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SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Northeastern men's ice hockey team (19-13-6) scored twice in the first seven minutes of the game and buried an insurance marker late in regulation to take Game One of the Hockey East quarterfinals at No. 10/10 Notre Dame (19-9-7) on Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena, 3-1.
 
After bolting out to a 2-0 lead early in the contest, Notre Dame cut the lead to 2-1 midway through the opening frame before NU iced it with an empty net goal in the final minute of regulation to help the Huskies extend its winning streak to 10 games, the second longest streak in team history.
 
Lincoln Griffin, John Stevens and Tanner Pond all scored for Northeastern, which was forced to play the final 50 minutes of the game with five defensemen after Dustin Darou was issued a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Ryan Ruck made 20 stops for NU, including eight in the third period to preserve the lead. Jordan Gross scored the lone goal for the Fighting Irish while Cal Petersen made 19 stops.
 
NU outshot the Fighting Irish 22-21 in the game, while Notre Dame won 23-of-41 draws.
 
NU is now unbeaten in 19 of its last 20 games (17-1-2), the best stretch in program history, and Friday's win gives the Huskies its first lead in a best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinals since 2011.
 
Goal descriptions:
• Northeastern jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 2:29 into the game when Griffin knocked home his fifth goal of the year. With the Griffin – Tanner Pond – Patrick Schule line working the puck around the attacking zone, Schule's initial shot from the left side was blocked by a defender. Griffin, however, gathered the rebound on the far post and tucked a shot past Petersen before he could get around to block the post.
 
• The Huskies extended the lead to 2-0 less than four minutes after the Griffin tally when John Stevens netted his 10th goal of the year. After Zach Aston-Reese's shot from the top of the right face-off was directed behind the goal line, Stevens quickly collected the puck, sped around the net and wrapped a backhand inside the left post for the score.
 
• Notre Dame cut the deficit to 2-1 with 12:25 left in the period on Jordan Gross' ninth of the year when he received a feed from Bobby Nardella and fired a shot from the point that found its way through traffic and past Ruck.
 
• The score would remain that way until the final minute of regulation when Notre Dame pull Petersen in favor of the extra skater. With UND circling the puck in the Northeastern zone, Adam Gaudette blocked a shot and shoveled the puck across the blue line. Pond then chased it down, eluded a defender and deposited the puck in the back of the net from just over the red line.
 
Stats of the game:
• Northeastern is now 9-4-2 all-time against Notre Dame. The Huskies are also 16-31 all-time in the Hockey East quarterfinals, including a 9-26 in quarterfinal series on the road. Friday also marked the first time in team history that Northeastern has won three consecutive playoff games in the same season.
 
• The win extends Northeastern's winning streak to 10 games, the second longest in program history. NU is also unbeaten in its last 11 games (10-0-1), which is the longest active streak in the nation and tied for the second longest in the nation.
 
• NU is also unbeaten in 19 of its last 20 games (17-1-2), which is the best streak in program history.
 
• The Huskies are 7-0-2 in its last nine true road games, and hasn't lost on the road since Nov. 20 at No. 1/1 Providence.
 
• Ruck is 17-1-2 in his last 20 games with a .900 winning percentage (leads the nation), 1.63 goals against average (sixth in the nation) and .935 save percentage (seventh in the nation).
 
• Nolan Stevens extended his point streak to a career-long 10 games (seven goals, 11 assists) on Friday night, while Aston-Reese has a point in each of his last five games (two goals, seven assists) and Gaudette has six assists in his last six games.

• In the last 20 games, Northeastern has allowed just 18 goals in the second and third periods, which is the lowest in the nation. It's +32 goal differential is the fourth highest in the nation. 

The road ahead:
• The two teams will meet again in game two of the series tomorrow night back at Compton Family Ice Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.