Box Score  | Season Stats | Infographic | Press Conference

HARTFORD, Conn. – Behind 20 saves from Ryan Ruck, along with two goals from Sam Kurker and a three-point effort from Adam Gaudette, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (14-12-5, 7-9-3) skated to a 3-0 victory at Connecticut (10-13-8, 6-9-4) on Friday night at the XL Center.
 
The win moves the Huskies ahead of Connecticut for ninth place in the Hockey East standings with 17 points. NU is now one point behind New Hampshire and two behind Merrimack in the hunt for home ice in the opening round of the playoffs, and can finish anywhere between fourth and 10th place in the final standings.
 
After an evenly played first period, Northeastern took a 1-0 lead with Kurker's second of the year, taking a feed from Gaudette behind the goal and ripping a shot over UConn netminder Adam Huska (30 saves). Gaudette extended the lead to two less than five minutes later with his 22nd of the season, taking the puck to the cage and burying a low shot inside the post as the net was dislodged. Kurker would add an empty netter with 1:37 to play to close out the scoring.
 
Ruck was solid in goal throughout the evening, including 11 saves in the third period to preserve the win, to earn his third career shutout, tied for the sixth most all-time at Northeastern.
 
NU held a steady 33-20 edge in shots on goal on the evening while both teams were 0-of-2 on the man advantage. Connecticut held a slight advantage in face-offs, winning 36-of-66 draws.
 
Goal descriptions:
• Northeastern struck first with 7:08 remaining in the second period on Kurker's second of the season. With Northeastern cycling the puck in the attacking zone, Ryan Shea fed it down to Gaudette below the goal line. Gaudette, then in a battle with a UConn defenseman, batted the puck out in front of the crease, where Kurker crashed the crease to roof it over Huska's right shoulder for the score.
 
• Gaudette made it 2-0 in the late stages of the middle frame with his 22nd of the year on a great individual effort. After receiving a pass from Jeremy Davies entering the Connecticut zone, Gaudette powered his way down the left wall before cutting to the net and tucking a shot under the pad of Huska just as the net was knocked off its moorings. The original call on the ice was no call, but the officials would overturn it to give Northeastern a 2-0 advantage.
 
• The Huskies put the game on ice with 1:37 to play in regulation with Kurker's second of the night. After Connecticut pulled Huska in favor of the extra attacker with 2:19 to go in the game, Northeastern blocked a shot attempt from the point, sending the puck into the corner. Gaudette chased it down and chipped it off glass and out of the defensive zone. Kurker then sped up to it as the puck hopped over the stick of a UConn defenseman and went in uncontested to bury it into the open goal.
 
Stats of the game:
• Northeastern is now 7-0-0 all-time against Connecticut.
 
• The Huskies now have series splits with Connecticut, Providence and UMass Lowell, along with sweeps against Massachusetts and Merrimack.
 
• Gaudette is now up to 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists) on the season. He's two points away from giving Northeastern three 50-point scorers for just the third time in program history.
 
• Gaudette extended his point streak to a career-long 10 games (12 goals, six assists). He has goals in each of his last six games, also a career-long.
  
• Northeastern has had a player score two goals or more in each of its last seven games.
 
• The Huskies are 52-4-3 when leading after two periods in the last four seasons, including a 10-1-0 mark this season.
 
• Friday night was the first time this season that Northeastern scored fewer than four goals and won the game.
 
The road ahead:
• The two teams will meet again in the series finale tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. Prior to the game, the Huskies will honor the nine members of its senior class for their dedication to the men's hockey program and the Northeastern community.
 
Saturday will be Youth Jersey Night at Matthews Arena, where kids 14 and under can wear their team jersey to the game and receive two free tickets. The Huskies will hold an autograph session after the game.