Final: Huskies 2, Notre Dame 1

Northeastern completed the sweep last night with a 2-1 victory over the Irish.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

The Basics

• Braden Pimm and Steve Quailer scored goals for NU.
• Anthony Bitetto, Garrett Vermeersch, and Chris Rawlings all had an assist.
• Chris Rawlings saved 22 of 23 shots.
• The Huskies were outshot 23-15.
• NU was 1-5 on the PP. Notre Dame was 1-6.

What You Need to Know

• It was a much different game last night, but Huskies were still able to prevail.
• Notre Dame took the lead early on the PP, but the Huskies fought back.
• This might be the first game all  year where the Huskies didnt score an even strength goal.  Quailer’s was a PP and Pimm’s was 4 on 4.
• Rawlings was huge as he has been all year.   He is a different guy this year.
• Its now a 5 game winning streak with 3 straight road wins.

Lines:

Karlsson-Vermeersch-Saponari

Ferriero-Pimm-Quailer

Tuckerman-Daniels-Manno

Reid-Stone-Vrolyk

D:

Bitetto-Cornell

Eibler-Manson

Ellement-Daniels

Thoughts

Think about where this team was a month ago. Frustration was at its peak and it felt like they couldn’t do anything but lose by 1.   People were losing faith in the players and coaches.  And it looked like it was going to be another long season.

Fast forward to today.  A players only meeting, a few more adjustments from the coaching staff, some line shuffling and look what you’ve got.  This team is amazing.  You could spend hours talking about all of the guys who look 100x better this season.  Rawlings, Vermeersch, Pimm, Ferriero, Quailer, Justin Daniels, Drew Ellement.  I don’t even recognize half of these guys.  Garrett Vermeersch has gone from 4th line puckhog to one of the best playmakers on the team.  Braden Pimm has gone from a grinder to the guy the offense revolves around. Ferriero and Quailer look dangerous everytime they touch the puck.   Its amazing.

The newcomers havent hurt either.   Ludwig Karlsson is the best freshman in Hockey East.  By far.  Vinny Saponari isn’t showing up on the score sheet as much as we thought, but he has had a huge impact.  And where would this team be without the solid play of Dan Cornell?

This team was given an impossible schedule to start the year, especially when their coach was returning to the bench after 18 years.  SO an adjustment period was expected.  And thats what happened.  But they way they were losing was killed the fans.  Those were winnable games for the most part.

Now this team has come together and they are just awesome.  They have played the 8th toughest schedule in the NCAA.   They are now in the top 25 for RPI and the Pairwise Rankings.   Its too early to care about those right now, but it still means something.  The schedule is getting easier and this team has not played themselves out of anything yet.   Home ice and/or an NCAA berth is very much in the question.  It won’t be easy, but with the way this team has played it is certainly do able.

So thank you to the coaching staff and every single player on the team for turning this thing around.  It has been a pleasure to watch the team over the past couple weekends and we can’t help but feel like bigger things are ahead for this team.  We are drinking the kool-aid.

Final: Huskies 9, Notre Dame 2

Northeastern played by far their best game of the year and came away with a 9-2 win AT #2 Notre Dame.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

The Basics

• Garrett Vermeersch and Braden Pimm had 2 goals.  Justin Daniels, Cody Ferriero, Dan Cornell, Adam Reid and Drew Ellement also scored.
• The goals were the first of Reid and Cornell’s career.  It was the first of the year for Vermeersch
• Ludwig Karlsson (4), Steve Quailer (3), Anthony Bitetto (2), Vinny Saponari (2), Ferriero (2), Ellement and Drew Daniels all had assists.
• Chris Rawlings saved 25 of 27 shots.
• The Huskies were outshot 27-20.
• NU was 0-4 on the PP. Notre Dame was 1-7.

What You Need to Know

• The Huskies scored 3 goals in the first 4 minutes on their first 3 shots chasing ND’s goalie Mike Johnson from the game before he even made a save.
• The Huskies would continue this trend by scoring in the opening minute of all 3 periods.
• 8 Huskies had multiple point nights.
• There were more players with points than there were without points.
• The Huskies played a full 60 and absolutely dominated.  They looked amazing.

Lines:

Karlsson-Vermeersch-Saponari

Ferriero-Pimm-Quailer

Tuckerman-Daniels-Manno

Reid-Stone-Vrolyk

D:

Bitetto-Cornell

Eibler-Manson

Ellement-Daniels

Thoughts

10/10, A+, perfect.  What else is there to say?  Its now a 4 game win streak.  They have been scoring in bunches and just playing great hockey.  They have found a way to turn all of those close, 1 goal losses into wins.  If they keep playing like this, this team is going to make some noise at the end of the year.   The game was just a joy to watch.  WRBB did great on the broadcast.  Apparently, the ND broadcast forgot to mute themselves while they were trashing the team.  I also heard them say that ND coach Jeff Jackson hates Friday home games because his team has to go to class all day while the other team gets to focus only on hockey.   They will fit in perfectly in Hockey East.

Just a great win for the Huskies and hopefully a sign that there are some big things to come down the road for this team.

