Game-day information: Game 12 vs. Merrimack
When	Saturday, Nov. 22, 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	Teddy Bear Toss | Thanksgiving Food Drive
Social media	@GoNUmhockey facebook.com/GoNUmhockey  |  RSVP to the Facebook event instagram.com/GoNUathletics Use #GoNU

BOSTON -- After dropping a 4-2 decision last night in North Andover, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team returns to action tonight to host Merrimack at Matthews Arena, beginning at 7 p.m. in the 100th meeting all-time between the two programs.

Fans are encouraged to bring a stuffed teddy bear to the game. Fans can throw their bears onto the ice during the second intermission. The bears will then be distributed to local hospitals and homeless shelters. Also on Saturday, the Huskies will be accepting nonperishable food items for the Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, sponsored by Northeastern's Office of City and Community Affairs. The Office of City and Community Affairs is the University's primary liaison with neighborhood and community groups, facilitating partnerships and dialogues between the University's students, faculty and staff and community organizations and representatives, and helping to direct University resources toward vital community-defined needs and goals.
 
Recapping last night's loss at Merrimack
Trailing 3-1 midway through the third period, Northeastern fought back to make it 3-2 late in regulation before Merrimack (8-3-1, 4-2-0) added an empty netter to defeat the Huskies in the frontend of a home-and-home series on Friday night at Lawler Rink, 4-2.
 
Torin Snydeman and Kevin Roy both scored power play tallies for NU, which received 25 stops from Clay Witt. Merrimack, which was 3-of-8 on the man advantage and outshot 32-30 in the game, got 30 saves from Collin Delia, who replaced starter Rasmus Tirronen just 20 seconds into the game.
 
The all-time series with Merrimack
Northeastern and Merrimack are meeting for the 100th time in team history on Friday night, with the Huskies holding a 49-40-10 edge in the all-time series. At Matthews Arena, NU has a 29-19-8 advantage in the series, including wins in two of the last three home game against the Warriors.
 
Scouting Merrimack
At the top of the stat sheet for Merrimack is junior Brian Christie, who has registered 12 points this season. His five goals lead the team, while his seven helpers are second on the squad and his 45 shots are a team-high. Along with Christie, the Warriors have been getting strong production out of Brett Seney, who has five goals and six assists, including a pair of assists last night, and Hampus Gustafsson, who has three goals and eight assists.
 
Ten members of the team have at least five points on the season, and the Warriors' roster has an overall rating of +18. They have converted on 12 of 66 power play opportunities, good for second in the conference thanks in part to their 3-of-8 showing on the man advantage last night, while their penalty kill is also second in the league (90.6%).
 
In net for the Warriors this season has been Rasmus Tirronen. In 11 starts this season, Tirronen has made 223 saves en route to a 7-2-0 record. Tirronen left Friday night's game just 20 seconds in, and was replaced by Collin Delia, who is 1-1-0 with a 2/56 goals against average and .907 save percentage.
 
Nolans Stevens named Rookie of the Week
Following a two-point performance against New Hampshire, freshman forward Nolan Stevens was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week, Hockey East announced on Monday. Stevens scored the game-winning goal on Saturday against the Wildcats, giving Northeastern its first victory of the season. The goal was the Sea Isle City, New Jersey, native's first of the season, and marked the third straight season that Northeastern's first game-winning goal of the season came off the stick of a freshman (Dalen Hedges in 2013-14, Kevin Roy in 2012-13). The freshman also registered an assist, his first helper of the season, on Ryan Rosenthal's second-period goal to tie the game, 1-1.
 
Through 11 games this season, Stevens has 18 shots, six blocked shots and has won more than 60 percent of his face-offs, which is tops in the Hockey East among freshmen. He is also one of 11 draft eligible players to have a game-winning goal this season. This is the first time in his career he has been named the conference's Rookie of the Week.
 
Second act
A pair of sophomores have led the charge for the Huskies through the first six weeks of the season. Dalen Hedges (two goals, six assists) and Zach Aston-Reese (one goal, five assists) find themselves at the top of the NU stat sheet early in the year. Last season, they both netted four game-winning goals, the most for an NU rookie since Jay Schiavo in 1988-89.
 
