BOSTON --Â Hockey East play continues for the Northeastern men's ice hockey team on Friday night as the Huskies look to enter the win column for the first time this season against Massachusetts at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m.
Â
The Huskies carry a three-game losing skid into Friday's conference tilt following back-to-back 3-0 defeats at the hands of No. 6/4 Colgate last weekend. NU, however, is 6-1-3 (.750) in the last three seasons when entering a contest on a three-game losing streak.
Â
Recapping last Saturday's loss to No. 6/4 ColgateDespite a career-high 38 saves from sophomore goaltender
Derick Roy, Northeastern could not break Colgate netminder Charlie Finn (28 saves) as the No. 6/4 Raiders shutout the Huskies for the second straight game, 3-0, on Saturday night at Starr Rink.
Â
Colgate carried a 1-0 lead into the third period before firing 19 shots at Roy and the NU defense during the final 20 minutes of play, adding two insurance markers. The Raiders, who received goals from three different scorers, outshot the Huskies 41-28 in the game and went 1-of-6 on the power play while holding Northeastern to an 0-of-4 showing on the man advantage.
Â
Approaching historyWhen Northeastern hosts the Minutemen on Friday, it will do so with a milestone in sight. The Huskies are three victories away from 500 at historic Matthews Arena. NU is 497-475-70 (.544) all-time at Matthews, which has been the Huskies' only home in its 82-year history.
Â
Matthews Arena is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building and houses the world's oldest artificial ice sheet.
Â
Platoon between the pipesFor the second straight season, Northeastern's opponents have gotten a look at two of the Huskies' top netminders. Redshirt senior
Clay Witt started the team's first two games of the season, while
Derick Roy got the nod in the series finale at Colgate last weekend. Roy responded by making a career-high 38 saves against one of the nation's top teams.
Â
Witt now ranks second all-time at Northeastern in goals against average (2.58) and first in save percentage (.925). He's also tied with Marc Robitaille for fourth all-time in career shutouts (four) in just 50 career games.
Â
 Stiff schedulingThere aren't any easy games in college hockey, just ask the Huskies; Northeastern begins the regular season with six of its first seven games against teams that made the NCAA tournament last season. To top that, each of its first 10 games come against team who are either ranked or receiving votes in the USCHO.com preseason, including a pair on the road at No. 6 Colgate this weekend.
Â
It's the first time since the 2005-06 season that NU has started the season with three straight games against NCAA tournament teams from the season before, and the first time in program history that the Huskies play six of their first seven games against national tournament teams. In all, Northeastern will square off against eight teams from last season's national tournament field, the most for NU since the 2004-05 season.
Â
Roy enters season in elite companyWinger
Kevin Roy is back in the Red and Black for his junior season on Huntington Avenue. He enters the 2014-15 campaign with 36 goals and 45 assists in 69 career games (1.17 points per game), and could become just the 46th player in program history to reach 100 career points, and 21st player to do it in three seasons or less.
Â
On Sept. 30, Roy was named one of college hockey's ten impact forwards in 2014-15 by USCHO.com. One opposing coach called Roy, "as skilled as any player in the country, especially around the net."
Â
Roy has led the Huskies in scoring in each of the past two seasons, one of eight active players in the nation to have led their squads in scoring in at least two consecutive seasons.
Â
At Witt's endRedshirt senior goaltender
Clay Witt received similar laurels from USCHO.com on Oct. 2 when the Brandon, Florida native was named one of the top ten impact goalies of 2014-15. Witt was tied for second in the nation (.932) last year, and expectations have risen for the netminder in his final year of eligibility.
Â
"I fully expect him to add on to where he left off last season, to be one of our leaders," said head coach
Jim Madigan, "and be that strong force between the pipes to give our team the confidence that we need each game to go out there and win."
Â
Witt was also named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List on Oct. 3, which is awarded annually to college hockey's top netminder.
