is definitely affecting the speed of the puck. The puck isn't moving as crisply as it normally would in a place like Matthews Arena or the Whittemore Center.

2-1 UNH GOAL 4:18 p.m. - Shannon Sisk responded quickly in front at 3:59 of the first period with Sarah Cuthbert. Sisk's tally was the shot of the game. Three shots. Three goals.

2-0 Northeastern GOAL 4:16 p.m. - Northeastern is shooting 100% asfreshman Casey Pickett potted NU's second goal on its second shot at 3:41 of the first for the 2-0 lead (UA) - 3:41

4:15 p.m. - Game time temperature is 23.4 degrees with winds out of the northwest at 8 mph. Wind chill at 17 degrees.

1-0 Northeastern GOAL 4:14 p.m. - Freshman Brittany Espsito snapped Northeastern's first shot of the game past Lindsey Minton for the first historic goal at 18:25 of the first period. Esposito scored her fifth goal of the season as Annie Hogan registered her seventh helper of the season.

4:09 p.m. - AND WE'RE UNDERWAY!!! 

4:08 p.m. - Both teams are lined up on their respective blue lines and are preparing for the ceremonial puck drop of the first outdoor women's college game in history.

4:06 p.m. - The National Anthem is currently underway.

4:03 p.m. - Tonight's game is broadcast to a national audience on NESN HD and the NHL Network. Senior Annie Hogan was just interviews near the ice on NESN!

4:01 p.m. - Northeastern's starters announced. The Huskies are the home team tonight.

4:00 p.m. - New Hampshire's starters announced over the public address system.

3:58 p.m. - THE TEAMS TAKE THE ICE AND ARE READY TO MAKE HISTORY AT FENWAY PARK!!!

3:50 p.m. - Northeastern's starting lines are FORWARDS are senior Lindsay Berman, freshman Kelly Wallace and junior Kristi Kehoe. The starting defense is senior captain Katy Applin and classmate Ginny Berg. Sophomore Florence Schelling is the starting goaltender.

3:49 p.m. - UNH forward starters: senior Micaela Long, senor Kelly Paton, freshman Kristina Lavoie. UNH defensive starters: junior Courtney Birchard and freshman Kailey Chappel. Starting in net is sophomore Lindsey Minton.

3:48 p.m. -  The conditions, albeit bitter cold, could not be any more perfect for such a historic event. The snow is lightly fluttering around the stadium as the Green Monster is adorned with a huge Hockey East banner with Northeastern, New Hampshire, Boston University and Boston College logos. BC and BU will take part in the backend at 7 p.m.

3:46 p.m. - The teams have left the ice and retreated to their respective locker rooms. The women's locker rooms are positioned in the batting cages of the Red Sox and the visiting team. Hockey East did a phenomenal job of printing off historic pictures of each team to hang in each locker room.

3:37 p.m. - With about 25 minutes left in warm-ups, the #9 Northeastern women's hockey team is about to make history in the first women's collegiate outdoor hockey game when the Huskies take on #4 New Hampshire at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.

Northeastern and UMass-Lowell to Reunite on NESN

Game Notes (.pdf)

Northeastern vs. UMass Lowell
If Saturday night’s matchup at Matthews Arena looks familiar, it’s because these two clubs just faced off six nights ago in the championship game of the Ledyard National Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H. Northeastern eked out a hard-fought, 2-1 battle on Jan. 3 at Thompson Arena (Dartmouth College’s home ice) thanks to newcomer Jake Newton’s game-winning powerplay goal at 16:25 of the third period. Back on Oct. 24, UMass Lowell dealt the Huskies a 3-1 loss at Tsongas Arena as Riley Wetmore, David Vallorani and Paul Worthington all tallied goals. Junior captain Tyler McNeely notched NU’s lone goal in powerplay fashion. Last Sunday’s championship contest did not count towards Hockey East standings, but with each club taking a game off the other, the last regular season encounter between these two clubs will act as the tiebreaker for the regular-season series advantage. Although UMass Lowell owns a 52-35-7 advantage in the overall series, Northeastern has enjoyed some recent success against the River Hawks within the confines of Matthews Arena. In the last five games between the two squads staged on Saint Botolph St., the Huskies have emerged victoriously in four decisions. The last playoff bout between NU and UML poses a different scenario; one in which the Huskies have yet to forget. On March 20, 2009, Northeastern had its foot on the River Hawks throat with a 2-0 lead midway through the second period of the Hockey East semifinal matchup at the TD Garden. UMass Lowell responded with two goals in regulation while Chris Auger delivered the dagger at the 3:00-minute mark of overtime to upset the Huskies’ memorable run in 2008-09. Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin has assembled an 11-8-1 mark against UMass Lowell while UML’s Blaise MacDonald is 14-13-3 against the Huskies.

