BOSTON – Coming off its second straight Beanpot title on Monday, the No. 14 Northeastern men's hockey team shifts its focus back to conference play with a two-game set against Vermont at Matthews Arena this weekend. Northeastern currently sits in a tie for fifth place in the Hockey East standings with seven league games to play. Four points separate the No. 3 through No. 8 teams in the standings as the battle for home ice heats up.
Weekend promotions
Fans attending Friday night's game against Vermont will have an opportunity to get their photo with the Beanpot. The trophy will be in the Matthews Arena lobby beginning at 7 p.m.
Fans will also have a chance to purchase official Beanpot championship hats and t-shirts in the lobby, while supplies last.
The Lamoriello Trophy, awarded annually to the Hockey East Tournament champion, will also be at Matthews on Friday night as part of Hockey East's Road to the TD Garden.
On Saturday, the Huskies will hold their annual game-worn jersey sale. Cash, check or credit cards will all be accepted as forms of payment.
Champions again!
For the first time since 1984 and 1985, the Northeastern men's hockey team is in possession of consecutive Beanpot championships as the No. 14 Huskies held off Boston College, 4-2, during Monday's title game at TD Garden, laying claim to their second straight title and sixth such trophy during program history.
M-V-Primeau
Sophomore goaltender
Cayden Primeau blanked the Eagles through two periods and made 33 saves en route to winning his second consecutive Eberly Award and being named the 2019 Beanpot Most Valuable Player.
Primeau – who saved 59 of the 62 shots he faced during the tournament – joined the company of Bruce Racine (1985, 1988), Marc Robitaille (1997, 1998) and Brad Thiessen (2008, 2009) as the NU netminders to win multiple Eberly Awards.
Crunch time
With just seven league games remaining, things are tightening up in the Hockey East standings with just four points separating the No. 3 through No. 8 seeds in the league standings. Northeastern is currently tied for fifth in the standings. The top four seeds will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series in March.
Since 2014-15, Northeastern is 19-7-1 (.722) in conference games in February as the Huskies look to get hot down the stretch yet again.
Cardiac canines
Tyler Madden's game-winner on Feb. 4 against Boston University was Northeastern's fourth overtime victory of the season, the most since 2007-08.
Patrick Schule and
Zach Solow have also scored in OT this season for Northeastern. The Huskies are one of two teams in the NCAA with at least four overtime wins this season (Denver).
Since the 2012-13 season, Madden is one of just two rookies in the NCAA to score at least two overtime goals in a season, joining BU's Jack Eichel during his Hobey Baker winning season in 2014-15.
The last Husky to score two overtime goals in a season was Vinny Saponari in 2011-12, also against Massachusetts and Boston University.
Tight quarters
The Huskies have been comfortable playing in tight games this season. Northeastern is 9-3-0 in one-goal games, the most for the program since the 2008-09 season (10 one-goal wins).
Before Northeastern's two wins against Merrimack earlier this season, NU had won four straight one-goal games, the longest such streak in team history. Before that, Northeastern had won three straight one-goal games just four times in team history, the last coming during the 2007-08 season.
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.
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.
Primeau goaltending
Cayden Primeau is back in goal for the Huskies after returning from the World Junior Championships. He is 15-8-1 in 24 starts this year. His 15 victories are tied for eighth in the NCAA, his .646 winning percentage is 18th and his three shutouts are tied for 13th in the country. His 15 victories are also already tied for 10th on Northeastern's single-season goaltending wins list.
The win at Maine on Jan. 11 was the 30th of his young career. Only two other goaltenders in team history have won at least 30 games in their first two collegiate seasons:
Ryan Ruck (38) and Bruce Racine (30). After just 56 starts, Primeau is already sixth in career wins (34), and is tied for third on Northeastern's all-time shutouts list (seven).
Mr. Bright Lights
Freshman
Tyler Madden is also back after a strong performance at the WJC. Madden is tied for seventh among NCAA rookies with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists this season). He has 14 points in his last 13 games (5-9--14), including a season-high four-point performance (one goal, three assist) at Merrimack on Dec. 8.
The Deerfield Beach, Fla. native is a three-time Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week this season, and was named a semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award on Feb. 4, given annually to the best American-born player in New England.
Earlier this year, he became the first NU rookie since Scott Selig (2000) to start his career with goals in three straight games.
Rookie representing
Tyler Madden is first on the team with 23 points this season. It marks the fourth straight year that a Northeastern rookie has reached 20 points:
Player: Points (Season)
Zach Solow: 26 (2017-18)
Jeremy Davies: 23 (2016-17)
Matt Filipe: 21 (2016-17)
Adam Gaudette: 30 (2015-16)
If Madden keeps up his pace, he could become just the fourth rookie to reach 30 points since 2002-03: Gaudette (30 in 2015-16), Mike Szmatula (39 in 2013-14),
Kevin Roy (34 in 2012-13).
If he finishes the year leading the team in scoring, he would be the first freshman to do so since Roy in 2012-13.
