Box Score

Greg Cronin Press Conference (youtube.com)

2010-11 Men's Hockey Digital Media Guide

In a battle where Northeastern outshot No. 7 Boston University, 41-20, each team clawed back from two-goal deficits to tie the game, but Alex Chiasson's power play game-winner at 16:33 of the third period was the difference in Wednesday night's contest at Agganis Arena, 5-4 .

Four different goal scorers in rookies Brodie Reid and Braden Pimm along with sophomore Garrett Vermeersch and veteran Wade MacLeod accounted for the Huskies offense while rookie netminder Clay Witt earned his second collegiate decision in the loss. Sophomore Chris Rawlings started for the Huskies, stopping 9-of-13 shots faced while Witt played relief and blocked 6-of-7.

BU goaltedner Kieran Millan turned away 37 shots en route to his fifth win of the year.

Through two periods, the Huskies held a 32-14 grasp on shots as Northeastern headed into the final frame down a goal, 4-3.

Freshmen Anthony Bitetto and Reid led Northeastern with two points apiece, standing as their first-career multi-point outings.

The Huskies controlled the offensive tempo, registering the first four shots of the contests. Within the first four minutes, the Huskies piled on BU's crease, but couldn't break through the clog in the middle.

Boston University had a couple chances around the 4:30 mark, but the Huskies defense shooed them away and the Huskies popped in two goals 1:19 apart.

Bitetto started the play at the top of the left zone. After shifting down to sophomore Mike McLaughlin behind the net, Reid eluded his defender and separated himself just to the side of the right dot and deposited a one-timer over Millan's glove at 6:49 to grab the early 1-0 edge.

At the 8:00-minute mark, Vermeersch doubled up the Huskies advantage on a senior Steve Silva's rebound. Senior defenseman Randy Guzior generated the play on the near boards and flung the puck towards the middle. Silva tried Millan on the backhand and Vermeersch was able to roof the loose carom for the 2-0 advantage.

The Terriers killed off a Ben Rosen interference (9:15) penalty despite McLaughlin nearly burying NU's third goal in the waning moments of the window, but after the penalty kill, BU knotted the game back up to close out the first.

Garrett Noonan carried the puck through Northeastern's zone, faked a shot from the slot and deferred back to Charlie Coyle. Coyle replicated the same move deeper in Huskies territory and was able to cross up Rawlings with the backhand off the left post at 12:48 to slash the lead to one, 2-1.

Under four minutes later, Ryan Santana gathered his own rebound in front of Rawlings and put it to the back of the net at 16:25 to lock the game at 2-2. Andrew Glass hit Santana within the blue line to set up the scoring play for Boston University.

Northeastern killed off Silva's trip just 36 seconds into the second, but the Terriers built momentum and rattled off two more within the span of 47 seconds.

At 4:41, Joe Pereira and Corey Trivino linked up at 4:41 for the 3-2 lead. Sahir Gill started the play from the neutral zone and Pereira connected with Trivino in stride to make the reverse deke on the doorstep and grab the one-goal lead.

Moments later, Matt Nieto slapped a backhand one-timer past Rawlings on the near post to double up the Huskies, 4-2, at 5:28. Nieto accepted a precise pass from Chiasson through the zone to capitalize on the open half of the net.

Witt was brought in to staff NU's net at 6:16 of the second after Ryan Ruikka's interference penalty.

Chiasson was called for hooking at 12:23 and although the Huskies didn't score within that two-minute time frame, senior Wade MacLeod nearly made it a one-goal game again after tearing a one-timer from the right dot. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the puck was greeted by iron.

Northeastern went on a 4-on-3 for 1:35 at 14:49 of the second after Noonan went off for high-sticking, following freshman Cody Ferriero (hooking) and David Warsosky's (embellishment) infractions at 14:24. The Huskies channeled a couple good looks, but Millan stood his ground on NU's power play.

Pimm inched Northeastern to within one, 4-3, at 17:56 of the second on a breakout play from Ferriero and freshman Jamie Oleksiak. Oleksiak sustained the play on the far boards and kicked it over to Ferriero. Ferriero's pass guided Pimm into perfect position for a tip-in goal to Millan's right. Pimm threw one chance on net and then chopped the puck over Millan's pad for NU's third of the night.

BU gave Northeastern the gift of a two-minute 5-on-3 session at 2:40 after Ben Rosen and Justin Courtnall were seated for tripping and elbowing, respectively, and the Huskies accepted. Bitetto triggered the cycle from farside and passed over the Reid. After Reid nudged the puck down to MacLeod behind the goal line, the senior took three strides to the slot and slipped it through Millan's five-hole to tie the game at 4-4.

Late in the third, senior Tyler McNeely tripped up Gill in the neutral zone at 14:41, yielding the power play game-winner from Boston University at 16:33, 5-4. With just nine seconds let on the man advantage, Coyle backhanded a pinpoint pass to Chiasson for the one-timer on the near post to clinch victory.

Northeastern closes out its 2010 portion of the season and picks up in the New Year with a trip to the Mullins Center to take on Massachusetts on Friday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. The Huskies return to Matthews Arena to host UMass Lowell on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.

Northeastern enters 2011 with a 3-9-4 mark and 3-6-3 record in Hockey East play.

Game Notes
- Boston University is 5-1-2 when its opponent scores first this season
- The Terriers are 11-2-4 in their last 17 home games
- Garrett Vermeersch's seventh-career goal marks the second time wearing a Husky sweater the sophomore has netted a tally in consecutive outings
- Northeastern's 41 shots is the second-highest total this season. NU tallied 43 shots against Niagara on Nov. 5
- Brodie Reid (1-1-2) and Anthony Bitetto (0-2-2) each notched their first-career multi-point outings at Northeastern
- Wade MacLeod leads the Huskies with 14 points (6-8-14) and moved up another spot in the NU annals for career points. MacLeod surpassed Gerry Cronin (1958-61) and is now in a three-way tie with Larry Bone (1963-66) and Matt Saunders (1988-92). The Coquitlam, B.C. native has tallied 106 points (45-61-106) in 127 career contests