Box Score

Postgame comments (Jim Madigan, Robbie Vrolyk and Josh Manson)

AMHERST, Mass. - Sophomore Josh Manson made his first-career goal a big one, sinking Massachusetts in overtime to lift the Northeastern men's hockey team to a thrilling 5-4 victory at the Mullins Center on Tuesday night.

Along with Manson's heroics, senior Robbie Vrolyk scored a pair of goals and an assist in the victory while rookie Mike McMurtry registered a playmaker (three assists) to help buoy NU's victorious efforts.

Northeastern won just its second game in four years after trailing through two periods of play with Tuesday night's triumph. The last time the Huskies came back and won a game after facing a deficit heading into the third period was at UMass Lowell on Feb. 11, 2011, when Jamie Oleksiak put away the walkoff tally at 4:46 of the overtime frame.

The Huskies' power play unit was in full swing once again, netting a pair and now converting at least one power play goal in their last four outings. Junior Cody Ferriero and sophomore Adam Reid did the dirty for Northeastern's power play, scoring the Huskies' other markers. Ferriero has scored power play goals in consecutive outings and leads the club with six this season.

Senior goaltender Chris Rawlings started the game, making 28 saves on 32 shots through two periods of work before classmate Bryan Mountain came in relief to start the third period. The Bryn Mawr, Pa., native stoned all seven shots faced and earned his first win of the season and second-career victory. Mountain's last win came against Merrimack on Dec. 5, 2009.

Rawlings made the first big stop of the game after a puck trickled through NU's zone right between the circles. Kevin Czepiel swooped in and took the wide-open shot just a few feet out, but Rawlings stayed low and turned back the scoring bid at 4:20 of the first period.

Moments later, McMurtry was assessed a slashing penalty at 4:49 and the Minutemen got the near miss back on a power play strike from Shane Walsh at 6:19. Patrick Kiley fed Michael Pereira in the slot and after mildly whiffing on his attempt, the puck trickled over to Walsh on the near post for the easy tap in.

The Huskies returned the favor with a power play goal from Adam Reid two minutes later after a Zack LaRue tripping call at 6:24. With just four seconds remaining in the power play, Vrolyk fed McMurtry in between the circles in traffic. After McMurtry's blast was blocked by the left pad of UMass goalie Steve Mastalerz, Reid swooped in from the top of the zone and roofed the loose carom at 8:20 to tie it up, 1-1.

After UMass killed off a Czepiel roughing call at 10:17 of the first period, Ferriero's forechecking was a little too much for the linesman, as he was hit with a cross-checking call at 17:27. Just as that infraction was about to expire, the Huskies were whistled for a too many men call at 19:17 and Pereira cashed in 13 seconds later at 19:30 for UMass's second power play goal of the frame.

Adam Phillips threw the puck into Colin Shea on the doorstep and the disc bounced out to Pereira all alone on the far post to make it a 2-1 Minutemen lead heading into the first intermission.

Massachusetts charged out of the gates to start the second and scored in transition at 2:04 to go ahead by two, 3-1. Darren Rowe benefitted from a botched exchange near Northeastern's bench and came away with the puck down the left side of the ice. Rowe tossed it in on Rawlings and after some jostling near the net, Steven Guzzo's attempted bounced off of Rawlings into the back of the cage.

Midway through the second period, the Huskies pounced on a Mastalerz turnover behind the net and cut the lead to one, 3-2.

Mastalerz panicked behind the net with the puck after great forechecking by McMurtry. McMurtry wrangled the rubber loose and tossed it behind to Vrolyk where he stuffed it into the unmanned net at 10:24.

With momentum on its side, Northeastern killed off a Dustin Darou penalty and channeled that into a Ferriero power play goal at 16:28.

First-year skater Kevin Roy's penalty-killing efforts drew a Walsh hooking call in front of Mastalerz at 15:50. The Huskies won the draw and Reid kept it in the zone, deferring over to freshman Colton Saucerman at the top of the left circle. Saucerman set up Ferriero with a wide-open wrist shot from the right circle and Ferriero smoked it past Mastalerz to nix UMass's two-goal lead, 3-3.

UMass managed to break up the Huskies' momentum with a late goal by Pereira with just 67 seconds to go in the second stanza.

