Hot Dogs

Northeastern Rolls Into South Bend On 10-game Unbeaten Streak

by Christopher Boulay/CHN Writer

On Thanksgiving weekend, Northeastern traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where they lost in the opening game of the Friendship Four tournament to Massachusetts-Lowell 3-2 in overtime. The Huskies were 1-11-2, and the season seemed effectively over.

The next day, Northeastern ran over Colgate 7-1 in the consolation game. That marked the commencement of a rebirth in the team’s season. The Huskies would finish 2015 on a high note, going 2-1-1, before opening up 2016 with a bang. A 3-3 tie against Quinnipiac at home started a 15-1-2 run during the second half, capped off by a two-game sweep of Maine this past weekend in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament.

Northeastern defeated Maine 3-2 in overtime on Friday night, and followed it up with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Black Bears to advance to the conference quarterfinals. Captain Kevin Roy scored the winner with 6:15 left in the extra period, taking the focus away from his team’s blown three-goal lead and putting it on facing Notre Dame in the next round.

Roy’s goal actually came about due to a botched line change. His linemates were making their way off of the ice, but he was in position in front of the net to put an errant puck past Maine goaltender Rob McGovern. Instead of coming off, he took the shot.

Northeastern coach Jim Madigan noted during the press conference that he was trying to get Roy off of the ice.

“This is how smart I am,” Madigan said. “I’m yelling for Kevin to get to the bench for the change. Thank God you stayed out and you didn’t listen to me.”

When asked, Roy claimed to be unaware of his coach’s call.

“When I’m calling him, he never hears me,” Madigan joked.

Roy’s goal was a special one. Not only did it propel his team into the next round of the tournament, but it kept Northeastern on the winning path. Additionally, it’s the final thing senior will ever do in a competitive game on the ice at Matthews Arena.

“It’s pretty special,” Roy said. “I have a lot of good memories here. It’s just good to end on that note, and it’s good to send the team to the next round and I think that’s what really matters here.”

Getting the overtime victories this past weekend took the proverbial monkey off of Northeastern’s back. Madigan’s teams had never won a playoff series before tonight. Last year, Merrimack swept the Huskies at Matthews, with the first game ending in overtime, and the second in double-overtime. In 2014, the team lost a tough three-game series against New Hampshire. The previous two seasons, the team didn’t qualify for the Hockey East tournament.

Northeastern’s second-half rise makes them one of the hottest teams in the nation. The Huskies haven’t lost since the Beanpot semifinal against Boston University on Feb. 1, the only loss of 2016. During the second half, the Huskies have beaten St. Lawrence and Harvard out of conference, while rolling through conference foes Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Merrimack, Connecticut and now Maine. Heading into the weekend, Northeastern is 19th in the Pairwise. Still a bit away from being in talk of an at-large bid, but the goal is to just keep winning, right now.

The Huskies found their identity while their captain was on the shelf. Roy missed 12 games for the Huskies during the middle of the season, a period where the team really needed to have leaders step up. Junior forward Zach Aston-Reese attributed the team’s success to being patient with what they had, and the trip to Belfast didn’t hurt, either.

“I don’t know what it was,” Aston-Reese said. “Maybe we just found the right line combination. I think our mindset finally clicked. It took a little bit to find our production with Kevin gone. We found a way. We finally bonded when we went to Ireland. Ever since then, we haven’t looked back.”

Another significant help to the Huskies this season was steady goaltending. After both junior Derick Roy and freshman Ryan Ruck struggled in the early part of the season, Ruck eventually won the job and gave the steady support the team so desperately needed between the pipes. Currently, he has just a .915 save percentage, but his play as of late has been much more consistent. Aston-Reese felt his teammate’s early-season difficulties were due to trying to adjust so quickly to the next level.

“I think at the beginning, the transition from the USHL (can be difficult),” Aston-Reese said. “It’s a little bit faster here. Shots come in a little bit quicker and there’s more traffic. I think it was a little bit of an adjustment, but he’s had no problem making it.”

While the defense is improving, scoring has also been a strongpoint for Northeastern. The team has a shooting percentage of 10.4 percent, good enough for 12th in the country. The Huskies are also 11th in power play success, with 21.9 percent. Much of this may be due to the team’s ability to control possession, as Northeastern’s even-strength Corsi is 52.1 percent. The hot second half more than made up for the poor start, and it shows how dangerous this team can be in the postseason.

The team’s excitement was palpable post-game when it came to discussing the impending meeting with Notre Dame in South Bend this weekend. However, it won’t be easy. Currently, Notre Dame sits 10th in the Pairwise and is 10-4-3 since New Year’s Day. Regardless, Madigan was demonstrative when describing the upcoming quarterfinal.

“It’s Friday night,” Madigan said. “It’s Notre Dame, the Golden Dome, Touchdown Jesus and everything else. Here we come.”

Northeastern’s magical second-half continues, but its biggest test awaits. The team hasn’t been to the TD Garden for the postseason since 2011. That was the final year of Greg Cronin’s tenure at the school, so no one on staff or in uniform has experienced a Hockey East semifinal. While Madigan doesn’t want to focus on it due to the need for not looking past Notre Dame, it would certainly be a significant accomplishment given the terrible start to the year.

Two wins in South Bend this weekend, and the trip back to Boston will be a good one.