River Hawks Report
Despite a Huskies’ victory last Sunday, UMass Lowell is still maintaining a presence in both polls as the River Hawks rest at #14 in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey polls released on Jan. 4. UML’s season has gone in waves, winning three of its first four contests, ousting St. Lawrence (3-0), Colgate (5-3) and Northeastern (3-1) with a loss to Nebraska-Omaha (4-3) mixed in. A split with BU preceded a 3-3 tie at Vermont before the River Hawks went on a four-game tear, taking out New Hampshire, Alabama-Huntsville and Merrimack with a combined score of 19-7. The small winning streak elicited a three game losing spell to the likes of Providence, Maine and New Hampshire. Before the Ledyard National Bank Classic, UML beat UMass (5-2) and split with Princeton (4-1 and 2-3). The River Hawks shutout Holy Cross, 3-0, marking their third shutout of the season in the first round of the tourney at Dartmouth. Defenseman Nick Schaus leads all defensive skaters in Hockey East with 1.12 points per game (4-15-19) and is tied with Maine’s Brian Flynn for sixth, overall, in the conference and owns an impressive +13 rating. David Vallorani is second on the club with 17 points (7-10-17) while Kory Falite leads UML with 10 goals, 16 points in all. The UMass Lowell defense is currently tops in the league, allowing a conference-low 2.26 goals per game. Much of the credit can be given to goaltender Carter Hutton who leads Hockey East in goals against average (1.92) and save percentage (.934).

Last Time Out against UMass Lowell
Rookie Jake Newton’s late third period goal propelled the Northeastern hockey team to claim the National Ledyard Bank Classic title with a 2-1 victory over #14/12 UMass Lowell on Sunday night at Thompson Arena in Hanover, N.H. UMass Lowell controlled the early portion of the first period by maintaining an offensive presence, but an interference penalty to Michael Budd yielded a powerplay goal for the Huskies at 9:15 of the first period. A textbook tic-tac-toe tally was engineered on freshman Garrett Vermeersch’s fake from the point. Vermeersch deked out his pursuer and sent the puck over to junior Wade MacLeod on the low post. MacLeod offered a quick head fake and doled out the puck to a wide-open Tuckerman who sent it past Carter Hutton with ease for the quick 1-0 lead. UMass Lowell sewed it up at the 1:45 mark of the second period as Kory Falite was able to bat a loose rebound from David Vallorani’s initial shot. Falite’s stick may have crossed the plane above the shoulders on his attempt, negating the tally, but the officials let the goal stand, sending both squads into the locker room deadlocked at 1-1 heading into the third period. Each team sent a couple jolts in the second stanza, starting with a UML breakaway. Rawlings snuffed out the River Hawks’ charge as MacLeod broke up a play a couple moments later and honed in on Hutton. MacLeod made two fakes before Hutton poke-checked the puck away. Neither team seemed to take control of the game at the turn of the third period until Vallorani rang one off the crossbar near the 9:30 mark. Vallorani skated in unattested and sent it into the rafters after the puck sailed off the pipe. Budd’s boarding call 15:25 into the final frame acted as the catalyst for the Huskies’ victory. Halfway into the powerplay, senior Kyle Kraemer snapped the puck out of NU’s zone up to classmate David Strathman. Newton accepted a pass along the near boards and motored down the left side, almost overshooting his target, but the rookie unleashed a shot parallel with the post and drew the lucky bounce off of Hutton’s blocker for the game-winner, 2-1.

