Game-day information: Game 24 vs. Notre Dame
When	Friday, Jan. 23, 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	VOTE: Roy for Hobey Baker
Social media	@GoNUmhockey  facebook.com/GoNUmhockey  |  RSVP to the Facebook event  instagram.com/GoNUathletics  Use #GoNU

BOSTON -- With just nine conference games remaining on its schedule, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team will look to pick up crucial Hockey East points this weekend when the Huskies host Notre Dame for two games, beginning Friday night at Matthews Arena.
 
#WhiteoutWeekend
Whiteout Weekend continues Friday with the first 1000 students receiving "Unleash the Dogs" t-shirts, while the first 500 students will receive free pizza courtesy of the DogHouse. During the second intermission, Boloco will be sponsoring a burrito-eating contest at center ice.

Hockey East will be on hand throughout the evening as part of the "Road to the TD Garden," leading to the 2015 Hockey East Tournament Championship and 2015 NCAA Men's Frozen Four, both to be held at the TD Garden. The seventh annual campaign will feature two of the most recognizable trophies in college hockey, bringing both the Lamoriello Trophy, awarded annually to the Hockey East Tournament champion, and the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship Trophy to each of the 12 Hockey East campuses.

Additionally, one of the first five people at each Road to the TD Garden stop to take a picture with the trophies, and post to Instagram (hockey.east), Facebook, and Twitter (@hockey_east) with the hashtag #FindAV will be randomly chosen to win a pair of tickets to their choice of the Hockey East Semi-Finals or Hockey East Championship.

The Huskies will conclude Whiteout Weekend on Saturday night against the Fighting Irish (7 p.m.), with all fans receiving rally towels. Chuck-A-Puck will also be held during the section intermission.

Recapping last Saturday's 2-2 tie at No. 10/9 Vermont
Derick Roy made 30 saves and the Northeastern men's ice hockey erased a pair of one-goal deficits to pick up a hard fought 2-2 draw at No. 10/9 Vermont on Saturday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
 
Mike McMurtry and Kevin Roy scored for the Huskies, who went 1-of-4 on the power play against the nation's top penalty killing unit. UVM received goals from Brady Shaw and Colin Markison, along with 23 stops from Brody Hoffman. Vermont was 2-of-5 on the man advantage and outshot NU 32-25.
 
The all-time series with the Fighting Irish
Northeastern and Notre Dame will meet for the 11th time in the history of the programs on Saturday night, with the Huskies holding a 6-3-1 edge in the all-time series. NU was 2-0-1 last season against the Fighting Irish, including a victory in the championship game of the Shillelagh Tournament before picking up a split in the Hockey East series at the Compton Family Ice Arena.
 
Friday will mark the third time that Northeastern has hosted UND at Matthews Arena, and first since the 2001-02 season.
 
Scouting Notre Dame
Notre Dame arrives in Boston following a 6-1 win against Connecticut on Jan. 18, and has the fourth-ranked offense in the Hockey East, boasting a goals per game mark of 2.96. Their team defense, meanwhile, is ranked eighth at 2.75 goals per game.
 
Robbie Russo has been the lead man for the Irish this season with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. His 11 goals are ranked second on the team, while his 13 helpers are ranked third. Russo is a candidate for this season's Hobey Baker Award and is third overall in the Hockey East in scoring. The leading goal scorer for ND is Mario Lucia, who has 21 points on 15 goals and six assists.
 
Cal Peterson is the man in between the pipes for ND this season. He has started 15 games this season, en route to a 6-8-2 record, including two shutouts. He has made 365 saves, and boasts a save percentage of 9.06. His 2.56 goals against average is ranked ninth in the conference.
 
Huskies off to a hot start in 2015
Since returning from the holiday break, the Huskies have been playing some of their best hockey of the season. NU is 3-1-3 in January, and recently had a six-game unbeaten streak that was tied for the ninth longest unbeaten streak in program history. During the streak (4-0-2) that dated back to Dec. 16, NU was averaging 3.50 goals per game, including 11 power play markers, which was tops in the nation in that span.
 
