Game-day information: Game 1 vs. Vermont
When	Saturday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
Where	Boston, Mass.  |  Matthews Arena  |  Directions
Broadcast and stats	Live Stats  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Tickets
Notes and yearbook	Game notes (PDF)  |  2014-15 Yearbook  |  Media Center
Promotions	DogHouse T-shirts, Beat Vermont t-shirts, Chuck-A-Puck
Social media	VIDEO: Northeastern Hockey Is Back @GoNUmhockey facebook.com/GoNUmhockey  |  RSVP to the Facebook event instagram.com/GoNUathletics Use #GoNU

BOSTON -- The 2014-15 season officially kicks off for the No. 16 Northeastern men's ice hockey team on Saturday when the Huskies host Vermont in a Hockey East contest at Matthews Arena.
 
Established in 1929, the Northeastern men's hockey program initiates its 83rd season of operation. From 1943 to 1946, the Huskies' program was discontinued due to World War II, but every other year from 1929 to 2014 Northeastern has been playing hockey at Matthews Arena.
 
Northeastern possesses an overall mark of 894-1135-139 (.444) and a Hockey East win-loss total of 271-392-99 (.421). NU has won 25 games twice in program history, including the 1981-82 season (25-9-2) and, most recently, in 2008-09 (25-12-4) when the Huskies took their fourth trip in team history to the NCAA tournament.
  
Northeastern in season openers
Northeastern has enjoyed success in its first games of the regular season since the inception of the program, putting together a mark of 47-28-7 (.616) in 82 opening games. In last year's season opener, the Huskies routed Alabama-Huntsville at Matthews Arena, 9-1. Kevin Roy had a hat trick and Matt Benning and Mike Szmatula both logged three-point nights in their collegiate debuts.
 
It was the most goals scored in a season opener since Oct. 25, 1988 against Vermont (W, 9-6). It was also the first time NU has scored nine goals since Dec. 2, 2011 at Notre Dame (W, 9-2).
 
Northeastern and Vermont have met just four other times in season openers (1969, 1987, 1988), and the first time that the teams have squared off in a season opener since Oct. 5, 2002 at Gutterson Fieldhouse, a 3-3 tie. NU is 2-1-1 against the Catamounts when the teams clash in the first game of the season.
 
A win on Saturday would give the Huskies victories in three straight season openers for the first time since 2000, when NU won its 1998-99, 1999-00 and 2000-01 season openers.
 
Huskies in home openers
Historically, Northeastern has gotten off to hot starts at home. During the last 82 seasons, the Huskies are 46-31-5 in home openers at Matthews Arena, including a 9-2-3 mark since the 2000-01 season. In season openers at home, Northeastern is 28-11-3 (.702) all-time, and has not lost a season opener at Matthews Arena since the 1995-96 season.

NU in Hockey East openers
Northeastern is entering its 31st season in Hockey East, and owns a 13-11-6 (.533) mark all-time in conference openers. Saturday will mark the first time that NU has ever opened the Hockey East slate against Vermont.
 
Recapping NU's exhibition game vs. Acadia
Zach Aston-Reese and Kevin Roy both scored for the Huskies, but an Acadia goal midway through the third period sealed the victory for the Axemen in exhibition play on Sunday afternoon at Matthews Arena, 3-2. NU fought back in the final period to tie the game with 11:41 left in regulation, but Acadia fired right back with the eventual game-winning goal from Alex Beaton less than two minutes later.
 
Clay Witt (nine saves) and Derick Roy (15 saves) split time in goal for NU, which outshot Acadia 34-27 in the game. NU converted on one of its five power play opportunities in the game while holding the Axemen to an 0-of-4 showing on the man advantage.
 
Approaching history
When Northeastern kicks off the regular season on Saturday, they will do so with a milestone in sight. The Huskies are three victories away from 500 at historic Matthews Arena. NU is 497-474-70 (.511) all-time at Matthews, which has been the Huskies' only home in its 82-year history.
 
Matthews Arena is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building and houses the world's oldest artificial ice sheet.
    
Returning firepower
With 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.
 
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.
  
Poll position
Northeastern men's ice hockey team came in at No. 16 in the USCHO.com preseason poll on Sept. 29. The Huskies picked up 270 points, and are one of seven Hockey East teams included in the top 20. Minnesota, the national runner-up in 2014, took the top spot, followed by North Dakota, Providence, Boston College and Union in the second through fifth slots, respectively.
 
Northeastern will lace up the skates against nine teams (Minnesota, Providence, Boston College, Colgate, Notre Dame, Quinnipiac, UMass Lowell, New Hampshire, Boston University) included in the top 20 this season.
 
The Huskies are also receiving votes in the USA Hockey / USA Hockey Magazine preseason poll, which ranks the top 15 teams. NU had 10 points in that poll.
 
Scouting Vermont
The Catamounts enter Saturday night's game following an 8-0 victory against Royal Military College in an exhibition match last week.  Eight different players scored a goal in the victory, while 18 total players registered a point. Last season, for the first time since 2009, the Catamounts won 20 games en route to their eighth playoff appearance in nine years and their sixth NCAA tournament appearance all-time.
 
Vermont returns four of its top five scorers from a year ago including Mario Puskarich, the 2014 Hockey East Rookie of the Year, who finished 2013-14 with a team-high 19 goals. In total, 61 percent of the offense returns to the ice for the upcoming season.
 
In their 38-game slate last season, the Catamounts averaged 2.76 goals per game, good for seventh in the Hockey East. Vermont welcomes back Brody Hoffman who finished with a .925 save percentage, tied for fourth in the conference, in 20 appearances last year. Hoffman was named to the Mike Richter Award watch list, the award given to the nation's top goaltender.
     
Oh, brother
For the second straight season, the Northeastern roster features two sets of brothers in Derick and Kevin Roy and Nolan and John Stevens. The Huskies are one of just two programs in the nation to have at least two sets of brothers on the same team. The other, Quinnipiac, has three sets of brothers this season.
 
Hello, my name is ...
With the departure of seven student-athletes from last season's team, the coaching staff added seven newcomers to fill the voids in 2014-15. The Huskies added four forwards (Brendan Collier, Ryan Rosenthal, Dylan Sikura, Nolan Stevens), two defensemen (Garret Cockerill, Trevor Owens) and one goaltender (Jake Theut).
 
Five of the seven are enrolled as freshmen, while Collier and Rosenthal are sophomores after transferring from Boston University and Vermont, respectively.
 
B1G / Hockey East Challenge
Nine of 12 Hockey East institutions will join five of the six Big Ten schools in 20 designated games to be played between October 10 and November 29, in the second Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge. Northeastern will close out the challenge when the Huskies host Minnesota on November 29 at Matthews Arena (7 p.m.).
 
A Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge Cup will be presented to the conference that records the most points from the 20 contests. Teams will earn two points for a win, one point for a tie and a bonus point will be awarded for a road win. Hockey East won the inaugural Big Ten / Hockey East Challenge last season by going 7-4-2 against B1G foes.
 
Show dogs
The 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 on Thursday.
 
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.
 
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 native spent one season on Huntington Ave., appearing in 38 games and registering 13 points.

The road ahead
The Huskies will head out on the road for the first time this season next weekend when Northeastern travels to Hamilton, New York for a two-game set against No. 5 Colgate, beginning Friday at 7 p.m. Northeastern owns a 27-17-2 record all-time against the Raiders as the two teams meet for the first time since 2007.

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