Game-day information: Game 26 at Massachusetts
When	Tuesday, January 31, 7 p.m.
Where	Amherst, Mass.  |  Mullins Center  |  Directions
Broadcast and stats	Live Stats  |  Watch  |  Listen  |  Tickets
Notes and yearbook	Game Notes  |  2016-17 Media Guide
Social media	WATCH: #RiseUpNU Download the new GoNU App: iOS  |  Android @GoNUmhockey  facebook.com/GoNUmhockey instagram.com/GoNUathletics  Use #GoNU and #RedBlackOnePack

BOSTON -- Coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory on Friday night, the Northeastern hockey team will looking to make it a season-long four-game winning streak on Tuesday night when the Huskies battle Massachusetts at the Mullins Center.
 
The all-time series with Massachusetts
The Huskies and the Minutemen will square off for the 87th time in program history on Tuesday night as the Huskies look to extend its four-game winning streak against Massachusetts. Overall, Northeastern owns a 49-27-10 record over UMass, and will travel to the Mullins Center Tuesday night where they have not lost a game since Nov. 12, 2011. A win would give the Huskies their fifth straight against the Minutemen, which has not been done since 1995.
 
Last season, the Huskies were able to pick up two points on the road at the Mullins Center with a 5-0 victory as Zach Aston-Reese and Garret Cockerill lead the way with a goal and two assists each. Senior defenseman Colton Saucerman also contributed a goal and an assist while goaltender Ryan Ruck was perfect in net turning away all 16 shots faced.
 
Scouting the Minutemen
UMass currently sits in 12th place in Hockey East with a 2-11-1 record, and 5-19-2 record overall as they look to bounce back after dropping two against the Maine Black Bears this past weekend at Alfond Arena.  
 
UMass is led by senior forward Steven Iacobellis, who has a line of 5-9-14 on the season.  The Minutemen's leading goal scorer is freshman forward Griff Jeszka who has potted six goals so far during his rookie campaign. This is the first time the Huskies will face UMass with former St. Lawrence coach Greg Carvel calling the shots on the bench. He is in his first season with the Minutemen and is assisted by Ben Barr and Jared Demichiel.
 
In net, Ryan Wischow has lead the way with a .904 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average. The freshman goaltender is coming off a strong season with the Fargo Force of the USHL. 
 
Hobey hopefuls
Zach Aston-Reese and Dylan Sikura, two of the highest scorers in the nation this season, have been named as candidates for the prestigious Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.
 
Fans will have the opportunity to let their voices be heard during the Hobey Baker fan vote, which opened on Wednesday and runs through March 5. To cast your vote for either player, visit HobeyBaker.com. Fans can vote once per day on all devices. 
 
Stevens named candidate for Senior CLASS Award
Captain John Stevens has been named a candidate for the Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) award, an honor given to senior student-athletes who excel in competition, community, character, and in the classroom.
 
"John is the epitome of what a captain is about in the characteristics he possesses," said head coach Jim Madigan. "He's a quiet leader, and at times quiet leaders are the most effective because they only speak up when there's something important to say. He leads on and off the ice and is always doing the right things. As a person, he has high expectations for himself. He goes about his life trying to be the best he can be and getting better each day as a student, a person and an athlete."
 
Stevens, a business administration major with a focus in finance, maintains a 3.263 grade point average in the D'Amore-McKim School of Business and was recognized in April as part of the Huntington 100, a group of Husky students who promote the school's ideals through exceptional academic performance. 
 
Recapping Friday's win at UMass Lowell
With his team trailing 3-1 with less than eight minutes to play in regulation, Dylan Sikura took control the game, scoring three times in the final 7:29 of the game, including the game-winner with 16.2 seconds left, to lift Northeastern to a come-from-behind victory at No. 7 UMass Lowell on Friday night at Tsongas Center, 4-3.
 
UMass Lowell jumped out to a 2-0 lead with power play strikes from Ryan Lohin midway through the first period before Jake Kamrass netted his ninth of the year eight minutes into the second period. Grant Jozefek brought the Huskies back within a goal with his first collegiate goal, a power play tally, with 4:18 to go in the middle frame.
The River Hawks regained its two-goal edge on Josh Edwardh's 12th of the year on the man advantage before Sikura put the team on his shoulders with three straight goals over the final eight minutes to give NU its third straight victory.
 
Adam Gaudette and Garret Cockerill both recorded two assists on the night while Ryan Ruck made 21 saves, including several game-saving stops on odd-man rushes to keep the Huskies in the game. Garrett Metcalf had 23 stops in goal before being replaced by Tyler Wall
 
Northeastern outshot UMass Lowell 29-24 in the game and went 2-of-5 on the power play while UML was 3-of-4 on the man advantage.
 
