Game-day information: Game 15 at No. 14 Boston College (9-6-2, 9-2-0)
When	Saturday, December 9, 7 p.m.
Where	Chestnut Hill, Mass.  |  Conte Forum  |  Directions  |  Parking
Broadcast and stats	WATCH: Watch ESPN / TSN GO Live Stats  |  Watch  |  Audio  |  Tickets
Notes and media guide	Game Notes  |  2017-18 Media Guide
Promotions	Skate with the Huskies on Sunday!
Social media	Download the new GoNU App: iOS  |  Android @GoNUmhockey  facebook.com/GoNUmhockey instagram.com/GoNUmhockey  Use #GoNU and #RedBlackOnePack

BOSTON -- With just two games remaining until the holiday break, the No. 10/11 Northeastern men's hockey team will look to pick up two crucial points in the league standings when the Huskies travel to No. 14 Boston College on Saturday at Conte Forum in a battle of the conference's top two teams.
 
The all-time series with Boston College
Northeastern enters Saturday's tilt gunning for its third win in six tries against Boston College. With an all-time mark of 50-166-16 against the Eagles, the Huskies will aim to get head coach Jim Madigan his fifth career win against their rivals from Chestnut Hill.
 
The two teams met three times last season at three different venues with the Eagles coming out with a 2-1-0 record. After falling at Matthews Arena and Conte Forum, Northeastern got the upper hand at TD Garden with a 4-2 win over BC in the Beanpot consolation game. In their one meeting this season, Boston College controlled the pace in a 4-1 win over NU at Matthews Arena.
 
Scouting the Eagles
Boston College has run the Beanpot gauntlet since their last tilt with Northeastern on Nov. 18. After topping the Huskies, 4-1, the Eagles duked out a 4-4 tie with Harvard on Nov. 24. Last weekend, BC earned a split with Boston University in the Battle of Comm Ave. The Eagles fell to the Terriers, 7-4, on Dec. 1 but answered with a 4-1 victory at BU on Dec. 2. After their 1-5-1 start to the year, BC has gone on a tear in Hockey East play and sits in first place with a 9-2-0 conference record and 18 points.
 
Julius Mattila has taken over the team lead in scoring with five goals and eight assists through 17 games. Graham McPhee, who scored the game-winner for BC in their last meeting with NU, is one of three Eagles with five goals on the season. Goaltender Joseph Woll has the most in-conference victories of any HEA netminder with seven league wins.
 
Primeau earns rookie of the week accolades
After backstopping the Northeastern men's hockey team to a four-point weekend, freshman goaltender Cayden Primeau was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Monday.
 
Primeau saw action in all three of NU's tilts during the week and earned a 2-0-0 record in games started. He played 40 minutes in relief in Tuesday night's loss at UConn before stumping Merrimack in consecutive 3-1 wins on Friday and Saturday.
 
The Voorhees, N.J. native allowed only three goals on 68 shots during the week. In the weekend series against Merrimack, Primeau notched 28 saves on 29 shots in each of the two games. Of the eight Hockey East teams that played two games over the weekend, Primeau helped the Huskies to the fewest goals-against with only two pucks finding the back of the NU net.
 
Gaud Is Good
Junior Adam Gaudette is tied for 10th in the nation in scoring (20 points) and tied for ninth in goals (10). His eight multi-point games are also tied for second in college hockey.
 
On Nov. 28, Gaudette became the 51st player in team history to reach 100 career points, and just the 22nd to accomplish the feat in three seasons or less. He's the fifth Husky in the last three seasons (Kevin Roy, Zach Aston-Reese, John Stevens, Dylan Sikura) to accomplish the feat. No Husky had done it in three seasons or fewer since Kevin Roy during his All-American season in 2014-15.
 
Gaudette's done damage when it matters most. He's either scored or assisted on 10 of Northeastern's last 17 game winning goals (five goals, five assists), dating back to last season, including five of the team's nine wins this year (three goals, two assists).
 
He's Sik
Senior Dylan Sikura is third among active players in the nation with 110 career points, and became the 50th player in team history to reach 100 career points on Oct. 20.
 
What's most impressive about Sikura is his steady progression throughout his career at Northeastern. He went from a seven-point in 25-game freshman campaign to 28 points as a sophomore before a breakout 57-point junior season. Seventy-five of Sikura's 110 career points (68%) have come in his last 51 games.
 
Sikura is currently tied for 19th in the nation with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in just 13 games this season, which made him the only player in college hockey since 2012-13 to record a multi-point effort in each of his team's first six games, and one of two players in the nation to reach 14 points in that span since 2012-13.
 
