BOSTON --Â The No. 12/12 Northeastern men's ice hockey team shifts its focus back to conference action this weekend as the Huskies resume Hockey East play at Massachusetts on Saturday night at the Mullins Center.
NU and the Minutemen are meeting for the second time in as many weeks after UMass visited Matthews Arena last weekend, topping the Huskies 3-0 in league action. Saturday will mark the third and final regular season matchup of the season between the teams as Northeastern bested Massachusetts in a nonconference bout earlier this season, 4-3.
The Huskies will be looking to get back on track after dropping each of their last two games to start February. NU is currently in third place in the Hockey East standings with 17 points (8-6-1), with just four points separating the third through seventh place teams.
Redshirt junior
Clay Witt has burst onto the scene in his first season as the Huskies' starting netminder, earning the start in 17 of Northeastern's last 18 games, including each of the last 10. The Brandon, Fla. native, who was named a Walter Brown Award semifinalist last week, leads the nation with a .945 save percentage, and is one of nine goaltenders in the nation with a goals against average below 2.00 (1.99).
Witt's 14 victories this season are tied for ninth on the Northeastern single-season record list, while his four shutouts are tied for third in the NU record books and tied for second in the country this season.
Sophomore forward
Kevin Roy has been the go-to point producer for NU in 2013-14, leading the team with 15 goals and 19 assists. Roy is one of 33 players in the nation with at least 30 points this season, and one of 16 with at least 15 goals and 15 assists.
The NU freshman class has made its presence felt throughout the season for the Huskies, and leads the nation in rookie scoring with 107 points (32 goals, 75 assists). Eight of those 32 goals have proven to be game-winners, which leads all freshman classes in the country.
Mike Szmatula leads all Northeastern rookies with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). He is fourth in the nation in rookie scoring with 1.07 points per game, and is one of just three freshmen in the country with at least 30 points.
A win against Massachusetts would …
• Be Northeastern's 891st victory all-time, and 270th Hockey East win.
• Give the Huskies 17 wins on the season, their most since 2008-09.
• Give Northeastern at least a split of the league series against six opponents this season.
The all-time series with the Minutemen
Northeastern holds a 44-26-10 advantage in the all-time series with Massachusetts in a historic matchup that dates back to 1930. The Huskies have gone 5-3-2 in the last ten meetings with the Minutemen, with four of those five wins being decided by a single goal.
The teams will meet for their third and final matchup of the regular season on Saturday after splitting two prior contests, 1-1. The most recent meeting between the Huskies and the Minutemen came on Feb. 7 at Matthews Arena, a decisive 3-0 victory for Massachusetts despite
Clay Witt's 45-save performance in net.
A look at UMass
Massachusetts enters Saturday's game hoping to bounce back from a 5-3 loss to No. 7 UMass Lowell on Feb. 8. The Minutemen will meet UMass Lowell for a second time this Friday before returning home to take on the Huskies the following day.
As of Friday morning, the Minutemen hold an 8-17-4 overall record on the season so far and have gone 4-9-3 in conference play.
Senior Conor Sheary continues to produce offensively for the Minutemen as their leading scorer with 23 points on the season (seven goals, 16 assists), and is currently riding a five game point streak that dates back to Jan. 24. Branden Gracel (12-7-19 totals), Michael Pereira (9-9-18 totals) and Steven Iacobellis (10-8-18 totals) round out the scoring leaders for Massachusetts.
Junior goaltender Steve Mastalerz has seen the majority of starts in net for the Minutemen this season, posting a 2.68 goals against average and a .911 save percentage through 26 appearances.
Last time out
Despite another sparkling performance from redshirt junior
Clay Witt (37 saves), Northeastern fell short in its bid for a fifth Beanpot title in a 4-1 loss to No. 1 Boston College on Monday at TD Garden.
Boston College's Patrick Brown broke a 1-1 tie with 5:30 left in the third period, and the Eagles (22-4-3) tacked on two late insurance goals to win their fifth straight Beanpot title in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated.
Freshman
John Stevens scored his first-career Beanpot goal off an assist from sophomore
Kevin Roy. The goal tied the score at one-apiece late in the second, setting up a dramatic final 20 minutes of hockey before a sellout crowd of 17,565 at TD Garden.
