BOSTON – It's a battle for Hockey East supremacy this weekend as the No. 8 Northeastern men's hockey team takes on No. 1 Massachusetts in a home-and-home set, beginning on Friday night in Amherst on NESN. The teams will then head to Matthews Arena for the series finale on Saturday night on NESNplus during Whiteout Weekend, presented at LightView.
Northeastern is taking on the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since Nov. 21, 2015 vs. Providence, and looking for its first victory over the No. 1 team in the land since Oct. 13, 2012.
Saturday will be $1 hot dog night at Matthews Arena, and the Huskies will also hold a Teddy Bear Toss during the first intermission. Bears will be available for purchase on the concourse of the arena. Northeastern will also unveil the new DogHouse sign during a pregame ceremony.
Huskies for Hobey
Defenseman
Jeremy Davies and goaltender
Cayden Primeau have been nominated for the Hobey Baker award, which is awarded annually to the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey. Fans can vote for Jeremy and Cayden once per day by visiting
NUHuskies.com/Hobey.
Northeastern is looking to become the just the third school to win the award in consecutive seasons after
Adam Gaudette was named the Hobey Baker Award winner in 2018.
Taking on the best
Northeastern is playing the No. 1 team in the USCHO poll for the first time since Nov. 21, 2015 (Providence), and 24th time in team history. The Huskies are 7-9-7 all-time against the nation's top team, and is in search of their first win against a No. 1 since Oct. 13, 2012 (Boston College).
Northeastern's only win against a No. 1 team away from Matthews Arena came on Oct. 8, 2004 when the Huskies defeated Michigan at the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio.
Best. Start. Ever.
Northeastern is off to its best start to the season in program history with a 14-4-1 (.763) record through 19 games. It's the only time Northeastern has had 14 wins through 19 games, and is the best start to the year since the 2008-09 team went 13-4-2 (.736).
Out of the gates in Hockey East
Northeastern is off to an 8-2-1 start in conference play this season, tied for the best start to Hockey East play in team history with the 2008-09 team. The Huskies are outscoring their opponents by 1.82 goals per game and operating at 84.4% on the penalty kill vs. league foes.
Road warriors
Northeastern is 9-1-0 away from home this season, a .900 winning percentage that is the second highest in the NCAA. NU is outscoring opponents 35-13 on the road, which is the lowest goals against total in the country. The PK is also operating at 89.7% away from home.
The Huskies have won six straight away from home, allowing two goals or fewer in each of those games.
All-time series with Massachusetts
Northeastern and UMass are meeting for the 93rd time, with NU holding a 54-28-10 advantage in the all-time series. The Huskies have won nine of the last 10 meetings, including three out of four last season and a sweep in the conference quarterfinals.
Tenacious D
It's been tough to score on the Huskies recently. NU has allowed two goals or fewer in seven straight games for the first time in team history. Northeastern is leading the NCAA with a 1.14 goals against per game average in that span.
PK prowess
Northeastern's only averaging 9.9 penalty minutes per game this season, but when they go on the PK opponents have had a tough time scoring. NU is 12th in the NCAA with an 85.2% success rate on the penalty kill, including a 91.7% clip (22-of-24) in the last nine games.
Double double
It's been scoring by committee for the Huskies this season, with 10 players already with at least 10 points on the year. Northeastern is one of seven teams in the nation with at least 10 players with 10 points or more (Penn State, 13; Minnesota State, 11; Quinnipiac, 11; St. Cloud State, 11; Denver, 11; Union, 10).
Northeastern has 16 different goal scorers through 19 games, the most for the team since 2013-14. NU had 19 different goal scorers in 38 games last season, and 17 in 38 games the year prior.