Huskies Leaders against UMass Lowell
Junior Wade MacLeod directs all Huskies with eight points against UMass-Lowell while David Strathman has tallied seven points in nine games against the River Hawks. Greg Costa, Kyle Kraemer and Steve Silva have all totaled five points against UML whereas Randy Guzior and Chris Donovan have notched four points. Mike McLaughlin and Tyler McNeely have put up three points against UMass-Lowell and Jim Driscoll, Alex Tuckerman and Jake Newton each own two points. Garrett Vermeersch landed his first point with an assist against UML on Jan. 3.

Ledyard National Bank Classic Recap
In winning the Ledyard National Bank Classic, Northeastern picked up its first tournament win since claiming the Badger Showdown on Dec. 28-29, 2008. The Huskies clipped Bowling Green, 4-3, in the first round and claimed the title with a 2-1 triumph against Colgate. On Jan. 2-3, Northeastern won two straight to capture one of six holiday tournaments in Division I action. In the first contest, NU matched up with tournament-host Dartmouth and made a statement by hanging seven goals on the Big Green while the defense smothered DC’s offense to post the second shutout of the season. Seven different skaters lit the lamp as the Huskies’ posted a season-best 20 points in the game. Northeastern also registered a season-best 42 shots on target. The Huskies met up with UMass-Lowell in a non-conference championship bout after the River Hawks routed Holy Cross, 3-0. Even though UML outshot Northeastern, 16-7, in the second stanza, Alex Tuckerman and Jake Newton’s powerplay tallies proved to be enough to take home the trophy with a 2-1 victory.

To the Victor Go the Spoils
Northeastern’s championship victory yielded three post-tournament awards, including two National Ledyard Bank Classic All-Tournament members and the Tournament MVP. Freshman Chris Rawlings stopped all 32 shots in his second-career shutout against Dartmouth and backed up the performance with a 28-save outing in the championship game, anchoring Northeastern’s defense for the victory. The last freshman goaltender for Northeastern to record a pair of shutouts was Brad Thiessen, as he pitched four his rookie campaign (2006-07). Sophomore Alex Tuckerman and freshman Jake Newton displayed sound performances, each recording two goals and an assist over the course of the tournament, bearing All-Tournament honors. Tuckerman logged a 5 x 3 powerplay tally against Dartmouth while Newton piled on for the last goal of the game in even-strength fashion. Both skaters registered assists in the game as well, as Tuckerman and Newton recorded their third and second-career multi-point efforts, respectively, against the Big Green. In the championship game, Tuckerman potted his second powerplay blast to open the scoring while Newton delivered the game-winning goal with the extra skater.

Seven-Goal Surplus
Northeastern’s seven-goal trouncing of Dartmouth marks the largest margin of victory under Greg Cronin’s tenure. The last time NU hit the seven-goal plateau was a 7-3 win at Maine on Jan. 4, 2008. The first time NU touched upon seven tallies under Cronin was a 7-2 victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 30, 2006. The Huskies’ seven-goal win is the largest margin of victory since NU flattened UConn, 10-1, on Oct. 11, 2002.

Three-Point Club
Five Huskies tallied three points at the Ledyard National Bank Classic. Jake Newton and Alex Tuckerman directed the goal scoring with two apiece while both of Tuckerman’s tallies came via the powerplay. Newton delivered the heroics with the tournament-winning powerplay blast with a goal and an assist against DC. Senior Kyle Kraemer and junior Wade MacLeod each recorded a goal and two assists while senior blueliner David Strathman chalked up a trifecta of helpers in two games.

