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BOSTON – Four points from freshman Zach Solow (one goal, three assists) and a pair of goals from both Matt Filipe and Grant Jozefek set the tone for the No. 20/13 Northeastern men's hockey team, which opened the 2017-18 campaign with a 7-3 victory against Sacred Heart on Friday night at Matthews Arena.
 
Northeastern jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals from Jozefek and Eric Williams before exploding for four more in the middle stanza to take a commanding 6-1 lead through 40 minutes of play. The Huskies received balanced scoring throughout the evening, with 12 different players recording a point, including multi-point efforts from Adam Gaudette (two assists) and Dylan Sikura (two assists) in addition to Solow, Filipe and Jozefek.
 
Northeastern outshot the Pioneers 35-22 in the game and won 37-of-63 face-offs. The Huskies went 1-of-4 on the power play while Sacred Heart found the back of the net twice on the man advantage (2-of-5), both in the third period on goals from Austin McIlmurray and Stephen Hladin. Vito Bavaro also scored for the Pioneers.
 
Ryan Ruck got the start in goal for the hosts, making 19 stops while Brett Magnus stopped 17 shots through two periods before giving way to Nathan Perry (11 saves) in the third.
 
Goal descriptions
• Northeastern struck first with 9:46 remaining in the first period on Jozefek's first of the season at the tail end of a Husky power play. Following a faceoff win from Zach Solow, Solow worked the puck up to Ryan Shea at the right point. Shea then snapped a low shot towards the cage, and Jozefek redirected it from the slot inside the left for the score.
 
• The Huskies extended the lead to two with 2:20 to play in the frame when Williams beat Magnus upstairs on a shot from the right side. Gaudette started the play by flying into the attacking zone before being tripped up behind the net. Sikura, though, was trailing the play and picked up the loose puck and threaded a pass across the grain over to Williams, who ripped a shot over the shoulder of Magnus for his first of the year.
 
• Griffin made it a 3-0 game less than seven minutes into the second period when Solow created a turnover inside the Northeastern blue line before tossing the puck up to Griffin in the neutral zone. Griffin then went in two-on-one with Filipe, and shielded the puck with his body before darting in and sliding the puck under Magnus.
 
• Filipe got into the act midway through the second when he picked the pocket of an SHU defenseman trying to clear the puck before feeding Gaudette. Gaudette's initial shot was stopped by Magnus, but the rebound sat out in the crease where Filipe pounded it home for the 4-0 lead.
 
• Sacred Heart got one back just 13 seconds later, though, when Bavaro redirected a shot from Max Luukko at the point past a screened Ruck for his first of the year to cut the deficit to three.
 
• Northeastern fired right back 1:08 after the Bavaro goal with Jozefek's second of the evening to make it 5-1 Huskies. Nolan Stevens began the play by lifting the stick of a defenseman in front of the Sacred Heart net to steal the puck and sending a backhand pass into trouble atop the crease. Solow got a stick on the puck, and it bounced over to Jozefek who roofed it over Magnus' shoulder.
 
• Filipe put the hosts ahead by five with 13.9 seconds to play in the middle period after being left alone in front. After Sikura hit Trevor Owens with a pass, Owens set up shop behind the Pioneer net. Owens then spotted Filipe uncovered in the slot, sent the puck up to him and Filipe did the rest, beating Magnus glove side for the 6-1 edge.
 
• Sacred Heart tacked on a couple quick goals thanks to power play opportunities early in the third period, the first coming from McIlmurray 3:32 into the third. With the Pioneers working the puck around the attacking zone, Stephen Hladin tossed the puck over to McIlmurray at the left face-off dot, who blasted a one-timer under the pad of Ruck.
 
• SHU made it 6-3 with 15:43 to go in regulation with another power play strike, this one from Hladin when he banged home a short pass from Marc Johnstone at the right post past Ruck for his first of the year.
 
• Northeastern regained control of the game after the Hladin strike, and added to its lead with 4:04 left when Solow took a pass from Jeremy Davies and rocketed a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat backup netminder Nathan Perry (11 saves) for Solow's first collegiate tally.
 
Stats of the game
• Northeastern is now 49-29-8 all-time in season openers, and 4-1-2 under Jim Madigan.
 
• NU is 49-32-5 all-time in home openers at Matthews Arena, including a 12-3-3 mark since the 2000-01 season.
 
• The Huskies have won five straight home games, dating back to last season, and are 6-1-0 at Matthews Arena in the 2017 calendar year.
 
• Northeastern is now 7-0-1 in regular season home games against non-conference opponents in its last eight games.
 
• Solow is the first Northeastern player to have a multi-point night in his collegiate debut since Matt Benning (one goal, two assists), Dalen Hedges (one goal, one assist) and Mike Szmatula (three assists) accomplished the feat on Oct. 11, 2013 against Alabama Huntsville.
 
• Three Huskies made their collegiate debuts on Friday night: Austin Goldstein, Eetu Selanne and Solow

The road ahead
• Northeastern and Sacred Heart will meet again in the series finale tomorrow night at Matthews Arena. Tickets are available by visiting tickets.GoNU.com.