BOSTON --Â With just eight conference games remaining, points are at a premium for the No. 11 Northeastern men's ice hockey team, which travels to No. 15 Notre Dame for two Hockey East tilts this weekend beginning on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. on NBCSN.
The Huskies, winners of four of their last five games, will be playing a ranked opponent for the fifth consecutive game. NU is 5-3-1 vs. ranked foes this season.
Northeastern and Notre Dame will be meeting for the second time this season on Friday. NU previously topped the Fighting Irish in the Huskies' first trip to Compton Family Ice Arena on Nov. 29-30 for the Shillelagh Tournament. After advancing in a shootout in a 1-1 tie with Western Michigan, Northeastern erased a two-goal second period deficit to come back and down Notre Dame in the tournament title game, 3-2.
The Huskies jumped five spots in last week's USCHO.com poll, checking in at No. 11, and remained there this week. It is the program's highest ranking since the end of the 2008-09 season, when NU was ranked sixth in the country. Northeastern also cracked the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll for the first time this season last week at No. 11.
Sophomore forward
Kevin Roy has been a steady point producer for NU in 2013-14, leading the team with 14 goals and 16 assists. He is one of 12 players in the nation with at least 30 points this season, and is the first Husky to record 30 points in back-to-back seasons since Wade MacLeod (2009-10 and 2010-11).
Senior forward
Braden Pimm has had the hot hand for the Huskies since returning from the holiday break, and has seven goals and three assists in his last seven games. Pimm was recently named an assistant captain for his leadership both on and off the ice.
Redshirt junior goaltender
Clay Witt has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the nation this season, earning the start in 12 of Northeastern's last 13 games. The Brandon, Fla. native, a three-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week honoree, is second in the country with a .943 save percentage while his 658 saves are good for fifth in the nation. He is also one of nine goaltenders with at least 12 wins this season.
A win against Notre Dame would …
• Be NU's 889th victory all-time, and 269th Hockey East win.
• Make NU 7-0-1 in its last eight conference games, its longest streak since the 1999-00 season (5-0-3).
• Give Northeastern four straight wins against Notre Dame, its longest active winning streak against any Hockey East team.
• Mark NU's ninth win away from home this season, the most since the 2008-09 campaign (13-9-2).
The all-time series with the Fighting Irish
Northeastern holds a 5-3-1 advantage in all-time series over Notre Dame, with the first meeting between the two teams coming in 1970. The Huskies have won the last three contests against the Fighting Irish, and are a perfect 3-0-0 mark under coach
Jim Madigan. NU hasn't lost to UND since Oct. 20, 2000.
The most recent meeting between the two teams came earlier this season at the Shillelagh Tournament in November, where Northeastern defeated the Fighting Irish on their home ice after battling back from a two-goal deficit with three unanswered goals in the tournament title game.
A look at Notre Dame
Notre Dame enters Friday's matchup hoping to extend a four-game win streak that stretches back to Jan. 10. The Fighting Irish are 14-8-1 on the season and have dominated opponents at home, posting an 11-3-1 mark at Compton Family Ice Arena.
The Fighting Irish are led by leading scorer T.J Tynan, who has posted 25 points on the season through 23 games on five goals and 20 assists. Tynan ranks fourth in Hockey East in assist scoring and is tied with
Mike Szmatula for power-play points with 2-10-12 totals.
A trio of Tynan's teammates trail closely behind with 20 points each on the season, including Vince Hinostroza (5-15-20), Bryan Rust (8-12-20) and Mario Lucia (12-8-20). Sophomore Sam Herr is also tied with Lucia for goals scored, notching 12 on the season.
Between the pipes, senior goaltender Steven Summerhays has seen 21 starts on the season, recording a 12-7-1 record while posting a 1.96 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.
Last time out
Northeastern led 1-0 entering the third period only to see No. 18 Vermont score four goals in the final 20 minutes of play to skate to a 4-1 victory in a nonconference contest on Saturday at Matthews Arena.
Dalen Hedges scored the lone goal for the Huskies, who had its five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) snapped with the loss.