Dynamic duo
Junior Adam Gaudette and senior Dylan Sikura and have picked up right where they left off a season ago, recording 20 and 18 points apiece, respectively, through the team's first 15 games. Dating back to 1999, they are the only Huskies to record four straight multi-point games to open the year.
 
They make Northeastern the first team to have a pair of skaters with three straight multi-point games to start the season since Cornell (John McCarron and Joel Lowry) in 2013-14. In the last six seasons, only five players in the nation have recorded multi-point efforts in their teams' first four games.
 
Out of the gates
Northeastern is off to a 7-3-0 record in conference play midway through the conference slate. It took 19 games for the Huskies to reach seven league wins in each of the last two seasons.
 
How you start is how you go ...
Northeastern is outscoring opponents 18-6 in the first period this season, and it's +12 first period goal differential is the best in the nation.
 
... But it's how you finish
Northeastern has been a tough team to defeat when the Huskies lead after two periods. Since 2013-14, NU is 63-9-3 (.860) when the Huskies have the lead through 40 minutes of play.
 
Power up
The Northeastern power play has developed into one of the most lethal units in the nation in the last three years. NU led the nation with 55 power play strikes in 2016-17, tied for the most in team history. Northeastern has also led the nation with the power play goals over the last two (94) and three (128) seasons.
 
Junior Adam Gaudette broke the school record for power play goals in a season (16) last year, and currently leads all active players in the NCAA with 26 career goals on the man advantage. He's five PPG away from tying the school record, held by J.F. Aube and Rod Isbister.
 
The Huskies, who draw an average of 4.60 power play per game, are tied for second in the NCAA with 18 conversions this season.
 
Points from the point
The Northeastern defense has been doing the job at both ends of the ice this season, allowing just 2.47 goals per game (second in Hockey East) while contributing 50 points in the offensive zone. It accounts for 33% of the Huskies' total points, and is third in the NCAA. Jeremy Davies leads all NU blueliners with 14 points, followed closely by Garret Cockerill (13 points) and Ryan Shea (10 points).
 
Captain Comeback
Captain Nolan Stevens is tied for fourth on the team with 13 points (nine goals, four assists), and has goals in six of his last nine games. Since returning from injury last February, Stevens has points in 17 of his last 26 games (16 goals, 14 assists).
 
Help me, help you
Sophomore Jeremy Davies already has 14 points through the two months of the season, which is tied for seventh in the nation among defensemen. His 0.93 points per game this season are seventh among defensemen nationally.
 
If Davies leads the team in assists this season, it'll be the first time since Steve Birnstill in 2006-07 that a blueliner has led the team in helpers.
 
Prime'd for success
Freshman Cayden Primeau has acclimated himself to the college game, earning starts in nine of Northeastern's 15 games and posting a 5-3-1 mark with a 2.06 goals against average. After a 6-4 loss to Quinnipiac on Oct. 21, Primeau has bounced back in a big way.
 
Since then, Primeau is fourth in the nation with a 1.68 goals against average and .940 save percentage, highlighted by a season-high 33 save effort against No. 12/11 Boston University on Nov. 10.
 
Hands Solow
In just 15 collegiate games, freshman Zach Solow has proven he belongs. The Naples, Fla. native has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists), which is tied for 10th in the nation among rookie skaters. His four multi-point games are tied for third in the nation among freshmen.
 
His six-point performance on opening weekend earned him Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week honors when he became the first Husky to record a multi-point game in his collegiate debut since the 2013-14 season (Matt Benning, Dalen Hedges, Mike Szmatula), and the first Husky to log four points on opening night since Kevin Roy on Oct. 11, 2013 against Alabama-Huntsville.
 
Since 2012, he's one of three rookies to record seven points in his first three games: Mitchell Fossier (Maine) in 2016-17 and Austin Plevy (Massachusetts) in 2015-16.
 
NU mourns the loss of George Makris
George P. Makris, who gave more than half a century of service to Northeastern University as a student-athlete, fundraiser and philanthropist, passed away on Sunday night. He was 96.
 
As a student-athlete, Makris earned three varsity letters for the Huskies in football, ice hockey and baseball in a career that was split by World War II.
 
After retiring from Electrolux in 1970, Makris returned to his alma mater. At first, he focused his efforts to the Varsity Club as president in 1975 and then as treasurer. His devotion to the University was evident and, in 1977, Makris became the first Director of Athletic Development.
 
He was inducted into the Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1983 for his accomplishments in football and for his achievements as the university's director of athletic development.
 
The road ahead
Northeastern closes out the first half of the season next Saturday night when the Huskies head back to Lawler Rink for a date with Merrimack. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.