Game-day information: Game 31 at Maine
When	Saturday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.
Where	Orono, Maine.  |  Alfond 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  instagram.com/GoNUathletics   Use #GoNU

ORONO, Maine -- The Northeastern men's ice hockey team will look to secure its first weekend road sweep of Maine since 2008 on Saturday night when the Huskies battle the Black Bears at Alfond Arena beginning at 7 p.m.
 
We're coming home
Last night's win against Maine, coupled with Connecticut's loss to New Hampshire, secured the Huskies a home playoff series at Matthews Arena. Northeastern can finish anywhere from second to eighth in the league standings, and will host either a first round (Mar. 6-8) or quarterfinal (Mar. 13-15) series.
 
Recapping last night's 6-4 win at Maine
Northeastern jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead before holding off a late Maine surge to pick up a 6-4 victory on Friday night at Alfond Arena. NU received goals from six different scorers, including two from Dylan Sikura, and had three assists from John Stevens. Clay Witt, meanwhile, made 24 stops.
 
Maine outshot Northeastern 28-26 as Connor Leen, Ben Hutton and Brian Morgan all logged one goal and one assist apiece. Matt Morris got the nod in goal, making six stops on 10 shots before being replaced by Sean Romeo (14 saves).
 
The all-time series with the Black Bears
Northeastern and Maine will meet for the 115th time in the history of the two programs on Saturday, with the Black Bears owning a 55-40-19 edge in the series. The Huskies went 1-0-1 last season against Maine, including a 4-3 victory that helped NU secure a first-round bye in the Hockey East playoffs.
 
Last night, Northeastern ended a six-game winless skid at Alfond Arena that dated back to the 2009-10 season. NU was 0-5-1 at Alfond in that span before picking up its first victory in Orono since Oct. 25, 2008 last night.
 
Scouting Maine
Maine enters this weekend with a record of 2-2-2 in the month of February, including a two-game sweep at Merrimack last weekend. They currently sit in a tie for eighth place in the conference standings with 16 points. Four members of the Black Bears' squad have 20 points or more on the season, led by Devin Shore's 29. The junior boasts a team-high 18 assists on the season to go with 11 goals.  Cam Brown is second in points for Maine. He has seven markers and seven assists through 33 games and his +4 rating is second on the roster. Rounding out the top scorers for Maine are Blaine Byron (11-12-23) and Steven Swavely (8-14-22).
 
In net for the Black Bears has been Sean Romeo and Matt Morris. Romeo has 18 starts and has a record of 6-11-1. He has a goals against average of 3.04 and a save percentage of .903. Morris has 15 starts to his name and a record of 5-7-2.
 
Offense explodes against Connecticut
In last weekend's two-game sweep of UConn, the Northeastern offense potted 15 goals, including a 9-0 victory at Matthews Arena on Friday night. It is the most goals scored in a two-game span since the 1993-94 season when NU defeated Illinois Chicago on Nov. 6 (10-9) before a 5-4 win against Boston University on Nov. 12. The Huskies offensive outburst against UConn on Friday marked the first time they've scored nine goals in a game since defeating Alabama-Huntsville 9-1 on opening night last season (Oct. 11, 2013). NU's nine-goal margin of victory was also the largest for the Huskies since defeating Connecticut 10-1 on Oct. 11, 2012.
 
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 10-1-3 since the start of the new year and is riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, tied for the fourth longest unbeaten streak in program history and first since the 2007-08 season when NU went unbeaten in 11 straight (9-0-2). The Huskies are also tied with Robert Morris for the longest active streak in the nation and own the nation's best winning percentage (.844) in the last 16 games.
 
Offense starting to find the net
The Northeastern offense has hit its stride in the last 15 games with 63 goals, tied for second in the nation in that span. Of those 63, 24 have come in the third period, which is tied for third in the country.
 
Power play clicks at UMass
After starting the season 0-of-18 on the man advantage, the Northeastern power play has emerged in the last 26 games, going 29-of-115 (25.2%), which is fourth in the nation and second in Hockey East in that span. NU's 29 goals on the man advantage are the second most 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.
 
Cardiac canines
NU is 10-1-3 since returning from the holiday break, and has come from behind in five of the last 13 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 15 games, Northeastern is outscoring its opponents 41-20 in the final 40 minutes of regulation, and 21-6 in the third period alone.
 
Power play production
With NU ninth in the nation in power play percentage (29-of-133; 21.8%), several Huskies have upped their point totals while on the man advantage. NU has 86 of its 260 points this season on the power play (33.1%), while Kevin Roy has 15 points on the man advantage, which is tied for 10th in the nation, second in Hockey East and nearly half of his season total (15-of-37). He is one of only 14 players in the nation with at least 15 power play points.
 