Clay Witt got the start in goal for the fifth straight game, making 28 stops. Chris McCarthy led the charge for the Catamounts with two goals and an assist while Matt Santaguida made 23 saves in goal. For the second straight night, UVM held the Huskies under 30 shots on goal as the Catamounts outshot Northeastern 32-24. NU was 0-of-3 on the power play, with all of its opportunities on the man advantage coming in the first period, while the Catamounts went 1-of-2 on the power play.
There's no place like Compton
The Huskies have made themselves at home at Compton Family Ice Arena, winning all three games they've played. Northeastern is the only team to have beaten Notre Dame three times in the building since its opening in 2011-12.
Only three other teams have managed to top the Fighting Irish on the road twice since the start of the 2011-12 campaign (Alaska, Ferris State, Western Michigan).
Getting hot at the right time
Already more than halfway through its conference schedule, Northeastern has picked up victories when it's needed them most so far this season. The Huskies are unbeaten in their last seven Hockey East games (6-0-1), their best stretch since the 2007-08 season (6-0-1).
A win or tie on Friday would extend the streak to eight games, NU's longest conference unbeaten streak since 1999-00 (5-0-3).
NU is currently in sole possession of second place in the conference standings with 15 points (7-4-1), and is looking to secure a top-five finish and earn a first-round bye in the Hockey East playoffs.
Against the best
Northeastern hasn't been afraid to take on the nation's top teams this season, and will square off with its fifth straight ranked opponent on Friday night.
So far this season, the Huskies are 5-3-1 against teams ranked in the top-20 of the USCHO.com poll. All of those games have come against teams from Hockey East.
Poll position
Following two wins against top-ten opponents two weeks ago, Northeastern moved up to No. 11 in this week's USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll. It is the program's highest ranking since the end of the 2008-09 season.
NU and Wisconsin were the biggest movers of the week with a five-spot jump, up from No. 16 and No. 14 last week, respectively. The Huskies are also one of seven Hockey East squads ranked in the top 20.
Northeastern has been ranked in each of the last seven USCHO.com polls, and has been either ranked or receiving votes for 14 straight weeks dating back to Oct. 14, 2013. The Huskies also cracked the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine top 15 poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 11.
30/30
Sophomore forward
Kevin Roy reached the 30-point plateau for the second straight season last weekend against Vermont. The Lac-Beauport, Quebec native leads the team with 14 goals and 16 assists, and is the first Husky since Wade MacLeod (2009-10, 2010-11) to log at least 30 points in consecutive seasons.
Should Roy finish the season as the team's leading scorer, it would mark the 18th time in program history that a player has led the team in scoring in consecutive seasons, and the first to do it in his first two seasons with the team since Les Chaisson in 1970-71 and 1971-72.
Huskies for Hobey
NU's
Kevin Roy and
Clay Witt are two of 68 players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which honors an elite NCAA men's ice hockey player who exhibits both athletic talent and strong sportsmanship.
Roy currently leads the team offensively with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) and is tied for 10th place nationally among top scoring leaders. He has averaged 1.25 points per game through 24 games so far this season and was named the Warrior Hockey Player of the Week twice (Dec. 23 and Oct. 14) while also earning the title of National Player of the Month in October.
In goal, Witt has backstopped 19 games for the Huskies while posting a 2.09 goals against average and a .943 save percentage, good for second in the nation. He earned the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week accolade three times this season and has made a total of 658 saves this season (fith in the country).
Hey shorty
NU used special teams situations to its advantage on Jan. 11 against UMass Lowell, scoring three goals in odd-man scenarios (two SHG, one PPG). It marked the first time since Oct. 18, 2008 that the Huskies netted two shorthanded tallies in a game.
NU has five shorthanded goals this season, which is tied for fifth in the nation. Northeastern hasn't had more than five shorties in a season since 2008-09.
