BOSTON — The Northeastern men’s hockey team needed to get away — far away — to save its season.

After starting 1-10-2, the Huskies headed to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to play in the inaugural Friendship Four tournament over Thanksgiving weekend.

Although missing its two best offensive players, the team found its time away from school and a hockey-centric city beneficial.

“It was exciting to be over there for a week,” the senior defenseman Colton Saucerman said. “It kind of drowned out the bad start we had. No one over there cared what our record was.”

The Huskies have lost only two games since returning from Northern Ireland and completed an unlikely run to a conference championship on Saturday: Their 3-2 win over Massachusetts-Lowell, the Huskies’ 13th consecutive victory, earned them their first Hockey East title in 28 years and sent them on to the 16-team N.C.A.A. tournament for the first time since 2009.