Preview: Huskies at Notre Dame

The Huskies are back on the road again this weekend as they visit future Hockey East member, Notre Dame for a 2 game series.  The game starts at 7.  You can watch here or listen on WRBB.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

Northeastern and Notre Dame haven’t met since 2001, when they skated to a tie in Boston.  Northeastern’s last trip out to South Bend in 2000, saw the teams split a weekend series.

Notre Dame is ranked 2nd in the country.  They are 10-3-3, with a 3-1 record out of conference play.  Last Saturday, they lost to Lake Superior State, which snapped an 11 game unbeaten streak.  The Irish are also a perfect 5-0 at their brand new arena.  2 of those wins came in overtime, including one with 1.1 seconds left against BC a couple of weeks ago.

Sophomores TJ Tynan and Anders Lee will be the ones to watch.  Lee scores the goals (12, good for 7th in the NCAA) and Tynan gets the assists (18, tied for 1st in the country in Assists/game).  This attack has given them the 17th best offense in the country, scoring 3.25 goals per game.  The also have the 17th best defense giving up just 2.44 goals per game.  Notre Dame has a good Power Play (22%) and an average Penalty Kill (83%).  They average a little over 4 penalties a game.

For the Huskies, their recent offensive surge hasn’t made a huge impact on their stats.  They still allow more goals (2.8)  than they give up (2.7).  They still allow much more shots (34.6) than they take (25.1).  And their Power Play is still in single digits (9%).

But are on a 3 game winning streak and they have looked much better lately.  Mike McLaughlin will likely miss out again this weekend, so the lines should stay pretty much the same.

The Quailer-Pimm-Ferriero line will obviously stick together. Quailer is on a 4 game point streak and Ferriero has a 3 gamer.  The Huskies are 4-0-1 when Ferriero has a point.  Which means they are 0-7-2 when he doesn’t.  Small sample size/coincidence aside, he has been a big part of the turnaround.

Vinny Saponari has only 1 goal for NU and its been 11 games since that goal.  He has played very well, but the results have been in the assist column so far.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a goal this weekend and really start to pick up his goal total.

Nothing should change with the defensive pairs.

In net, it would seem like a good weekend to give each goalie a game, but who really knows.

Its another big test for the Huskies and this game will provide a measuring stick of how far the turnaround has game.  A win would be really huge.

Some of the Doghouse guys made the trip.  One of them, Sean Hathaway, will hopefully be writing about the trip here.  So stay tuned for that and make sure to watch or listen to the game tonight.

Final: Huskies 4, Michigan 1

Northeastern picked up a big non-conference win over #11 Michigan last night 4-1.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

The Basics

• Cody Ferriero had 2 goals.  Steve Quailer and Braden Pimm also had a goal a piece.
• Pimm and Quailer also had 2 assist each.  Joseph Manno, Garrett Vermeersch, and Chris Rawlings all picked up an assist as well.
• Chris Rawlings allowed a very soft goal, but he had 33 saves on the night.
• The Huskies were outshot 34-22
• NU was 1-3 on the PP. Michigan was 0-3.

What You Need to Know

• Game highlights can be found here.  Braden Pimm’s goal is not on there for some reason, but I am sure it was awesome.
• The Michigan goal was extremely soft.  An all too familiar goal for Rawlings, but he shut the Wolverines out for the remainder of the game.  Thats something that wouldn’t have happened last year.  Every goalie lets in bad goals sometimes, the good ones can put that behind them and move on.  Good to see Rawlings finally doing this.
• The Special Teams numbers look good.  NU scored a Power Play goal, their Penalty Kill was perfect, and they didnt take that many penalties.  Thats progress on all 3 sections.
• Judging by the 2:00 of highlights, NU looked great in transition.  All 3 goals were on the break.   NU has shown all season they can cycle it and control board play, if they can be this good in transition, the goals should keep flowing.
• We said last week that of all the new lines, 1 stood out.  That line (Quailer-Pimm-Ferriero) was responsible for all of the scoring last night.  Up until now, all 3 of those players have been a bit of a disappointment.  Now all 3 of them look unstoppable.  A lot of chemistry and a lot of skill.  Good to see it finally being put to use.
• This is a big win for the Huskies.  They went into a very tough place to play and got a big win against a big time opponent.  Thats not easy to do at any time.  But the players and coaches deserve a ton of credit.  They had  to travel on Thanksgiving instead of being with their families (though it sounds like the Thanksgiving dinner hosted by SID Mark Majewski and family was a pretty good time) and they still came out with a great performance.  A big win on a road trip like this is the perfect way to build team chemistry and hopefully they can keep this good streak going.  Next weekend at South Bend should be very interesting.

Lines:

Karlsson-Vermeersch-Saponari

Ferriero-Pimm-Quailer

Tuckerman-Daniels-Manno

Reid-Stone-Vrolyk

D:

Bitetto-Cornell

Eibler-Manson

Ellement-Daniels

Preview: Huskies at Michigan

2 months into the season and the Huskies finally open their non-conference schedule with a 7:30 game against Michigan tonight.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

 

The Huskies are in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2006, when they split a weekend series vs. the Wolverines.