Pimm earns the 'A'
Prior to the Huskies' Citi Frozen Fenway 2014 game against UMass Lowell, NU head coach
Jim Madigan announced that senior
Braden Pimm has been named an assistant captain. Pimm earned the 'A' for his leadership both on an off the ice. Pimm joins captain
Josh Manson and assistant captains
Dax Lauwers and
Adam Reid who will wear letters for Northeastern for the remainder of the season.
Pimm is third on the team with 15 goals and 10 assists this season, which is good for a tie for 10th in Hockey East. Nine of Pimm's 15 goals this season have come in special teams situations (seven power play goals, two shorthanded goals), which is tied for the fourth most special teams tallies in the nation.
Pimm's seven power play goals, meanwhile, are tied for sixth in the country and tops in Hockey East. Pimm has more than doubled his goal total from a season ago after posting six goals and 11 assists as a junior this season. Among senior skaters, he is tied for 10th in the country in total points this year.
Cardiac canines
NU has made a habit of doing their damage in the third period this season, scoring 32 of its 81 goals in the final 20 minutes of play. NU is tied with Quinnipiac for third in the country in third period goals behind Boston College (39) and Providence (33).
The Huskies have also made use of pulling the goaltender this year, and lead the nation with five goals with the extra attacker, highlighted by two at Dartmouth on Dec. 30 to force overtime.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Northeastern has had several skaters step up when the team has needed them most in 2013-14, with 10 different skaters recording game-winning goals for the first time since the 2009-10 season and tied for the second most in the country. NU is one of eight teams in the country to have at least 10 players with game-winners.
Three of freshman
Dalen Hedges' six goals this season have proven to be game-winners, which is tied for fifth in Hockey East. Hedges is also one of just seven freshmen with three game-winners, and matched
Kevin Roy's 2012-13 team-leading total.
Head of the class
The Northeastern rookie class has tallied 28 goals and 66 assists in 23 games this season, which is tied with Boston College for the nation's lead in points for a freshman class. Eight different NU rookies have tallied a point this season.
Freshman
Mike Szmatula is second on the team with 27 points this season (nine goals, 18 assists), and is third in the nation in rookie scoring with 1.12 points per game. He is also one of just three rookies to have at least 25 points this season. If Szmatula finishes the year first on the team in scoring, it would mark the third straight season that a freshman has led NU in scoring (
Ludwig Karlsson in 2011-12,
Kevin Roy in 2012-13).
The NU rookies have also tallied seven game-winning goals this season, the most in the nation.
At Witt's end
Redshirt junior
Clay Witt has backstopped the Huskies throughout much of the season. The Brandon, Fla. native is 12-5-2 this year, one of nine goalies with at least 12 wins, to go along with a 2.09 goals against average and .943 save percentage (second in the nation).
His 658 saves, meanwhile, are the fifth most in the nation, much in part to a career-high 52 against Providence on Dec. 6, which is tied for the third most saves in a game in program history (George Demetroulakos vs. Boston University on Feb. 21, 1980).
Sophomore surge
Sophomore forward
Kevin Roy has 31 goals and 33 assists in 53 career games with the Huskies. On Nov. 22, Roy became the 56th player in program history to record at least 50 points in their first two seasons in college hockey, and first since Wade MacLeod and Tyler McNeely in 2008-09. Roy is averaging 1.2 points per game since arriving at Northeastern last season, and leads the team with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) this year. The Huskies are 13-4-3 when he tallies a point, and 8-1-1 when he scores a goal.
League things
The NU defense has made a point of tightening things up against conference opponents. Northeastern holds a 2.17 goals against average in Hockey East play, which is second in Hockey East behind only Maine (2.10) and tied for eighth in the nation, compared to a 3.17 goals against average against nonconference foes (10 in Hockey East; 39th in the nation).
Killing it on the PK
Despite being ninth in the country with 15.2 penalty minutes per game, the Northeastern penalty killing unit has stepped up its play in recent weeks. In the last 12 games, NU has killed off 52-of-59 penalties (88.1%), which is seventh in the country. The Huskies have also been shorthanded 130 times this season, tied for the most in the nation.