Pereira accepted a pass from Shea in the neutral zone and beat Saucerman out wide and the top of the zone. Without much interference, Pereira skated in on Rawlings and snuck in through Rawlings down low to put the Minutemen back ahead, 4-3.

Seven minutes into the third frame, the Minutemen nearly snuck it by Mountain on a redirect but the veteran paddled it away and Northeastern benefited minutes later on the fortuitous play.

On a clearing play by Northeastern, Reid sent the puck from blue line to blue line, linking up with Vrolyk on the other end. With some separation between his defenseman, Vrolyk snapped a crisp wrist shot top shelf over Mastalerz glove at 13:07 for craft the third tie of the night, 4-4.

With time winding down and a faceoff in NU's end, Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan called timeout with 1:10 to play in regulation. Pereria nearly capped his hat trick but a huge block by Manson and a great pad save by Mountain on Carzo with a few seconds remaining pushed the game into overtime.

Northeastern gained a huge opportunity a 1:50 into the extra frame after LaRue hammered Manson into the board behind Mountain and was cited for boarding.

The Minutemen were able to kill Northeastern's power play opportunity, and as LaRue left the box, UMass found themselves with a two-on-one rush up ice.

Along the left wing, Manson played the puck and poked it away from a charging Branden Gracel, and the Huskies broke up ice. Rookie Mike Gunn scooted it up ice as McMurtry's pass found Manson in the slot. Manson gathered the pass and roofed it past Mastalerz for his first-career goal and the game-winner for the Huskies at 4:04.

Northeastern hits the road again on Friday night to take its second trip of the season to Providence for a 7 p.m. tilt at Schneider Arena. The Huskies and Friars close out the season series on Saturday night at Matthews Arena (7 p.m.).

Game Notes
• Sophomore Adam Reid has scored two power play goals in his last three outings, marking his fifth goal of the season. The Chino Hills, Calif., native is one goal short of matching last year's total of six.

• Northeastern has now scored a power play goal in its last four consecutive outings, marking a season best. The last time the Huskies scored four-straight power play goals was when NU closed out the 2011-12 season tallying at least one power play goal in its last five games from Feb. 18 to March 3, 2012.

• The last time Northeastern scored more than one power play goal in a game occurred when Cody Ferriero netted three in one period at Harvard on Dec. 29, 2012.

• Cody Ferriero has scored consecutive power play goals in his last two outings and leads the Huskies with six this season. The Essex, Mass., native leads Northeastern with nine career power play goals. Ferriero's goal was also his first-career point in five games against the Minutemen.

• Robbie Vrolyk posted his first-career three-point game in his 97th outing as a Husky. The Boylston, Mass., native scored his third-career two-goal game and first since turning the trick in the same arena (Mullins Center) on Feb. 3, 2012.

• Robbie Vrolyk loves playing Massachusetts. The fourth-year winger is averaging a goal per game against the Minutemen. Vrolyk's two goals on Tuesday evening pushed his career total to eight goals in as many career games against Massachusetts.

• Rookie Mike McMurtry recorded his first-career playmaker, posting three assists, including the set up on Josh Manson's game-winning goal. Northeastern has now had three skaters registered a playmaker this season, including Vinny Saponari and Cody Ferriero (4).

• Sophomore Adam Reid accounted for his second-career multi-point game with a power play goal and an assist on Tuesday night. The Chino Hills, Calif., native's first multi-point game took place at Boston University on Jan. 18, 2013.

• Bryan Mountain picked up his first win of the season after staffing the pipes to start the third period. The Bryn Mawr, Pa., native won his second career outing and first since beating Merrimack, 2-1, on Dec. 5, 2009.

• Last time Northeastern came back from a second period deficit to win was Feb. 11, 2011, at UMass Lowell. Mike McLaughlin scored a short-handed goal at 2:44 of the third period before Jamie Oleksiak netted the game-winner at 4:46 of the overtime period.

• Northeastern's last OT win came against Boston University on March 3, 2012, as Vinny Saponary put home the game-winner at 2:35 of overtime.

• The last time Northeastern won two straight games at Massachusetts was when the Huskies took three straight in Amherst from Feb. 2, 2010 to Jan. 28, 2011.