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Postgame comments (Jim Madigan)

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Despite a 2-0 first period lead, the Northeastern men's hockey team (2-4-1, 2-4-1 HEA) was tripped up by three unanswered goals and a late empty-netter on Saturday night at Merrimack College (4-3-1, 3-1-1). The Huskies jumped out to the early advantage with goals from senior captain Vinny Saponari and rookie Mike McMurtry, but NU could not hold on in front of a sold out crown (2,489) at Lawler Arena.

Saponari netted his first goal of the season while McMurtry posted his first multi-point game at Northeastern with his first collegiate goal and an assist. Freshmen Kevin Roy and Colton Saucerman have registered assists in their last two contests while senior assistant captain Robbie Vrolyk notched his second helper of the season.

Senior goaltender Chris Rawlings returned to staff the net for the Huskies and stopped 29 saves on 33 Merrimack shots. MC's Rasmus Tirronen steered aside 24 saves in his first victory of the season.

Both teams offered equal chances in the first half of the opening stanza but it was Northeastern drawings first blood on a one-timer tally by Saponari at 12:05.

Vrolyk triggered the play by rimming the puck in the far corner to McMurtry behind the net. McMurtry made one juke and scooted to his left and slipped a pass through Merrimack's defense to Saponari between the circles. Saponari quickly swept the puck past Tirronen's blocker for the 1-0 Huskies' lead.

With 2:16 remaining in the first period, the Huskies doubled their lead on a power play marker thanks for a Kyle Bigos interference call at 17:44.

Northeastern owned the draw and took over Merrimack's end. Saucerman started the play from the top of the left circle and dished to K. Roy on the opposite side. K. Roy ripped the puck at Tirronen and McMurtry made the heads-up play by deflecting the puck out of mid-air for the tip-in power play goal at 18:32 to put Northeastern up, 2-0.

Starting off the second stanza, Northeastern killed of a sophomore Josh Manson penalty that overlapped from the first, but Merrimack scored quickly after at 2:51.

Dan Kolomatis cleared the puck out of Merrimack's end out to Shawn Bates. Bates soared through the neutral zone and triggered on Rawlings from 20 feet out. The puck caromed back to Bates and he beat Rawlings far side off the rebound to cut Northeastern's lead in half, 2-1.

Merrimack picked up another man-up opportunity after sophomore Adam Reid took a tripping call at 13:24 of the second, but the Huskies' penalty-killing unit snuffed out the opportunity. Unfortunately for Northeastern, the Warriors tied it up with just 27.5 seconds to play in the period.

Merrimack had a two-on-one before the Huskies flooded the zone, but Vinny Scotti's blast towards Rawlings deflected off of senior Drew Ellement's skate and Mike Collins was able to put away the loose puck to tie the game up, 2-2, heading into the final period of regulation.

The Warriors channeled that momentum into the third and peppered the Huskies' zone until they finally captured their first lead of the game.

Manson and Kyle Singleton tool respective holding the stick and cross-checking 10 seconds apart at 15:30 and 15:40 of the third stanza. Almost a minute later, Collins jostled the puck loose deep in Northeastern's zone and it came out to Jordan Heywood on the left dot. Heywood had a good amount of open real estate in front of him and roofed the 4-on-4 goal at 16:32 to take the 3-2 advantage.

Manson and junior Braden Pimm nearly sewed it up with an odd-man give and go, but Pimm's blast went wide  and the Warriors iced the game with a last-second empty netter by Justin Hussar to cap the 4-2 contest.

Northeastern steps out of Hockey East play next weekend and will host Alabama-Huntsville in a Saturday-Sunday series at Matthews Arena on Nov. 10-11. Saturday's meeting between the Huskies and Charges marks the first-ever meeting between the two institutions.

Game Notes
• Senior captain Vinny Saponari tallied his first goal since netting the game winner last season against Boston University in the final contest of the year.

• Rookie Mike McMurtry scored his first collegiate goal and added an assist on Saponari's marker to post his first-career multi-point game as a Husky.

• Newcomers Kevin Roy and Colton Saucerman are both riding point streaks heading into this weekend's non-conference doubleheader against Alabama-Huntsville.

• The Huskies scored consecutive power play goals for the first time this season.