Offense starting to find the net
The Northeastern offense has hit its stride in the last eight games with 27 goals, tied for the 13th in the nation in that span. Of those 27, 11 have come in the third period, which is tied for 11th in the country.
 
The Huskies scored five goals in the third period on Jan. 2-3 against St. Lawrence, including three on Friday night that helped erase a three-goal deficit in the final 20 minutes to earn a 3-3 tie. It marked the first time since Dec. 30, 2013 at Dartmouth that NU has scored at last three goals in the third period.
 
Power play explodes at UMass
After starting the season 0-of-18 on the man advantage, the Northeastern power play has emerged in the last 17 games, going 20-of-80 (25%), which is sixth in the nation and second in Hockey East in that span. NU's 20 goals on the man advantage are tops in the nation in that span.
 
On Dec. 16 at Massachusetts, the Huskies went 5-of-9 on the man advantage, the most power play goals in a game since scoring five against Merrimack on Nov. 21, 1992. The outburst upped NU's power play percentage to 20.8% after entering the game against the Minutemen with a 15.9% success rate on the man advantage.
 
Sizzling start to the second half
NU was unbeaten in its first four games in January for the second straight season. It's the first time in program history that NU has gone unbeaten in consecutive Januarys. The last time NU was unbeaten in its first three games in January in two straight seasons was the 1965-66 and 1966-67 seasons.
 
Northeastern's grade-A chances
With 55 goals through the first 23 games of the season, Northeastern has done most of its damage from high-percentage areas. Of Northeastern's 55 goals this season, 51 of them have come from the grade-A area (92.7%).
 
Cardiac canines
Northeastern is 3-1-3 since returning from the holiday break, and has come from behind in four of the last seven games. NU erased a three-goal deficit in the third period on Jan. 2 vs. St. Lawrence before potting a pair of third period tallies the next night against the Saints. Then on Dec. 6, the Huskies stormed back from a 2-0 deficit in the first period to top No. 19 Yale, 3-2.
 
In the last seven games, Northeastern is outscoring its opponents 16-8 in the final 40 minutes of regulation, and 9-2 in the third period alone.
 
Power play production
With Northeastern 17th in the nation in power play percentage (21-of-103; 20.4%), several Huskies have upped their point totals while on the man advantage.
 
NU has 63 of their 158 points this season on the power play (38.8%), while Kevin Roy has 12 points on the man advantage, which is tied for fourth in the nation, tops in Hockey East and 52.1% of his season total (12-of-23). He is one of only 10 players in the nation with at least 12 power play points.
 
Help me, help you
Through 23 games this season, sophomore Dalen Hedges leads the team with 16 assists, which is tied for 17th in the nation. The Ottawa, Ontario native has an assist in 12 games this season, including eight of his last 13 games. Hedges has already topped his freshman year assist total (14), which he reached in 35 games last year.
 
Mike McMurtry is also lending a helping hand with nine assists this season, two more than his total last season. Nearly half of his assists have come on the power play.
 
Roy reaches history on Jan. 6 vs. No. 19 Yale
Winger Kevin Roy is back in the Red and Black for his junior season on Huntington Avenue. He enters tonight's game with 46 goals and 57 assists in 88 career games (1.17 points per game). On Jan. 6 vs. Yale, he became the 47th player in program history to reach 100 career points, and 21st player to do it in three seasons or less.
 
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."
 
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. He is also one of eight players in the nation to have recorded a five-point game this year.
 
Roy named Hobey Baker Award candidate
For the second straight season, junior forward Kevin Roy has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which honors an elite NCAA men's ice hockey player who exhibits both athletic talent and strong sportsmanship.
 
Voting is now open for fans that would like to show support for the junior. Fan voting plays a crucial role as the field will be cut from the 68 players nominated to just 10 finalists. Those who wish to vote may submit a ballot at HobeyBaker.com once every 24 hours.
 