Quality, not quantity
Northeastern is averaging 30.1 shots on goal per game this season, which is 33rd in the nation, while allowing 35.6 (fifth most in the nation). Among teams with at least 15 victories this season, the Huskies have the largest shot differential (-162), and shots per game differential (-5.6) in the country. NU's .106 shooting percentage, however, is ninth in the nation. NU has been held under 30 shots on goal in 15 games this season. The Huskies are 8-6-1 in those games.
After the Beanpot
The four Beanpot schools have been faced with the task of returning its attention back to league play following the annual tournament during the first two Mondays in February. In the last 10 seasons, the Huskies are 6-2-2 (.700) in games immediately following the second night of the tournament.
In years that the Huskies reached the Beanpot championship game, they are 6-7-2 in the game following it.
Road warriors
The Huskies picked up their 10th victory away from home last week against Harvard, and are 10-6-2 away from Matthews Arena this season. It's the most wins away from home since Northeastern went 13-9-2 on the road during the 2008-09 season. NU's 10 wins away from home are tied for the third most in the nation and tied for second in Hockey East, while the Huskies' 59 goals on the road are fourth in the country.
Head of the class
The Northeastern rookie class has tallied 32 goals and 75 assists in 29 games this season, leading the nation 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 31 points this season (11 goals, 20 assists), and is fourth in the nation in rookie scoring with 1.07 points per game. He is also one of just three rookies to have at least 30 points this season.Â
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).
Five Huskies have tallied at least 10 points this season (Szmatula, 11-20-31; Hedges, 8-14-22; Stevens, 5-13-18; Aston-Reese, 4-9-13; Benning, 3-10-13), making NU one of two schools in the nation (Boston College) to have five rookies with double-digit points. The NU rookies have also tallied eight game-winning goals this season, the most in the nation.
Offensive explosion
Last Monday's win against Harvard saw the Huskies score at least six goals for the fourth time this season. It's the first time since the 1997-98 season that NU has recorded at least six goals in four games. Northeastern opened the season with a 9-1 win against Alabama-Huntsville before also accomplishing the feat at St. Lawrence on Oct. 25 (W, 6-3), at Dartmouth on Dec. 30 (T, 8-8) and vs. Harvard on Feb. 3 (W, 6-0).
Overall, NU tied for 11th in the nation with 92 goals this season (third in Hockey East), while its 3.17 goals per game is tied for 14th in the country.
Scoring depth
The Huskies have received points from 20 skaters this season, and have a different player leading the team in goals, assists and points. Northeastern is one of just two teams in the country (Minnesota) to have three players leading the team in goals (
Braden Pimm, 16), assists (
Mike Szmatula, 20), and points (
Kevin Roy, 34).
Point men
Three Northeastern defensemen have consistently jumped into the offensive attack this season for the Huskies marking the first time since the 2010-11 season, and third time in the last decade, that NU has had three blueliners with double-digit points.
Colton Saucerman (4-11-15) is tied for eighth in the conference in points per game among defensemen (0.52) while
Matt Benning (3-10-13) and
Josh Manson (3-7-10) have also had strong seasons from the point.
Help me, help you
Mike Szmatula is tied for 17th in the nation with 20 assists this season, and also tied for second in the nation in assists among rookie skaters. Szmatula is the first Husky since Wade MacLeod in 2007-08 to record at least 20 helpers in his freshman campaign.
Szmatula has recorded multi-assist games six times this season, highlighted by a three-assist night against Alabama-Huntsville on opening night. NU is 9-3-1 this season when he records an assist.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
Northeastern has had several skaters step up when the team has needed them most in 2013-14, with 11 different players recording game-winning goals for the first time since the 2008-09 season and tied for the second most in the country. NU is one of five teams in the country to have at least 11 players with game-winners, and is tied with Minnesota, UMass Lowell and Wisconsin for second behind Ferris State.
Four of freshman
Dalen Hedges' eight goals this season have proven to be game-winners, which is tied for third in Hockey East. Hedges is also tied for the rookie lead in game-winning tallies, and bested
Kevin Roy's 2012-13 team-leading total on Monday against Harvard. It's the most game-winning goals for a NU freshman since Jay Schiavo in 1988-89.
At Witt's end
Prior to taking the ice for the Beanpot semifinal on Monday,
Clay Witt was named a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award, which is given to the top American hockey player in New England. Witt is one of eight Hockey East players and two goaltenders included on the list. The Brandon, Fla. native was also named the 'Stop It' Goaltender of the Month after leading NU to a 5-2-0 mark in January. He posted a 1.87 goals against average and .950 save percentage during the month, made at least 35 saves in three games and recorded one shutout.