Rawlings Rewarded
Chris Rawlings was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week as announced by the Hockey East league office on Jan. 4 for his impressive play at Dartmouth. The North Delta, British Columbia native won both contests, make a combined total of 60 stops and surrendered just one goal throughout the entire tournament. The honor marked the second award for Northeastern’s rookie netminder. Rawlings was tapped Rookie of the Week on Nov. 9, 2009 after attaining his first-ever shutout against Boston University, stopping a career-best 43 shots in a 1-0 victory. After allowing just one goal in 119:56 minutes this weekend, Rawlings lowered his goals against average to 2.76. Rawlings has stopped 443 of the 483 total shots he’s faced this season, totaling a .917 save percentage. Amongst Hockey East company, the rookie is third in save percentage (.917), better than nine other goalies in the conference. Rawlings’ goals against average (2.76) currently ranks fifth.

Get Tuck the Puck
Out of the nine games Alex Tuckerman has registered a point in, the Huskies have gone on to win seven of those occasions. NU is also 3-0 when Tuckerman assembles a positive plus/minus rating. Tuckerman is currently tied for third on the team with 10 points, including five goals and five assists. Tuckerman is also the team’s penalty minutes leader, as the Orleans, Mass. native has been whistled 11 times for 41 minutes.

Trimming the Ivy
Under Greg Cronin’s tenure, Northeastern has played Ivy league members only seven times, including Harvard in the Beanpot twice. Northeastern increased its record to 3-4 against Ivy league schools after ousting Dartmouth on Jan. 2. The win marked the Huskies’ first win over an Ivy league competitor since defeating Brown, 4-3, on Nov. 30, 2007.

Scoring Schematics
Northeastern’s style of play is represented in its scoring trends. Once the Huskies obtain a lead, they don’t like to relinquish it. When leading after the first period, Northeastern is 3-0 and when tied heading into the final period, Northeastern has won all four episodes. When owning a lead heading into the third, the Huskies are 4-0-1. When Northeastern lights the lamp first, the Huskies are 6-1-1. In one-goal affairs, the Huskies have won five-of-six tilts.

Powerplay Perpetrators
The Huskies have tallied two powerplay goals in back-to-back occasions twice thus far. The first time Robbie Vrolyk, Kyle Kraemer and Matt Lipinski all potted powerplay goals in a 5-2 win over Maine (Nov. 14) followed by McNeely and Tuckerman’s extra-man markers in a 4-1 victory against Providence (Nov. 20). Most recently, Northeastern put away a pair of powerplay tallies in both the Dartmouth and UMass-Lowell games at the Ledyard National Bank Classic. Tuckerman and McNeely turned the trick again against Dartmouth while Tuckerman and Newton’s goals stood enough to earn the victory.

Powerplay Game-Winners
Northeastern has registered three-game winning goals with the extra-man advantage. Junior Steve Silva scored the NU’s third goal in a 3-2 win over Bentley in the home opener while Wade MacLeod offered up the lone tally in the 1-0 win over Boston University on Nov. 6. Jake Newton’s powerplay rip against UMass-Lowell on Jan. 3 stands as the third powerplay goal to stand as a game-winner.

Huskies Amongst the Elite
Tyler McNeely leads Northeastern with four powerplay goals on the year, 0.25 per game. McNeely’s figure is tied for 35th in the nation and tied for fifth in Hockey East play. Jake Newton’s three-point weekend thrust him up the defensive scoring charts as the rookie is now tied for 44th in the nation amongst defensemen with 0.59 points per game. Newton is also tied for 34th in the country amongst rookies, T-fourth in the conference. Classmate Garrett Vermeersch is tied for 18th in the land with 0.75 points per game. Vermeersch’s mark stands third-best amongst all newcomers in Hockey East.

Doing It Defensively
Northeastern’s blue-collar brand of hockey is centered on keeping the puck out of the net. The Huskies have executed that notion and are currently tied for second in the league with Providence in scoring defense, surrendering only 2.71 goals per game. NU’s opponent on Saturday, UMass-Lowell, is tops in Hockey East, allowing 2.26 goals per game.