In select company
Zach Aston-Reese's electric start to the season is something rarely seen on Huntington Avenue. His 41 points are already more than 24 Huskies' leading scorers reached in an entire season in previous years. 
 
Over the last five seasons in college hockey, only 12 Division I players have reached 40 points in their first 25 games. In addition, Aston-Reese is the only player to score 21 goals in his first 21 games over the last five years.
 
ZAR climbing up the ranks
Senior assistant captain Zach Aston-Reese has been one of Northeastern's go-to players during his career on Huntington Avenue. He has 22 career power play goals, which is the most in the nation among active players, while his 12 game-winning goals are tied for third in the country. 
 
Overall, Aston-Reese has 126 points (57 goals, 69 assists) in 132 career games, which ranks sixth in career scoring among active skaters nationally. He also became the 48th player in team history to reach 100 points earlier this season, and is currently 25th in career scoring at Northeastern.
 
Aston-Reese is the quickest Husky to reach 30 points in season (18 games) in the last 20 years.
 
Streaking
Zach Aston-Reese (16 goals, 11 assists) had an 11-game point streak snapped two Fridays ago, the longest such streak for any Northeastern skater this season and also the longest streak of his collegiate career. 
 
Dylan Sikura had his nine-game point streak (eight goals, 10 assists) snapped two weeks ago, which was the longest of his career. He has points in 13 of his last 14 games, and 21-of-25 overall this season.
 
40/40 Club
Last Saturday, Zach Aston-Reese reached the 40-point plateau for the second straight season. Since the 1956-57 season, only 17 Huskies have scored at least 40 points in consecutive seasons. His performance this season has also given the Huskies a 40-point scorer in four straight seasons for the first time since 1991-92. Should he log another assist, it would mark the 32nd time in program history that a Husky has scored 20 goals and record 20 assists in a season.
 
Filling the net
Zach Aston-Reese has been scoring goals at an alarming rate this season, and is either tied for or has the outright lead among all skaters in the nation in:
 
Category: Number (National Rank)
Total goals: 22 (1st)
Goals/game: 0.88 (1st)
Power play goals: 11 (1st)
Shorthanded goals: 3 (t-1st)
Hat tricks: 2 (t-1st)
Second period goals: 11 (1st)
 
His 22 goals are already the most for a Husky since Wade MacLeod in 2010-11, while his 11 power play goals are the most for a Husky since J.F. Aube scored 13 in 1994-94. The school record for power play goals in a season is 14, held by Rod Isbister in 1984-85.
 
He is also one shorthanded marker away from tying the school record of four shorties in a season, held by Bryan Esner (2006-07) and Randy Bucyk (1982-83).
 
He is also one of just seven Huskies to score 20 in a season since 2000:
 
• Zach Aston-Reese (21) in 2016-17
• Nolan Stevens (20) in 2015-16
• Braden Pimm (20) in 2013-14
• Wade MacLeod (22) in 2010-11
• Ryan Ginand (20) in 2008-09
• Chris Lynch (20) in 2001-02
• Mike Ryan (24) in 2001-02
 
Talented triumvirate
Zach Aston-Reese (22 goals, 19 assists), Dylan Sikura (16 goals, 25 assists) and Adam Gaudette (13 goals, 23 assists) are all enjoying breakouts seasons, ranking in the top-10 in the nation in scoring.
 
Aston-Reese had hat tricks in consecutive games on Dec. 18 and Dec. 30, and is one of two players in the nation (T.J. Moore, Holy Cross) to record a hat trick in two straight games, and one of only four players in the country with multiple hat tricks this season.
 
The trio makes Northeastern the only team in the nation to have at least three skaters with 35 points or more. The three have also combined to make up half of the Huskies' total scoring this season.
 
It just comes natural
Dylan Sikura is tied for fourth in the nation with 25 assists in his first 25 games, and fifth overall in scoring with 38 points. 
 
The Aurora, Ontario native has at least one point in 21 of the team's 25 games this season. His 16 goals and 41 points in just 25 games are already more than his total from all of last season (36 games). 
 
On Friday at UMass Lowell, he scored three goals in the final 7:19 of regulation to lead the Huskies to a come-from-behind win, becoming the first Husky since Cody Ferriero on Dec. 29, 2012 at Harvard to score three goals in a period. The only other time it's happened since in the last 12 years was on Nov. 4, 2005 (Ryan Ginand vs. New Hampshire).
 
