Game-day information: Game 16 vs. No. 2/3 Boston College
When	Saturday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m.
Where	Chestnut Hill, Mass.  |  Conte Forum  |  Directions
Broadcast and stats	Live Stats  |  Video  |  Audio  |  Tickets
Notes and yearbook	Game Notes  |  2015-16 Yearbook
Promotions	n/a
Social media	@GoNUmhockey  facebook.com/GoNUmhockey instagram.com/GoNUathletics  Use GoNU and RedBlackOnePack

BOSTON -- The Northeastern men's ice hockey team resumes league play this weekend when the Huskies battle crosstown rival No. 2/3 Boston College, beginning on Saturday night at Conte Forum. Saturday marks the eighth time in the last nine games that NU will be facing a team ranked in the top 20 of the USCHO.com poll.
 
The all-time series with the Eagles
The Eagles have had the Huskies' number ever since the crosstown rivals first stepped on the ice together, leading the all-time series 162-48-15. BC will pass Boston University as Northeastern's most-faced opponent in program history with their 226th and 227th meetings this weekend.
 
Despite their domination of the Huskies over the years, the dogs of Huntington Avenue got the last laugh in 2014-15. After a 1-1 tie and a 4-2 loss in the first two meetings with BC earlier in the year, Northeastern met Boston College in the Beanpot semifinal. With Boston College looking to defend their five consecutive Beanpot titles, Northeastern shocked the Eagles with a 3-2 victory. Goals from Colton Saucerman and John Stevens for the Huskies and Destry Straight and Ryan Fitzgerald for the Eagles had NU and BC locked at 2-2 in the third period. A long-distance strike from Dustin Darou sealed the deal for Northeastern, as they became the first team since the Huskies of 2009 to take down Boston College in a Beanpot game.
 
Scouting Boston College
The No. 2 Eagles have only endured one defeat this year, a 2-1 loss at the hands of RPI. Boston College is a perfect 5-0-0 in Hockey East play to this point and owns an overall record of 12-1-0. Currently on an 11-game winning streak, the Eagles have gone three-straight games without giving up a goal on two occasions this season.
 
The mastermind behind the six shutouts this season is Vancouver Canucks draft pick Thatcher Demko. The junior goaltender has been lights-out this year, owning 12 wins, a save percentage of .953 and a goals against average of 1.23. All three of these stats rank second in the nation and his six shutouts put him first in the country.
 
The production from the offense in front of Demko has had a remarkable start to the year as well. Freshman Colin White leads the team in scoring with 21 points and has recorded at least one point in his last eight games. Ryan Fitzgerald's 10 goals are the most on the team and he has a +/- of +19, the best such rating in Hockey East.
 
Heading into enemy territory
Since Jim Madigan took the reins of the program in 2011, Northeastern hasn't been afraid to take on some of the nation's top teams away from the friendly confines of Matthews Arena. Since the 2011-12 season, the Huskies have defeated eight top-ten teams on the road (USCHO.com poll), including two last season. In those games, NU outscored its opponents 36-18.
 
Recapping Saturday's win vs. Colgate
A five-goal second period, along with a pair of goals from both Brendan Collier and Zach Aston-Reese set the tone for Northeastern, which blew past Colgate in the consolation game of the Friendship Four on Saturday in Belfast, Northern Ireland, 7-1.
 
With the score tied at one through 20 minutes, NU came out and dominated play during the second period to take control of the game. Mike McMurtry had a strong night for the Huskies, tallying one goal and two assists, while Derick Roy made 11 saves in his first action since Oct. 31.
 
NU outshot Colgate 30-12 in the game and won 19-of-48 faceoffs. Ryan Rosenthal and Nolan Stevens also scored for the Huskies, whose seven goals are a season-high.
 
On the road again
While Northeastern's trip to Chestnut Hill is one of its quickest treks of the season (5.2 miles), the Huskies have been logging some serious windshield time during the first half of the season. NU has visited Minneapolis (1,392 miles each way), South Bend (893 miles each way) and Belfast (nearly 3,000 miles each way), among others, since October.
 
After another long trip to St. Lawrence (364 miles) in January and a few other local trips, Northeastern will conclude the regular season having traveled 12,488 miles, according to the New England Hockey Journal.
 
Taking on the best
Saturday will mark the seventh time in the last eight games that Northeastern has squared off with a team ranked in the top 20 of the USCHO.com poll. The 2015-16 season marks the sixth time that NU will face both the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the nation at some point during the year (1999-00, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2015-16). Overall, Northeastern is 6-9-0 all-time against the No. 2 team in the USCHO.com poll, including a 4-2-0 mark when the Huskies take on the No. 2 team on the road.
 
That was a close one
The Huskies have found themselves in several tight games so far this season, including seven one-goal games. That's the most in Hockey East and tied for the second most in the nation.
 
Shuffling the deck
Looking to spark his club, Jim Madigan and the NU coaching staff have utilized 31 different line combinations at forward through 15 games this season. Four Huskies have already made their collegiate debuts (Jon Barry, Adam Gaudette, Jason Cotton, Lincoln Griffin, Patrick Schule, Eric Williams) while Sam Kurker has made his Northeastern debut after transferring from Boston University.
 
Last weekend, the trio of Brendan Collier, Mike McMurtry and Ryan Rosenthal combined to produce 11 points (five goals, six assists) and a +13 rating.
 
The road ahead
NU will play its final game of the first half on December 19 when the Huskies welcome Michigan State to Matthews Arena for the Northeastern Winter Showdown, a tripleheader featuring a women's basketball (Dec. 18, 8 p.m.), men's basketball (Dec. 19, 12:30 p.m.) and men's hockey (Dec. 19, 7 p.m.) game over a two-day stretch.