Game-day information: Game 33 at Boston University
When	Friday, Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Where	Boston, Mass.  |  Agganis 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

BOSTON -- The Northeastern men's ice hockey team and Boston University continue their tour of the city on Friday night when the two teams square off at Agganis Arena at 7:30 p.m. The Huskies and Terriers are in the midst of three games in six days, with each game being played in a different venue.
 
Recapping Monday's 4-3 overtime loss to Boston University
Northeastern rallied from a 3-1 third-period deficit to force overtime, but a Matt Grzelcyk power-play goal 51 seconds into the extra frame gave No. 4 Boston University a 4-3 win in a thrilling Beanpot final on Monday before a crowd of 14,253 at TD Garden.
 
Sophomore John Stevens, junior Kevin Roy and junior Dustin Darou scored for the Huskies, while senior Clay Witt made 30 saves. Northeastern showed heart and determination in battling back to tie as Roy and Darou turned the two-goal deficit into a 3-3 game with a pair of goals 1:35 apart in the third period.
 
The all-time series with the Terriers
Northeastern and Boston University are meeting for the second of three meetings, culminating with an 8 p.m. puck drop at Matthews Arena tomorrow night in the final contest of the regular season. The Terriers lead the all-time series 157-57-8 as NU looks to pick up its first victory against BU since the 2013 Beanpot semifinals.
 
Scouting Boston University
Boston University currently sits atop the Hockey East standings with a conference mark of 13-4-3. Boston University boasts the fourth ranked offense in the nation – tops in the Hockey East – averaging 3.66 goals per game. The team's point total of 310 is also ranked fourth in the country, while BU's 2.19 goals allowed per game average comes in at No. 15 in the nation.
 
At the top of the stat sheet for Boston University is Jack Eichel. The freshman leads the team in points (50), assists (34), and plus/minus (+33); his point and assist totals also lead the nation. Behind Eichel is Evan Rodrigues, who has 44 points, second in the nation, after scoring 14 goals and assisting on 30 others; Ahti Oksanen is the team's leading scorer with 19 markers. All in all, the Terriers have six players with 20 or more points through 30 games this season.
 
Matt O'Connor has been between the pipes for BU this season. He enters the game after allowing three goals against NU on Monday. His 2.10 goals against average and .929 save percentage are third in the Hockey East; his .792 save percentage is tops in the league. 
 
Offense explodes against Connecticut
In NU's two-game sweep of UConn, the Northeastern offense potted 15 goals, including a 9-0 victory at Matthews Arena on Feb. 13. It was 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 Feb. 13 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 10-3-3 since the start of the new year and is unbeaten in nine its last 11 games. The Huskies' nine-game unbeaten streak was 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 Boston College for the third best winning percentage (.750) in the nation in the last 18 games.
 
Offense starting to find the net
The Northeastern offense has hit its stride in the last 17 games with 69 goals, third in the nation in that span. Of those 69, 27 have come in the third period, which is tied for first in the country.
 
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 10-3-3 since returning from the holiday break, and has come from behind in six of the last 15 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 17 games, Northeastern is outscoring its opponents 45-27 in the final 40 minutes of regulation, and 24-8 in the third period alone.
 
Power play production
With NU 14th in the nation in power play percentage (29-of-140; 20.7%), several Huskies have upped their point totals while on the man advantage. NU has 86 of its 278 points this season on the power play (30.9%), while Kevin Roy has 15 points on the man advantage, which is tied for 12th in the nation, tied for third in Hockey East and 37.5% of his season total (15-of-40). He is one of only 18 players in the nation with at least 15 power play points.
 
Northeastern's grade-A chances
With 97 goals through 32 games of the season, NU has done most of its damage from high-percentage areas. Of Northeastern's 97 goals this season, 87 of them have come from the grade-A area (89.6%).
 
Second act
A trio of sophomores has led the charge for the Huskies through the 2014-15 season. Dalen Hedges (eight goals, 23 assists) is second on the team with 31 points this season, while Mike Szmatula (12 goals, 15 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).
 
This year, they lead all sophomore classes with 133 points (41 goals, 92 assists). The next closest is Boston College with 114 points.
 
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.
 
On Feb. 13 vs. UConn, Roy also became the 34th player in program history to reach 50 career goals. Roy leads the Huskies with 40 points this season on 17 goals and 23 assists. He is tied for eighth in the nation in total points, tied for 14th in goals and tied for 15th in assists.
 
40/40 Club
On Monday night against Boston University, Kevin Roy reached 40 points in a season for the second consecutive year. He's the first Husky to accomplish the feat since Jordon Shields logged 46 points in 1994-95 before another 43 in 1995-96.
 
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 eighth in the nation and makes him the only defensemen in the nation with at least six power play goals.
 
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 (2.56) and tied for first in save percentage (.922). 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 seven games, he's posted a 2.12 goals against average and .922 save percentage. In those games, Roy is 5-1-1 in those games, tied for the third 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.
 
Let me help you
Clay Witt made 30 saves on Monday night against Boston University, but also added an assist on Kevin Roy's third period goal to help NU mount a comeback. It marked the first time that a goaltender assisted on a goal since the 2011-12 season when Chris Rawlings had a helper at Notre Dame on Dec. 3, 2011.
 
Down, but never out
Since the start of January, Northeastern's opponents have scored the game's first goal on eight occasions. In those games, the Huskies are 4-2-2.
 
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."

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