Witt has appeared in 24 games for the Huskies so far this season, posting a 14-8-2 record and a .945 save percentage that leads the nation. His 1.99 goals against average, meanwhile, is third in the league and seventh in the country. He is now tied for ninth on the NU single-season record list for wins in a season (14). His four shutouts are tied for second in the country, second in Hockey East, and tied for third on the NU record list with Brad Thiessen (2006-07).
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 26 of NU's 29 games this year, totaling 37 goals and 39 assists along with a combined +7 rating. NU is 15-8-3 when the trio skates together.
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 15 goals and 19 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.
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. NU is 14-5-3 when he tallies a point, and 8-1-1 when he scores.
Against the best
Northeastern hasn't been afraid to take on the nation's top teams this season, having squared off against anked opponents in seven of its last nine games. So far this season, the Huskies are 6-5-1 against teams ranked in the top-20 of the USCHO.com poll. All of those games have come against teams from Hockey East.
Get in front of it
Dax Lauwers leads the team with 58 blocked shots this season, which is fifth in the league and 16th in the nation, highlighted by a season-high eight blocks against Providence on Dec. 6.
Cardiac canines
NU has made a habit of doing their damage in the third period this season, scoring 34 of its 92 goals in the final 20 minutes of play. NU is tied for 10th in the country in third period goals. NU has 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.
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 with 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) and is tied for 17th place nationally among top scoring leaders. He has averaged 1.17 points per game through 29 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 24 games for the Huskies while posting a 1.99 goals against average and a .945 save percentage, good for first in the nation. He earned the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week accolade five times this season and has made a total of 827 saves this season (second in the country).
Poll position
The Huskies came in at No. 12 in the USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll this week. The Huskies are one of eight Hockey East squads either ranked or receiving votes.
Northeastern has been ranked in each of the last 10 USCHO.com polls, and has been either ranked or receiving votes for 17 straight weeks dating back to Oct. 14, 2013. The Huskies are also No. 11 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine top 15 poll this week.
Killing it on the PK
Despite being 12th in the country and first in Hockey East with 14.8 penalty minutes per game, the Northeastern penalty killing unit has stepped up its play in recent weeks. In the last 17 games, NU has killed off 66-of-74 penalties (89.2%), which is second in the country in that span. The Huskies have also been shorthanded 145 times this season, the fourth most in the country.
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 16 goals and 11 assists this season, which is good for 13th in Hockey East. Nine of Pimm's 16 goals this season have come in special teams situations (seven power play goals, two shorthanded goals), which is tied for the sixth most special teams tallies in the nation.Â
Pimm's seven power play goals, meanwhile, are tied for 10th in the country and tied for 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 last season.
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 51.2% of his face-offs this season, going 280-of-547. He is one of four freshmen in the nation in the top-25 in face-off victories.Â
Mike Szmatula (247-of-559; 44.2%),
Dalen Hedges (257-of-465; 55.3%) and
Tanner Pond (96-of-198; 48.5%) 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 1009-of-2062, which is ninth in the nation and third in Hockey East. Northeastern is one of 12 teams in the country with at least 1000 face-off wins.
Lending a helping hand
Northeastern has tallied 152 assists through 29 games this season, which is 16th in the country and third in Hockey East, sparked by 20 helpers from freshman
Mike Szmatula (tied for 17th in the nation). Szmatula, who is tied for second in the nation in assists among rookie skaters, has an assist in 13 of the team's 29 games this season, including six games with multi-assist efforts.
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.
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 32 goals and 75 assists, which is 43.8% 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. 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.
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.
"Being chosen for this position is a tremendous honor," said Poile. "When you get to represent your country, it's a special feeling. I look forward to working with our management team in fulfilling our ultimate goal of bringing home the gold medal."
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.
"We couldn't be more pleased than to have David as our general manager," said Ron DeGregorio president of USA Hockey. "He continues to have a remarkable management career in the National Hockey League and the vast experience and expertise he brings to the table will serve us well in our goal to bring the gold medal back to the United States."
Hang out with the Huskies
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The road ahead
Northeastern will return home next weekend for a pair of Hockey East games against Maine, beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. It will be the first time this season that the teams have squared off with the squads separated by just one point in the Hockey East standings.
