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BOSTON – Kevin Roy recorded three points (two goals, one assist), and Mike Szmatula scored the eventual game-winner with 1:29 left in regulation to lift the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (6-10-2) to a 4-2 victory in a back and forth bout against St. Lawrence (8-9-2) on Saturday night at Matthews Arena.
 
With the score tied at two late in the third period, Szmatula stole the puck in the neural zone before burying a shot top shelf from the slot to put NU ahead for good. Derick Roy was strong in goal for the Huskies in his first start since Nov. 8, making 21 saves.
 
St. Lawrence, which received goals from Matt Purmal and Gunnar Hughes, outshot NU 23-20, while Kyle Hayton made 16 stops for the Saints. Northeastern went 2-of-5 on the power play and held the Saints to an 0-of-4 showing on the man advantage.
 
The first period saw back and forth action between the two squads, with shots level at seven apiece, but a St. Lawrence goal with less than six minutes to play in the period sent the Saints into the dressing room with the lead. Nolan Stevens was a bright spot for the Huskies during the opening 20 minutes, creating an offensive chance early in the frame with a burst of speed through the neutral zone before doing it again later in the period for a shot that Hayton just got a shoulder on.
 
At the other end, St. Lawrence nearly went up 1-0 nine minutes into the game when Christian Horn ripped a shot from the left side that caught the right post. The Saints, however, would strike with 5:18 left in the period when Matt Purmal took a feed from Patrick Doherty and snapped a shot from the slot that beat Roy five-hole.
 
NU take advantage of its power play opportunities in the second period, converting on two chances to take a 2-1 lead, but a late St. Lawrence goal knotted the score at two through 40 minutes. With Nolan Gluchowski in the box for interference, Roy buried his sixth goal of the season on a shot from the slot. After Matt Benning sent the puck down to Mike McMurtry along the right wall, McMurtry spotted Roy in the slot. Roy received the puck and turned to fire as he was getting tripped, beating Hayton low for the score.
 
Ten minutes later, Northeastern took its first lead of the weekend as Dalen Hedges netted his fourth of the season, also on the power play. Roy began the play with a pass across the Mike Szmatula at the right wall, who then hit Hedges with a pass between the hashmarks. Hedges then quickly settled the puck and sniped a shot over the left shoulder of Hayton.
 
The Saints struck back, however, with 1:12 to play in the period as Gunnar Hughes scored his sixth of the year when he hammered home a rebound off an initial shot from Gavin Bayreuther to make it 2-2.
 
The squads traded power play opportunities through the first 15 minutes of the third period, forcing the goaltenders to make several big stops. Roy kept the game 2-2 when he snared a shot from Gluchowski at the point through traffic early in the frame. Later in the period, he also stoned Joe Sullivan on a shot on the doorstep.
 
NU was awarded a power play with 6:41 to go in regulation, and the Huskies nearly cashed in again when Hedges' one-timer rang off the left post.
 
Northeastern would go ahead for good with 1:29 left in regulation when Szmatula stole the puck in the neutral zone, sped into the offensive zone and buried a shot over the left shoulder of Hayton for Szmatula's seventh of the season. With Hayton pulled in favor of the extra skater with 1:20 left in the game, but Roy would add an empty netter to ice the game.
 
Northeastern will return to action on Tuesday night when the Huskies host Yale at Matthews Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.

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.

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).

Game Notes:
• Northeastern is now 16-14-2 all-time against St. Lawrence, and is unbeaten in six of its last seven games (5-1-1).
 
• Saturday night marked the 900th victory in Northeastern men's ice hockey history.
 
• The Northeastern power play unit has seven goals in its last three games, and is operating at 33% (7-of-21) in that span.
 
• Kevin Roy's three points moved him into a tie for 46th on the NU career scoring list with 99 points (43 goals, 56 assists). He is one point away from becoming the 47th player in team history to record 100 career points at Northeastern, and just the 21st to accomplish the feat in three seasons or less.
 
• Roy has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his last three games.
 
• Derick Roy made his first start since Nov. 8 against UMass Lowell.
 
• Szmatula is on a season-long four game point streak (three goals, three assists).
 
• McMurtry is riding a three-game point streak (three assists), the longest of his career.
 
• Benning has five assists in his last five games.


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