Torin gets the team off the Snyde
Redshirt senior Torin Snydeman has three goals in his last five games, and is tied for third on the team with five goals this season. Since arriving at Northeastern in 2012-13, eight of his 12 goals on Huntington Ave. have been the Huskies' first tally of the game, including four out of five this season.
 
Platoon between the pipes
For the second straight season, Northeastern's opponents have gotten a look at two of the Huskies' top netminders early in the season. Redshirt senior Clay Witt started the team's first two games of the season before Derick Roy got the nod in six straight games. Roy responded by making a career-high 38 saves on two occasions against two of the nation's top teams (No. 6/4 Colgate on Oct. 18 and No. 6/7 UMass Lowell on Nov. 7).
 
Witt ranks second all-time at Northeastern in goals against average (2.57) and first in save percentage (.924). He's tied with Marc Robitaille for fourth all-time in career shutouts (four) in 61 career games.
 
On Jan. 3 against St. Lawrence, Roy got his first start in nearly two months, and allowed a season-low two goals while making 21 stops en route to a 4-2 victory. In his last four games, he's posted a 1.71 goals against average and .936 save percentage. In those games, Roy is 3-0-1 in those games, with all of them coming against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the USCHO.com poll.
 
Witt named candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Clay Witt has been named as one of 20 candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS award in collegiate hockey.
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
 
Paying the price
On Nov. 2 at Quinnipiac, Jim Madigan said that NU needed to do the little things necessary to win games. In the 17 games since, his team has responded by blocking 252 shots (14.82 blocks per game), which is 14th in the nation in that span. Overall, NU is tied for 12th in the country and tied for fourth in Hockey East with 324 blocked shots, including a team-high 48 from Dax Lauwers.
 
Benning chipping in
In addition to his high minute total on the Northeastern blue line, sophomore defenseman Matt Benning has found the time to contribute in the offensive zone, as well. The St. Albert, Alberta is one of 27 defensemen in the nation with at least 11 assists this season. Benning has six assists in his last eight games.
 
NU, Michigan State agree to three-sport deal
Northeastern and Michigan State have agreed to a three-sport, home-and-home series in 2015-16, as announced on Dec. 10 by Northeastern Athletics. The Huskies will host the Spartans in men's and women's basketball, as well as men's ice hockey on Dec. 18-19, 2015, before returning the games in East Lansing, Michigan, the following season.
 
"This is a very exciting opportunity for our athletic department," said Peter Roby, director of athletics and recreation at Northeastern. "We are thrilled and appreciative of Athletics Director Mark Hollis and our friends at Michigan State for their willingness to bring their teams to Boston and help us create such a fun weekend. We have great respect and admiration for what MSU has accomplished and we look forward to next December."
 
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) suited up for the Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars, respectively, as their teams began the year in October.
 
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, Canada, native spent one season on Huntington Ave., appearing in 38 games and registering 13 points.
 
Former blueliner Josh Manson was called up by the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 27, and made his NHL debut on Oct. 31 against Dallas.
 
Anthony Bitetto goal a call from fellow Husky, and Nashville Predators general manager, David Poile last week for his first career call-up to the NHL, and made his debut on Jan. 17 against Detroit.
 
The road ahead
NU will have a full week off before the start of the 63rd annual Beanpot tournament on Feb. 2 against Boston College. NU is looking to advance to the championship game for the third straight season.

Season tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are available for men's ice hockey and can be purchased by visiting GoNU.com/tickets. Please contact the Ticket Office by calling 617-373-4700 or emailing huskytix@neu.edu with any questions.

For complete coverage of Northeastern and Northeastern hockey, follow us on Facebook (Northeastern and Northeastern Men's Ice Hockey) and Twitter (@GoNUathletics and @GoNUmhockey). Check out exclusive videos on GoNUxstream and behind-the-scenes content on Instagram (GoNUathletics).

Tweets by @GoNUmhockey .