Double-Digit Scoring
Five Huskies have tabulated 10 points or more thus far. Kyle Kraemer leads the way with 13 points (6-7-13) while Wade MacLeod (5-7-12) and Garrett Vermeersch (5-7-12) have totaled 12 points. Alex Tuckerman (5-5-10) and Jake Newton (4-6-10) became the newest members of the double-digits scoring club as both have registered 10 points.

A Review of the Aughts (2000s)
Northeastern’s first game of the last decade came on Jan. 7, 2000 when the Huskies overcame Massachusetts in overtime, 2-1. The final game of the decade was a 5-1 loss at Maine on Dec. 12, 2009. Including those two contests, along with the 360 games sandwiched in between, the Huskies compiled a record of 135-182-45 in the first decade of the 21st century. NU’s winning percentage over that span equaled 43.5 percent. The Huskies best overall, complete season record last decade was the 2008-09 campaign when NU tied a school-record and went 25-12-4 under Greg Cronin. In Cronin’s first season, the Huskies finished with a record of 3-24-7, indicating what kind of direction he has the program set for in the future. Northeastern’s longest winning streak from 2000-2009 was five games, occurring twice from Dec. 6, 2003 – Jan. 3, 2004 and Oct. 11 – Oct. 25, 2008. Mike Ryan (1999-2003), currently of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, was NU’s leading scorer of the decade with 113 total points. Ryan’s 24 goals in 2001-02 also stand as the highest total in the last 10 years.

Ringing in the New Year with a Bang
Northeastern has learned to utilize the holiday break over the course of its history as the Huskies have amassed a 43-29-2 record (59.5 percent) in the first game of a new year. In the first game of a new decade, Northeastern has gone 2-5-1.

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Senior Kyle Kraemer manufactured a seven-game pointstreak, stretching from Nov. 7 to Dec. 4. Kraemer’s seven-game stint was the longest-career pointstreak of any current skater on the Huskies’ roster. The St. Louis native got his streak underway with a goal at Boston College and backed it up with a helper and tally in the respective Maine games. Against Providence, Kraemer posted his first two-point performance with a goal and an assist and then sent in a powerplay tally at Providence. Kraemer continued his success against Vermont with another goal before sealing the pointstreak with a helper at Merrimack. Within the seven-game stretch, Kraemer had a four-game goal-scoring streak, also marking a career-high amongst any current Huskies’ icers. The next longest pointstreak on Northeastern’s roster was Alex Tuckerman’s six-game spurt in his rookie campaign last year. Kraemer accounted for eight points in that seven-game run and he is currently leads the club in scoring with 13 points (6-7-13).

Score First, Win Later
Of the eight games in which Northeastern has scored first, the Huskies have come away with six victories. The Boston College (5-1, L) and Providence (3-3, T) games were the only two outings Northeastern did not win when drawing first blood. Northeastern’s victories in which it attacked the scoreboard first came against Colorado College (4-3, Oct. 10), Boston University (1-0, Nov. 6), Providence (4-1, Nov. 20), Merrimack (2-1, Dec. 5), Dartmouth (7-0, Jan. 2) and UMass-Lowell (2-1, Jan. 3).

Clutch When It Counts
Northeastern has gone into the third period tied with its opponent on four occasions this year. In all four instances, the Huskies emerged victoriously. The first triumph came against Boston University as both squads skated to a scoreless 40 minutes before Wade MacLeod lit the lamp to dash BU’s bid. In the Maine victory, the Huskies erupted for three third-period tallies as NU and MU were locked at 1-1 heading into the final stanza. Against Merrimack, both squads opened the third period owning one goal. David Strathman ended the drama with his second-career game winner. Most recently, Jake Newton put away the tournament-winner against UMass-Lowell, breaking a 1-1 tie.