Powerful power play
The Northeastern power play unit has also come into its own in recent weeks, netting five goals on the man advantage in its last six games. NU is 22-of-116 on the power play this season, and is one of 22 teams in the country with at least 20 conversions on the power play. The Huskies have worked hard to draw penalties throughout the season, as well, and they are one of 15 teams to have at least 110 power play attempts this season.
Senior
Braden Pimm has been the go-to player for power play goals this season for NU. He is one of eight skaters in the country with at least seven power play goals, which is tied for sixth in the nation and tops in Hockey East.
Filling the net
While head coach
Jim Madigan has shuffled the lineup a bit so far this season, one line of Huskies has remained intact.
Kevin Roy,
John Stevens and
Braden Pimm have been grouped together on the same line in 22 of NU's 24 games this year, totaling 34 goals and 34 assists along with a combined +21 rating. The Huskies are 14-5-3 when the trio skates together.
Rookies in the middle
The Huskies have relied on its freshman class to produce at the face-off dot all season, with a rookie serving as the primary center on all four of their lines.
John Stevens has won 52% of his face-offs this season, going 234-of-450. His 234 wins are 25th in the nation, and he is one of five freshmen in the nation in the top 40 in face-off victories.Â
Mike Szmatula (213-of-469; 45.4%),
Dalen Hedges (195-of-355; 54.9%) and
Tanner Pond (89-of-172; 51.7%) make NU the only team in the country to have four freshmen who have taken at least 100 face-offs this season.
As a team, NU is 847-of-1714, which is sixth in the nation and second in Hockey East.
Lending a helping hand
Northeastern has tallied 134 assists through 23 games this season, which is seventh in the country and third in Hockey East, sparked by 18 helpers from freshman
Mike Szmatula (tied for 13th in the nation). Szmatula, who leads the nation in assists among rookie skaters, has an assist in 12 of the team's 23 games this season, including five games with multi-assist efforts.
Offensive explosion
After scoring 81 goals all of last season, Northeastern has matched that total in 24 games. NU is seventh in the nation with 81 goals this season, and its 3.38 goals per game average is 11th in the country.
The Huskies' 12 goals on opening weekend were the most goals scored in the team's first two games of the season since NU scored 13 in the opening two games of the 2002-03 season.
Hello, my name is …
Northeastern houses 12 freshmen (eight forwards, three defensemen, one goaltender) on its 2013-14 roster, which is the most in Hockey East and tied with Sacred Heart for the most rookies in the nation.Â
Nine freshmen have seen playing time so far this season, and have accounted for 28 goals and 66 assists, which is 43.3% of Northeastern's total scoring.
Show dogs
Northeastern has four NHL draft picks on this year's squad. Sophomore
Kevin Roy is NU's highest draft pick after the Anaheim Ducks took him in the fourth round (97th overall) last year.Â
San Jose selected senior
Cody Ferriero in the fifth round (127th) in 2010 while junior
Josh Manson was an Anaheim sixth rounder (160th) in 2011. Newcomer
Matt Benning was selected by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round (175th) at the 2012 Entry Draft.
Oh brother
Northeastern's 28-man roster features two sets of brothers in Cody and
Nathan Ferriero, as well as Derick and
Kevin Roy. The Huskies are one of just two teams in the nation to have two pairs of brothers on its roster, joining Quinnipiac's Connor and Tim Clifton and Conner and Kellen Jones.
Poile named General Manager of U.S. Olympic Team
Alumnus David Poile has been named general manager of the 2014 United States Olympic men's hockey team, USA Hockey announced on Jun. 28.
Poile, currently the general manager of the NHL's Nashville Predators, played three seasons of varsity hockey at Northeastern from 1967 to 1970. He is 26th on the Northeastern all-time scoring list with 118 points, and he still holds the program record for hat tricks with 11. He was inducted into the Northeastern Hall of Fame in 1987.
The road ahead
Northeastern will have a week off before heading to the TD Garden for the 62nd annual Beanpot on Monday, Feb. 3. The Huskies will take on Harvard in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. before facing off with either Boston College or Boston University in the battle for Boston's bragging rights.