Sikura's third period performance was also the first natural hat trick for a Husky since Kevin Roy against Connecticut on Feb. 13, 2015. It's the fourth time that's happened since 2012 (Cody Ferriero, twice; Jan. 27, 2012 at Vermont and Dec. 29, 2012 at Harvard).
 
Good Gaud
Sophomore Adam Gaudette has been one of the top players in the nation this season, recording 13 goals and 23 assists in his first 24 games. It took him 41 games to reach 30 points last season. The Braintree, Mass. native had a five-game goal scoring streak earlier this season, the longest of his career. 
 
Most of Gaudette's damage this season has been done at home, where he's recorded 23 of his 34 points (eight goals, 15 assists). It's the fourth highest home point total in the nation this season.
 
The straw that stirs the drink
While Zach Aston-Reese, Dylan Sikura and Adam Gaudette have received most of the praise for their work in 2016-17, it's been the under the radar play of captain John Stevens that has resulted in much of their success. Stevens provides the defensive work that allows the Huskies to transition up ice and has a strong ability to maintain puck possession in the attacking zone to distribute the puck to his linemates for scoring chances.
 
Stevens is averaging one point per game in a season that forced him to miss six games due to an upper body injury. He's also approaching 100 career points, and has 24 goals and 72 assists in 131 career games. Stevens has also reached that total without ever having recorded a multi-goal game in his collegiate career.
 
If he were to reach the century mark, it would be the first time since 2010-11 (Wade MacLeod and Tyler McNeely) that two Huskies reached 100 points in the same season.
 
In the 18 games with Stevens in the lineup the team is averaging 3.88 goals per game, while averaging just 2.7 in the six games he missed.
 
Veterans carrying the load
Northeastern, with 14 juniors and seniors on the roster, is tied for the ninth most upperclassmen on NCAA rosters this season. The two classes have combined for 140 points (53 goals, 87 assists) in the team's opening 25 games, which is eighth in the country. The 53 goals rank sixth in the nation while the 87seventh helpers are seventh.
 
Power up
NU is averaging 5.80 power play opportunities per game this season, the second highest in the nation, and have cashed in 36 times, the most in the country.Northeastern has also recorded at last one power play tally in the last 14 games. Eleven different Huskies have found the back of the net on the man advantage, including a team-high 11 from senior Zach Aston-Reese, the most in the nation.
 
Jozefek returns
Freshman Grant Jozefek returned to the lineup on Jan. 20 against Merrimack after missing 13 games with an upper body. He had the primary assist on the Huskies' first goal of the game. Jozefek netted his first collegiate goal with a power play strike last Friday at UMass Lowell, becoming the fourth NU rookie to score his first collegiate goal this season.
 
Jozefek had 79 points (25 goals, 54 assists) in 107 career games with Lincoln (USHL) prior to arriving at Northeastern.
 
Cockerill keeping up
Junior Garret Cockerill plays in all situations for Northeastern, and is one of the team leaders in time on ice per game. This year, though, the Brighton, Mich. native has continued to chip in at the offensive end of the ice, and is fourth on the team with 21 points (five goals, 16 assists). His 0.84 points per game is 12th in the nation, and fourth in Hockey East, among defensemen.
 
The Ruck stops here
After winning the starting job midway through last season, sophomore goaltender Ryan Ruck left his mark on the Husky record book after his first season at Northeastern. 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). 
 
On Oct. 7, Ruck was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List, which is awarded annually to the top goaltender in NCAA Division I ice hockey. He is one of 20 netminders on the list. 
 
Ruck has made 33 saves in three of his last four games games, and is currently tied for seventh on Northeastern's all-time wins list (30).
 
Tough after two
Opponents who find themselves down to the Huskies through two periods of play haven't fared well in recent years. Over the last four seasons, Northeastern is 50-4-3 (.904) when leading after 40 minutes, including a 8-1-0 mark in 2016-17.
 
Northeastern Athletics unveils #RiseUpNU
Northeastern Athletics, in partnership with The Nor'Easters, the university's premiere co-ed a cappella group, unveiled a collaborative music video the likes of which the Northeastern community has never seen before. The event, entitled 'RiseUpNU,' was held on campus at Blackman Auditorium Tuesday night.
 
The two groups joined forces with the Office of Alumni Relations to host Tuesday's event, which featured speaking portions from university administrators and Northeastern students, as well as a performance from the Nor'Easters before the unveiling of the stirring music video that puts the best of what the university has to offer on display.    
 
In the video, which can be viewed by visiting RedBlackOnePack.com, the Nor'easters cover the Grammy-winning Andra Day song "Rise Up," while footage of the per­formers and game footage from recent years are combined to tell a story rep­re­sen­ta­tive of the whole North­eastern community.