Multi-Point Performers
Nine Huskies have chalked up a multi-point game this season as Wade MacLeod leads the charge with four under his belt. MacLeod’s most recent two-point outing was at Dartmouth (1-1-2). Garrett Vermeersch and Jake Newton have registered a pair of multi-point games, with Vermeersch’s last coming at PC on 11/21/09 (1-1-2).  Newton’s most recent came against Dartmouth (1-1-2). Kyle Kraemer (1-1-2) also has two multi-point outings while Steve Silva (1-1-2), Tyler McNeely (1-1-2), Drew Muench (0-2-2), David Strathman (0-2-2) and Chris Donovan (1-2-3) have all notched one multi-point performance. Donovan’s three points at Colorado College (1-2-3) remains a team best.

Restrained Huskies
Ever since Northeastern’s 38 penalty minute-outburst against Maine on Nov. 13, the Huskies have been more weary of racking up penalty minutes; particularly in its game against Vermont.  Freshman Drew Ellement’s hooking call at 8:19 of the first period was the only violation Northeastern was cited for. The rare occurrence was the first time Northeastern was whistled for only one penalty since Jonathan Koop was called for obstruction interference at 16:36 of the first period in a 2-1 loss at UMass Lowell on Jan. 8, 2005. In its first game of the year, Northeastern gave Colorado College only two powerplay chances on Oct. 9. In the last four seasons, NU has been called for two penalties on only four occasions: UMass (2/15/08), Merrimack (1/11/08), Colgate (12/29/07) and Providence (9/14/06).

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Freshmen twin brothers, Justin and Drew Daniels, both recorded their first-career assist for Northeastern in a 3-3 tie at Providence on Nov. 21, but it was done so in unique fashion. Both twins earned credit on the help for senior Greg Costa’s first goal of the season, marking the first assist for both brothers on the same play. For Drew, the assist stood as his first-career point while Justin has potted three goals already this season. The Daniels brothers also finished with a +1 rating in that game.

Northeastern Iron Men
On a roster stacked with 28 skaters, only seven Huskies have managed to play in every game thus far. Of the newcomers, defensemen Chris Student and Jake Newton are the only Huskies to have competed in every game since day one. Mike McLaughlin is the lone sophomore to have taken part in every fray while Steve Silva is the sole ironman delegate of the junior class. Seniors Kyle Kraemer, David Strathman and Greg Costa have donned the black and red in every contest this season, as well.

Happy to be Home
Northeastern is 5-2 at Matthews Arena this season, dispatching Bentley, Boston University, Maine, Providence and Merrimack along the way. The Huskies have outscored their opponents within those wins, 15-4. Last year, Northeastern went 12-3-2 at Matthews Arena, including a 2-1 record in a defeat of Massachusetts in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Career Milestones
Kyle Kraemer secured his 50th-career point with an assist against UMass-Lowell while Tyler McNeely reached the 50-point plateau with his PPG at Maine. Wade MacLeod needs one more point to reach 75 for his career. Greg Costa just skated in his 100th-career contest against Dartmouth while Kraemer did the same at Maine on Dec. 12. Steve Silva skated in his 75th-career contest against Vermont on Nov. 27 while Wade MacLeod registered his 70th-career point that same night. Drew Muench skated in his 50th tilt for the Huskies at Maine on Dec. 12, as well. In the Providence tie, Greg Cronin earned his 20th-career tie while at Northeastern. The Providence tie also marked his 20th-tie, overall in his career, throughout Hockey East play.

Plus/Minus Performance
Six Huskies are weighing in with a positive plus/minus rating with David Strathman leading the way at +4. Garrett Vermeersch has tabulated a +3 rating while Alex Tuckerman, Chris Donovan and Drew Muench all rest at +2. Jim Driscoll is at +1.

All-Set
The two-game Merrimack set was Northeastern’s fourth series of the season. In the backend of each set, the Huskies have yet to relinquish a decision. Northeastern beat Colorado College (4-3) Maine (5-2), and Merrimack (2-1). The only game NU did not win in the second game was a tie at Providence (3-3).

