BOSTON -- The 85th season of Northeastern men's ice hockey commences on Friday night as the Huskies travel to No. 2/2 Quinnipiac for the first of two meetings with the Bobcats this weekend. NU is 48-29-7 (.613) all-time in season openers. This weekend is one of just two series in the nation with both teams ranked in the preseason top-20 (Minnesota Duluth at UMass Lowell).
The all-time series with Quinnipiac
Friday's matchup with Quinnipiac will mark the fifth ever game between the Huskies and the Bobcats, and fourth in the last three seasons. NU is looking to square up their record against QU, currently trailing the all-time series 1-2-1.
The Huskies picked up their lone win against the Bobcats back on Nov. 23, 2002 in a 2-1 decision at Matthews Arena. The two teams skated to a 3-3 tie on Jan. 2 of last season, a game in which Northeastern led until late in the third period. Goals came from
Adam Gaudette,
Sam Kurker and
John Stevens in what proved to be an important game for NU's midseason turnaround.
Scouting the Bobcats
Quinnipiac is starting off the 2016-17 campaign with a slightly different look from the team that was one win away from a national championship a year ago. Top scoring forwards from 2015-16 Sam Anas and Travis St. Denis have moved on from the school to pursue their professional careers, leaving the door open for skilled forwards like Tim Clifton and Landon Smith to take over the scoring duties.
The Bobcats have a lot to look forward to this season from their defense. Freshman Karlis Cukste, sophomore Chase Priskie and senior Connor Clifton have all been drafted by NHL clubs and can be expected to help out on the offensive side of the game as well. In net, QU has three viable options to turn to. With the departure of star goaltender Michael Garteig, head coach Rand Pecknold will expect freshman Andrew Shortridge and juniors Sean Lawrence and Chris Truehl to compete for the starting job.
Northeastern in season openers
Northeastern has enjoyed success in its first game of the regular season since the inception of the program, putting together a mark of 48-29-7 (.613) in 84 opening games. A win on Friday would give the Huskies victories in four of their last five season openers for the first time since they won four openers in a row from 1997 to 2000.
Returning firepower
With 19 letterwinners back from a season ago, the Huskies won't be at a shortage for options in the attacking end of the ice. NU's returning skatkers combined for 106 goals and 168 assists during the 2015-16 season. Their 274 points, which was 73% or NU's offensive output in 2015-16, was more than 31 teams compiled in total last year.
Northeastern's 106 returning goals are the most in the nation, while its 274 returning points are second in the country and tops in Hockey East.
Individually,
Zach Aston-Reese and
Nolan Stevens are among the top returning point scorers in the nation after putting up 43 and 42 points last season, respectively. Aston-Reese is tied with three other skaters for seventh in the nation, while Stevens trails close behind in 10th. The duos makes Northeastern one of just three schools with multiple skaters on the list, joining 2016 Frozen Four participants Boston College and North Dakota.
Fresh faces
Northeastern fans will notice a lot of new faces on the ice for the Huskies in 2016-17 as the program welcomed nine newcomers to the squad this summer.
Garrett Cecere,
Jeremy Davies,
Matt Filipe,
Nick Fiorentino,
Curtis Frye,
Grant Jozefek,
Biagio Lerario,
John Picking and
Ryan Shea comprise the 2016-17 recruiting class.
"This incoming class is a class that I think can continue what our senior class started four years ago, which each subsequent incoming class has been able to do, which has provided us with a lot of hard work," said Madigan. "They're passionate, productive and smart players, and they want to be here at Northeastern. We're excited to welcome there here to Northeastern this fall."
Born in the USA
This year's Northeastern roster features 25 student-athletes who hail from the United States, as well as three from Canada. It is the most Americans that the Huskies have had on their roster since the 2006-07 season, when they had 29.
Across college hockey, 66% of Division I are from the United States, 30% from Canada and 4% from Europe (82 players from 13 countries).
The Ruck stops here
After winning the starting job midway through last season, sophomore goaltender
Ryan Ruck left little doubt as to who would start between the pipes for the Huskies to begin 2016-17. As a freshman a year ago, the Coto de Caza, Calif. native went 20-11-4 in 35 starts, the third most single-season victories in team history and a team record 2.36 GAA.
He also cracked NU's single-season record book in games played (37; tied for third), save percentage (.909; ninth), minutes (2185:24; fifth) and shutouts (two; tied for seventh). After starting his career 0-9-2 between the pipes, he responded by going 20-2-4 in his final 26 starts and already holds the Hockey East record for career postseason victories (six).
At the helm
Jim Madigan is back for his sixth season as head coach at Northeastern. He is the 10th head coach in program history, and is 79-81-22 (.495) in his first five seasons behind the bench. During his tenure, Madigan has led Northeastern to its first Hockey East Championship since 1988, first NCAA appearance since 2009 and seen eight of his players drafted by NHL teams. His team also participated in the inaugural Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland last fall.
Madigan is one of 25 head coaches directing their alma maters. As a player, he was a two-time Beanpot champion and was on the 1984 team that reached the Frozen Four.
Huskies picked second in Hockey East Preseason Poll
At Hockey East's annual media day on Sept. 27, Northeastern was picked to finish in a tie for second in the conference, according to a vote conducted by the league's head coaches. It is the Huskies' highest preseason ranking in more than a decade.
Boston University was predicted to win the conference this season, receiving 130 points and 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll. Along with the Huskies, Notre Dame was picked to finish in a tie for second with 108 points, followed closely by last year's conference runner-up UMass Lowell with 105, including one first place vote.
2015 national champion Providence took fifth with 98 points, while Boston College rounded out the top six at 91 points. UConn (63), Vermont (57), Merrimack (53), New Hampshire (49), Massachusetts (32) and Maine (30) took spots seventh through 12, respectively.
Poll position
The Huskies begin the season ranked in the top-15 in both the USCHO.com poll (15th) and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll (14th). It's the highest that Northeastern's been ranked to start a season since the USCHO.com poll began in 1997. NU is one of six Hockey East teams currently ranked in the top 20.
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 10 top-ten teams in true road games (USCHO.com poll), including two last season. In those games, NU outscored its opponents 47-28.
Like father, like sons
Brother John and
Nolan Stevens learned the game of hockey from one of the game's best teachers:
John Stevens. The elder Stevens is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Los Angeles Kings, where he currently serves as the associate head coach. He was previously the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and played parts of five seasons with Philadelphia and Hartford, making his sons two of more than 30 players in college hockey who are sons of former NHL players.
Hall call
David Archambault (class of 1980) will be inducted into the Northeastern University Varsity Club Hall of Fame on November 10. He was a star in the 1980 Beanpot, helping the Huskies to their first-ever Beanpot victory, while winning MVP honors in the tournament. Northeastern beat Boston University, 6-5, in overtime in the first round, followed by a 5-4 overtime upset of Boston College in the finals. Archambault played over 40 minutes in each game and has been elected into the Beanpot Hall of Fame for his outstanding performances.
Archambault was twice voted as the Most Valuable Player of the Northeastern hockey program. The standout defenseman was also a co-captain for two years. In his three years on the hockey team (1977-80), Archambault played in 81 games and tallied 41 points.
The road ahead
The Huskies will take on Atlantic Hockey foe Bentley in a home-and-home series next weekend, beginning on Friday night at Ryan Arena. NU will then return home to battle the Falcons on Saturday at Matthews Arena, where the Huskies will unveil its 2016 Hockey East championship banner prior to the contest.