Northeastern's grade-A chances
With 91 goals through 30 games of the season, NU has done most of its damage from high-percentage areas. Of Northeastern's 91 goals this season, 82 of them have come from the grade-A area (90.1%).
 
Help me, help you
Through 30 games this season, Dalen Hedges leads the team with 22 assists, which is tied for 15th in the nation. Hedges has an assist in 17 games this season, including 12 of his last 20 games. He has already topped his freshman year assist total (14), which he reached in 35 games last year. He is one of just 30 players in the nation with at least 20 assists.
 
Second act
A trio of sophomores has led the charge for the Huskies through the first half of the season. Dalen Hedges (eight goals, 22 assists) is second on the team with 30 points this season, while Mike Szmatula (12 goals, 14 assists), Matt Benning (21 assists) and Zach Aston-Reese (10 goals, 10 assists) trail close behind more than halfway through the year. Last season, the now sophomore class was fourth in the nation in rookie scoring with 125 points (42 goals, 83 assists). Four out of the team's top seven scorers last season were freshmen.
 
Hot Sauce
Since returning from injury on Nov. 7, Colton Saucerman has made his presence felt, especially at the offensive end of the ice. The Colorado Springs, Colorado native is tied for fifth on the team with seven goals this season. All of Saucerman's goals have come on the power play, which is tied for fifth in the nation and makes him the only defensemen in the nation with at least six power play goals.
 
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.
 
Roy picks up Warrior Player of the Week honors
After recording seven points (four goals, three assists) in two games last weekend, Kevin Roy was named the Warrior Hockey Player of the Week on Monday. Roy scored four goals in a 9-0 victory against Connecticut on Friday night before adding three assists in a 6-1 win at UConn Saturday afternoon. Roy became the first Husky to score four goals in a game since Cody Ferriero at Harvard on Dec. 29, 2012. In Friday's win, Roy also became the 34th player in program history to reach 50 career goals.
 
The Lac-Beauport, Quebec native led the nation in scoring this past weekend with seven points, and was also a +7 during the two games. Roy leads the Huskies with 37 points this season on 16 goals and 21 assists. He is tied for 11th in the nation in total points, tied for 17th in goals and tied for 21st in assists.
 
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 (2.51) and first in save percentage (.923). He's also in sole possession of fourth on the NU all-time list in career shutouts (five) in 66 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 six games, he's posted a 1.64 goals against average and .939 save percentage. In those games, Roy is 5-0-1 in those games, tied for the second most wins in the nation in that span.
 
At Witt's end
Redshirt senior Clay Witt made his return to the NU lineup on Nov. 14 at New Hampshire after missing the previous six games with an upper body injury. Witt bounced back by making 27 stops on Nov. 14 before a season-high 35 in a 2-1 win vs. the Wildcats the next evening.
 
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.
 
Witt had his strongest game of the season on Dec. 6 at No. 16 Providence, making a season-high 37 saves, including 17 in the third period alone, to lead the Huskies to a 2-1 victory. It was the 26th time in his career that he made at least 30 saves in a game.
 
Derick Roy named Stop It Goalie of the Month
After helping backstop Northeastern to a 5-1-3 record in January, Derick Roy has been named the Stop It Goaltender of the Month, Hockey East announced on Feb. 5.
 
Roy, who went 4-0-1 in January, split time with redshirt senior Clay Witt throughout the month, posting a 1.77 goals against average and .933 save percentage. He allowed two goals or fewer in each of his five starts, including a 23 save performance in a 4-1 victory at No. 10/9 Vermont that handed the Catamounts just their second home loss of the season.
 
Clay cementing his place among NU's greats
Clay Witt's 27-save performance against Connecticut last Friday moved him into fourth on Northeastern's all-time shutout list (five). Next on the list is Keni Gibson, who recorded seven from 2001-05.
 
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 six defensemen in the nation with at least 21 assists this season. Benning has 16 assists in his last 15 games, and 11 in his last eight.
 
More on last weekend's wins vs. UConn
Northeastern used a five-goal first period to open the floodgates against Connecticut last Friday night. It marked the first time since the 2006 that NU had scored five goals in a period when the Huskies scored six in the third period in a 7-2 win vs. Holy Cross on Dec. 30, 2006.
 
Down, but never out
The Feb. 6 win at Massachusetts marked the sixth time since the start of January that Northeastern's opponents have scored the game's first goal. In those games, the Huskies are 4-0-2.
 
Stop. Wait a minute
A snowstorm in the Boston area caused both nights of the Beanpot to be pushed back to Feb. 3 and Feb. 23, respectively. It marked just the second time in tournament history that games were postponed, and first since 1978 when the second night of the Beanpot was pushed back to March 1.
 
The road ahead
Northeastern will shift its focus back to the Beanpot on Monday night when the Huskies battle No. 3/2 Boston University in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. live on NESN and TSN1.

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