Primed to break out
The Husky offense, which was tied for 16th in the nation with 3.16 goals per game in 2013-14, has been held to 1.76 goals per game through 11 contests this season. NU has had a pair of two-goal efforts bookend two shutouts at No. 6/4 Colgate in October before scoring two and three goals in two games at Quinnipiac on Nov. 1-2.
 
Shuffling the deck
Looking to spark his club, Jim Madigan and the NU coaching staff have utilized 29 different line combinations at forward, and 15 combinations on defense through nine games this season. Four Huskies have already made their collegiate debuts (Garret Cockerill, Trevor Owens, Dylan Sikura, Nolan Stevens) while two others have made their Northeastern debuts (Brendan Collier, Ryan Rosenthal). So far, the lines of Kevin Roy, Mike Szmatula and Mike McMurtry, has supplied the most offense while playing together with three goals and eight assists.
 
Northeastern's grade-A chances
The Huskies may not be finding the net as frequently as they would like through 10 games, but they've made the most of their chances from high percentage areas. Of Northeastern 17 goals this season, 16 of them have come from the grade-A area (94%).
 
Power play hitting its stride
After starting the season 0-of-18 on the man advantage, the Northeastern power play has emerged in the last six games, going 7-of-30 (23.3%), which is 14th in the nation and second in Hockey East in that span. NU has received power play tallies from seven different skaters, including the first collegiate tallies from Garret Cockerill and Dylan Sikura.
 
Welcome back Witt
Redshirt senior Clay Witt made his return to the NU lineup on Friday night at New Hampshire after missing the previous six games with an upper body injury. Witt bounced back by making 27 stops on Friday before a season-high 35 in a 2-1 win vs. the Wildcats.
 
Witt received USCHO.com laurels 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. Witt was also named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List on Oct. 3, which is awarded annually to college hockey's top netminder.
 
"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."
 
Paying the price
On Nov. 2 at Quinnipiac, head coach Jim Madigan said that NU needed to do the little things necessary to win games. Since then, his team has responded by blocking 72 shots (14.40 blocks per game), which is 18th in the nation in that span. Overall, Northeastern is tied for 28th in the country, and four in Hockey East, with 144 blocked shots, including a team-high 17 from Matt Benning.
 
Stiff scheduling
There aren't any easy games in college hockey, just ask the Huskies; Northeastern began 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 poll, including a pair on the road at No. 6 Colgate in early October.
 
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, NU will square off against eight teams from last season's NCAA tournament field, the most for NU since 2004-05.
 
So far this season, Northeastern's opponents in its first 10 games are a combined 62-33-11 (.636).
 
Jumping into the rush
Freshman defenseman Garret Cockerill has found himself in the middle of the Husky attack early on in his Northeastern career. The Brighton, Mich. native has logged more than 21 minutes of ice time in each of his 10 games this season, including a season-high 25:07 at Quinnipiac on Nov. 2.
 
On Oct. 24 against UMass, Cockerill collected his first collegiate point with the secondary assist on Torin Snydeman's first period goal. Later in the frame, he also assisted on Dalen Hedges' tally. Cockerill potted his first collegiate goal on Nov. 1 against QU with a power play tally in the second period. On Nov. 14 at New Hampshire, NU defensemen accounted for five of the Huskies' eight points (two goals, three assists) as Matt Benning (two assists), Jarrett Fennell (one goal) and Colton Saucerman (one goal, one assist) chipped in in the offensive zone.
 
The road ahead
After the Thanksgiving break, the Huskies will get right back to work next Saturday when Northeastern welcomes No. 4/4 Minnesota to Matthews Arena for a 7 p.m. puck drop as part of the B1G / Hockey East Challenge. NU is 5-6-0 all-time against last season's national runner-up as the Gophers visit Matthews for the first time since 1987.

Season tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are available for men's ice hockey and can be purchased by visiting 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 emailing huskytix@neu.edu with any questions.

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