Â
Returning firepowerWith 21 letterwinners back from a season ago, the Huskies won't be at a shortage for options in the attacking end of the ice. NU's returning skaters combined for 86 goals and 154 assists during the 2013-14 season. Their 240 points, which was 78% or NU's offensive output in 2013-14, is more than 16 teams compiled in total last year.
Â
Northeastern's freshman, now sophomore, class led the charge in 2013-14 with 125 points (42 goals, 83 assists), which was third in the nation in rookie scoring. Four out of the team's top seven scorers last season were freshmen.
Â
 Looking to bounce backThe Huskies were shutout for the 11th time since the start of the 2011-12 season on Saturday night at Colgate. With
Jim Madigan at the helm, the Huskies have responded in games following a shutout, averaging 3.3 goals per game.
Â
The all-time series with the MinutemenNortheastern and Massachusetts will be meeting for the 92nd time in program history on Friday night, with NU holding a 45-26-10 (.543) edge in the all-time series. The Huskies took two-of-three games against UMass last season.
Â
Friday will be the first of three meetings with the Minutemen this season, as NU will travel to the Mullins Center twice on December 16 (non-conference) and February 6 (Hockey East game).
Â
Scouting MassachusettsThe Minutemen enter their matchup with the Huskies following a 4-3 win at Michigan State as part of the Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge. Through three games this season, Massachusetts has a 1-2-0 record, including a 0-1-0 mark in Hockey East action. Steven Iacobellis leads the Minutmen in points this season (four), and is tied for the team-high in assists (two) and goals (two). Behind Iacobellis on the stat sheet is freshman Patrick Lee, who has three points after scoring once and assisting on two other goals.
Â
Two goalkeepers have been splitting time for UMass early on this season. Steve Mastalerz has started two games while Henry Dill has started one game but appeared in two. Mastalerz has allowed 11 goals while making 51 saves and posting a 0-2-0 record. Dill, a freshman goalkeeper, has allowed five goals while making 30 saves and posting a 1-0-0 mark this season.Â
Â
At the helm of the program is John Micheletto. The bench boss is in his third season with UMass and has a career record of 21-43-7. In 2013-14, Micheletto has guided the Minutemen to a modern-day best 22% mark on the power play. Prior to being named the head coach of UMass, he served on the coaching staff at Vermont, including five seasons as associate head coach.
 Show dogsThe 2014-15 NHL season is upon us, and a pair of former players made the final cuts to secure their spots on opening night rosters. Joe Vitale (2005-09) and Jamie Oleksiak (2010-11) will suit up for the Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars, respectively, as their teams began the year last week.
Â
Vitale, originally a seventh-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2005 draft, is in his first season with Arizona after signing a three-year deal in July. Vitale is 50th all-time in points in NU history with 94 (34 goals, 60 assists), and was named Hockey East's best defensive forward in 2008-09.
Â
Jamie Oleksiak – who at 21 years old is the second youngest player on the Dallas Stars – is the highest drafted player in Northeastern history after being taken 14th overall in the 2011 draft. The Toronto, Canada, native spent one season on Huntington Ave., appearing in 38 games and registering 13 points.
Â
 The road aheadNortheastern heads back out on the road next weekend to take on No. 15/15 Quinnipiac for a pair at the TD Bank Sports Center on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (4 p.m.). It will be the first time that the two teams have squared off since the 2002-03 season, a 2-1 victory for Northeastern.Â
Season tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are available for men's ice hockey and can be purchased by visitingÂ
GoNU.com/tickets. In addition, the student sale for the 2015 Beanpot will take place on Saturday, January 17, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Matthews Arena lobby. Please contact the Ticket Office by calling 617-373-4700 or emailingÂ
huskytix@neu.edu with any questions.
For complete coverage of Northeastern and Northeastern hockey, follow us on Facebook (
Northeastern andÂ
Northeastern Men's Ice Hockey) and Twitter (
@GoNUathletics andÂ
@GoNUmhockey). Check out exclusive videos onÂ
GoNUxstream and behind-the-scenes content on Instagram (
GoNUathletics). .