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BOSTON – The No. 20/14 Northeastern men's hockey team kicked off the season with a bang on Saturday night with a 9-1 victory over Prince Edward Island in an exhibition contest at Matthews Arena.
 
The Husky offense when to work early and often throughout the evening, scoring four times in the first period and adding another three in the second. Adam Gaudette (two goals, two assists) and Dylan Sikura (two goals, two assists) led the charge for the hosts, while Matt Filipe (one goal, one assist), Grant Jozefek (one goal, one assist), Austin Goldstein (two assists) and Zach Solow (two assists) all recorded multi-point efforts.
 
Northeastern split time between all three goaltenders with Ryan Ruck (six saves), Cayden Primeau (10 saves) and Jake Theut (15 saves) all seeing one period of action.
 
NU controlled the game from start to finish, outshooting the Panthers 38-32 and converting on two of its six power play opportunities. UPEI, meanwhile, was 1-of-5 on the man advantage and won 34-of-61 faceoffs.
 
Goal descriptions
• Northeastern took a 1-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game with some transition offense, resulting in a goal from Jozefek. After Solow skated the puck up along the boards and to the blue line in the attacking zone, he saucered a pass across to Eric Williams at the right point. Williams then flung a shot towards the cage that was stopped by Mancini, but Jozefek was waiting on the doorstep to pick the puck out of midair and into the cage for the early lead.
 
• The hosts went up by two with 5:17 to go in the opening frame when Northeastern dug the puck out of traffic in front off an initial bid from Drew Blackmun, ultimately leading to Bobby Hampton sending it right back in front and through Mancini for the score.
 
• Gaudette and Sikura got into the action just 17 seconds later when Gaudette won a defensive zone faceoff up to Sikura, who flew up ice to create an odd-man rush with Gaudette. Sikura then feathered a pass to his left over to Gaudette atop the face-off dot, who sniped one bar down on Mancini for the commanding 3-0 edge.
 
• The duo connected again with 1:45 to go in the first period, this time with Northeastern shorthanded. As the Huskies fought to get the puck out of the defensive zone, Sikura again wound up with the puck on his stick before sending Gaudette in alone. Gaudette patiently headed towards the goal before fooling Mancini with a quick toe-drag and tuck under the pad for the 4-0 advantage.
 
• Sikura and Gaudette picked up right where they left off in the second period, creating a turnover and burying a power play goal just eight seconds in on a give-and-go for an easy tap-in from Sikura.
 
• Nolan Stevens finished off some pretty passing by the Huskies just 45 seconds after the Sikura tally as Zach Solow tossed the puck between his legs to Matt Filipe on the right side before firing it down to Stevens atop the crease, who then lifted a backhand over the shoulder of Mancini for the score.
 
• Sikura potted his second of the evening with 7:08 to during a five-on-three power play as Gaudette dug the puck out of the corner and fed Jeremy Davies in the slot. Davies then swiftly slid it across to a waiting Sikura at the right post for the one-timer top shelf to make it 7-0 Northeastern.
 
• Filipe tacked one Northeastern's eighth of the evening early in the third period when a Jozefek pass off a transition feed by Ryan Shea caught the skate of Filipe and snuck past Connor Wilkinson.
 
• UPEI spoiled the shutout with a power play strike midway through the third period as a Beau McCue shot from the right faceoff dot got through traffic and under the arm of Theut.
 
• John Picking brought the Northeastern lead back to eight with 5:10 to play in the third period. After Austin Goldstein dug the puck out of the corner, he hit Biagio Lerario with a pass at the left side. Lerario then fired it over to Picking in the slot for the one-timer inside the left post.
 
The road ahead
• The Huskies will drop the puck for real next Friday night when Northeastern hosts Sacred Heart in the regular season opener in the first of a two-game set, beginning at 7 p.m.