BOSTON -- Northeastern is back in the Hockey East Championship for the third time in team history, and second time in the last four seasons. The Huskies have won the conference title in each of their previous appearances (1988, 2016).
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From the third rope!
Northeastern entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed for just the third time in program history, and first since 1989. The Huskies ended the regular season with wins in six of their last seven games to finish with 15 victories in HEA play for the second straight year and fourth time in team history.
Northeastern is a top-three seed in the conference tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Northeastern in the Hockey East title game
NU is back in the conference championship game for the second time in four years, and third time in team history. Northeastern is 2-0 all-time in the title game, capturing the league title in both appearances in 1988 and 2016.
A win tonight would make
Jim Madigan the eighth coach in league history to win multiple conference titles, joining Jerry York, Jack Parker, Shawn Walsh, Norm Bazin, Dick Umile, David Quinn and Len Ceglarski.
Huskies vs. Eagles in the Hockey East playoffs
Northeastern and Boston College are meeting in the playoffs for the seventh time in league history, and the first time in the championship game. NU is 2-6 in playoff games against the Eagles, with the last win coming in the 2016 semifinal.
Since 2015, though, Northeastern has held the upper hand against BC in games at TD Garden, winning each of the last five meetings (four Beanpot games, one Hockey East game).
All they do is win
Northeastern enters Saturday with 26 wins of the season, the most victories in single-season history, breaking the record held by the 2008-09 and 1981-82 teams.
The Huskies are one of four teams in the NCAA with at least 26 wins this season. It's the first time in team history that NU has won at least 20 games in consecutive seasons.
Winningest class in Northeastern history
Northeastern's senior class has helped lead Northeastern to 89 victories, making them the winningest class in team history. They've also helped the Huskies to their first Hockey East title in 28 years, two NCAA appearances and back-to-back Beanpots.
Cardiac canines
Zach Solow's game-winner last night was Northeastern's sixth overtime victory of the season, the most since 2007-08.
Tyler Madden (two),
Patrick Schule and
Austin Goldstein have also scored in OT this season for Northeastern. NU is the only team in the NCAA with at least six overtime wins this season.
Since 2012-13, only four other teams have won at least five games in OT. Three of them went to the Frozen Four: Minnesota Duluth (2016-17; national runner-up), Boston University (2014-15; national runner-up), and Yale (2012-13; won national title).
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.
Before Solow and Madden, the last Husky to score two overtime goals in a season was Vinny Saponari in 2011-12.
Tight quarters
The Huskies have been comfortable playing in tight games this season. Northeastern is 13-3-0 in one-goal games, the most one-goal wins in team history and the most in the NCAA this season.
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.
Coming up clutch
Sophomore
Zach Solow is tied for third in the nation with six game-winning goals this season. Five of those have come in the third period or overtime.
Last night, he tied the program record for game-winners in a season, previously held by Todd Barclay in 1997-98. The NCAA began tracking game-winning goals in 1996.
Dating back to 2000, only four other Huskies have scored at least five game-winning goals in a season:
Adam Gaudette in 2017-18,
Dylan Sikura in 2016-17,
Nolan Stevens in 2015-16 and Mike Ryan in 2001-02.
PK prowess
Northeastern's only averaging 9.1 penalty minutes per game this season, but when they go on the PK opponents have had a tough time scoring. NU is 13th in the NCAA with an 85.8% success rate on the penalty kill, including a 35-of-38 clip (92.1%) in the last 13 games.
The Huskies have also scored seven shorthanded goals this season, the most since 2008-09 and tied for the sixth most in the NCAA this season.
Davies named National Player of the Month
Hockey East First Team All-Star
Jeremy Davies leads the team with 34 points (eight goals, 26 assists) this season, and is seventh in the NCAA among defensemen with 0.97 points per game.
Davies was tied for second in the nation in scoring among all skaters in February with three goals and nine assists, earning Hockey East Player of the Month honors.
On Feb. 23, he became the first Northeastern defenseman since Dan McGillis in 1994-95 and 1995-96 to record 30 points in consecutive seasons.If Davies finishes the season leading the team in scoring, he'd be the first defenseman since Jim Fahey in 2001-02 to do so.
He is also eight points away from becoming the sixth defenseman in team history to reach 100 career points, and first since Fahey.
Primeau named Richter Award semifinalist
For the second straight year, Hockey East First Team All-Star
Cayden Primeau has been named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division Men's Ice Hockey.
Primeau has put together a stellar sophomore campaign, posting a record of 24-9-1 between the pipes, tied for second-most wins in the nation. His 2.00 GAA and .936 save percentage rank sixth and first in the nation, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 30 starts this season. His save percentage also ranks second overall among all Division I goaltenders.
His 24 victories are also second on Northeastern's single-season goaltending wins list.
The win vs. UNH on Mar. 8 was the 40th of his young career: he's the only player in program history to win at least 40 games in two seasons or fewer. After just 62 starts, Primeau is already sixth in career wins (40), and is third on Northeastern's all-time shutouts list (eight).
In March, Primeau's gone 5-1-0 with a .967 save percentage (first in the NCAA) and 1.12 GAA (third in the NCAA).