Full of Firsts
Sophomore forward Matt Lipinski found the back of the net for the first time in his seventh-collegiate game on Nov. 14 while rookie Drew Ellement assisted on his classmate Justin Daniels’ goal on Nov. 13 against Maine for his first point with Northeastern. Ellement took the liberty of composing a three-game pointstreak with two more assists. Lipinski earned his first-career assist on David Strathman’s game-winner against Merrimack, too. Senior Dylan Wiwchar, seeing his first action since Nov. 28, 2008 against Princeton, registered his second-career assist on Nov. 13 against Maine. In fact, both of Wiwchar’s career points have come against the Black Bears. Rookie Robbie Vrolyk secured his first-collegiate powerplay goal in the 5-2 win on Nov. 14 while classmate Drew Daniels potted his first-collegiate goal against Dartmouth on Jan. 2.

Handicapped Scoring
David Strathman scored Northeastern’s first short-handed goal of the season in the victory over Maine on Nov. 14 – it was also the senior’s first man-down tally of his career.  Wade MacLeod dialed up the second shorty of his career against Dartmouth (1/2/10).

Matthews Arena featured in the New York Times
As the sports world turned its attention to Boston for the NHL’s third-annual Winter Classic, the New York Times featured the world’s oldest indoor ice rink, Matthews Arena, which turns 100 years old on April 16, 2010. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest major league baseball stadium still in use, is two years younger than Matthews Arena, home of the Northeastern Huskies hockey team.

Freshman Chris Rawlings picks up second Hockey Rookie of the Week award

Freshman goaltender Chris Rawlings was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week as announced by the Hockey East league office Monday evening. Rawlings was Northeastern’s defensive anchor in a pair of victories that sealed the Ledyard National Bank Classic this past weekend at Dartmouth College.

The North Delta, British Columbia native recorded his second-career shutout in a 7-0 rout over host-Dartmouth in the first round of the tournament, turning away 32 shots along the way. In the championship contest against UMass Lowell on Sunday night, Rawlings made 28 saves in a 2-1 victory.

The triumph clinched the Huskies first tournament title since claiming the Badger Classic on Dec. 28-29, 2008.

Monday’s honor marks the second award for Northeastern’s rookie netminder. Rawlings was tapped Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Nov. 9, 2009 after attaining his first-ever shutout against Boston University, stopping a career-best 43 shots in a 1-0 victory. Rawlings backed up the performance with 29 more saves at Boston College the next night. The 6’5 goalie became the Huskies’ second-ever netminder to shut out Boston University.

Rawlings has started 15-of-17 games for Northeastern and increased his overall record to 7-7-1 with the pair of wins in Hanover, N.H.

After allowing just one goal in 120 minutes this weekend, Rawlings lowered his goals against average to 2.76. Rawlings has stopped 443 of the 483 total shots he’s faced this season, totaling a .917 save percentage.

Amongst Hockey East company, the rookie is third in save percentage (.917), better than nine other goalies in the conference. Rawlings’ goals against average (2.76) currently ranks fifth.

Rawlings’ proficiency has Northeastern’s scoring defense in a tie with Providence for second, allowing just 2.71 goals per game.

Classmate Garrett Vermeersch was handed the first Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week award of the season on Oct. 12, 2009 after scoring consecutive powerplay goals in the opening trip at Colorado College. The Macomb, Mich. native also secured his first-career multi-point performance with an assist in the Huskies’ first victory of the season on Oct. 10, 4-3.

Rawlings joins Colby Cohen (Boston University) and Justin Milo (Vermont) as Athletic Republic Co-Players of the Week while Sunday’s opposing goaltender, Carter Hutton (UMass-Lowell), was tapped as Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week.

Northeastern reunites with UMass Lowell on Saturday, Jan. 9 at Matthews Arena, marking the first game home game since a 2-1 win against Merrimack on Dec. 5. Saturday’s Hockey East contest also marks the debut of the newly-refurbished Matthews Arena on television. The contest will be broadcast on NESN at 7:30 p.m.