Michigan (7-5-2) was swept by archrivals Ohio State last weekend, but they do own a 4-0-0 non-conference record.  Juniors AJ Treais and Lindsay (Girls Name) Parks lead them offensively.  In net, Shaun Hunwick, the 5th year senior, should get the call.  The Wolverines are averaging 4 goals a game and they boast an 18% Power Play.  They are, however, averaging about 7 penalties a game and there PK rate is just 82%.  But as we all know, it is unlikely NU will be able to take advantage of that.

For Northeastern, it is a nice change of pace to get out of the conference.   Mike McLaughlin will miss out again as he recovers from the jaw injury he picked up last weekend.  While a win would be nice, it doesn’t really mean much overall, so the coaching staff may take the chance to try some different things.  Clay Witt could play and it will be interesting to see what Madigan does with the lineup.  Joseph Manno may be sat as a result of yet another dumb penalty.  No one could blame Madigan if he sat him to send a message.

There is no way to watch this game, unless of course you are in Michigan.  So tune into WRBB for the call.  Puck drops at 7:30.

Final: Huskies 5, PC 2

The Huskies finally got back in the win column last night with a 5-2 victory in Providence.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

 

The Basics

• Steve Quailer, Ludwig Karlsson, Zak Stone, Cody Ferriero, and Drew Ellement had goals for Northeastern.
• The goal was the first of Ellement’s career
• Josh Manson, Luke Eibler, Ellement, Quailer, Joseph Manno, and Dan Cornell all chipped in with an assist.
• Chris Rawlings had just 19 saves, but he made a save on Tim Schaller’s penalty shot.
• The Huskies finally outshot their opponents. The Huskies had 26 shots, to PC’s 21
• NU was 0-2 on the PP.  PC was 1-2.

What You Need to Know

• It feels good to win
• Captain Mike McLaughlin was hurt in the middle of the game with a jaw injury and did not return.
• The Huskies dominated this game.  They scored 2 goals in the first seven minutes and chased PC goalie Alex Beaudry out of the game.
• Quailer’s goal wasn’t the best shot, but he made a great defensive play to earn himself the breakaway.
• Stone and Karlsson’s goals were just well placed shots.
• Ferriero’s was nice tip off Ellement’s blast from the point.
• Then Ellement sealed it with an empty netter from his own blueline.
• The lines were shaken up to be a little more balanced and it worked.   Every line was effective and they were able to control play and create chances.
• The defense had maybe their best game yet.   Clearing the zone wasn’t an issue like it has been and as a result they kept shots down.    Dan Cornell continues to impress.  He broke up a 3-1 with the Huskies up 2-1 and looking back it was a big moment.
• Discipline was really good.   Just two penalties on the night.
• There was a players only meeting according to Steve Quailer.

Lines:

Vermeersch-McLaughlin-Saponari

Ferriero-Pimm-Quailer

Karlsson-Daniels-Manno

Reid-Stone-Tuckerman

D:

Bitetto-Cornell

Eibler-Manson

Ellement-Daniels

Thoughts

This was a big win for NU.   They finally played the game they have been capable of the whole time.   They were good in every zone and it showed. They let up a bit early in the third and PC looked like they were gaining confidence., but NU was able to recover and hold on for the win, which they haven’t been able to do much.

I think its a feeling of relief more than anything.   When Karlsson scored the 4th goal to make it 4-1, there were a ton of smiles and it seemed like the weight was off their shoulders.  After the game, you could tell it meant a lot.  Coming off the ice it was just huge smile after huge smile.

But like Steve Quailer said after the game, this win means nothing if they dont build on it.   So now that is their task: keeping up the good work and really kicking off the turnaround.

Preview: Huskies at PC

The Huskies continue with Hockey East action tonight at they travel down to Providence to take on the Friars for a 7pm contest.

Photo Courtesy of Dave Luca

The Huskies (1-7-2) will be desperate for a win against PC.  But the Friars (6-3-1) are off the a great start under new coach Nate Leaman.   And they are 6-1-1 at home this season.

After dismantling Alabama-Huntsville and Vermont the past two weekends, PC is now scoring 3.70 goals per game.  (NU is scoring 2.2).  Tim Schaller is the guy to watch for PC.  He has 8 goals already this season and he has 3 career points against the Huskies in 6 games.   Daniel New has 5 points in 8 games vs NU to led the Friars.

In net for the Friars will be Alex Beaudry, owner of a 1-4-2 record and .895 SV% against the Huskies.  If NU’s offense is ever going to break out, this would be an ideal time.

PC’s special teams could provide an edge, however. The boast a 20% PP rate and an 89% PK rate with 4 shorthanded goals to go with it.  Compare that to Northeastern’s 9%, 79%, and 1.  But PC does take a lot of penalties and NU did find some success on the Power Play last weekend.  So again, this would be an ideal game to breakout.

Northeastern has had success in recent years against PC.  They are 6-2-2 in the last ten and the series was 1-1-1 last season.

As for lineup news, there isn’t much we can tell you.  Madigan has shown he likes to rotate guys in and out at the bottom. Two of those guys, Alex Tuckerman and Garrett Vermeersch have good career numbers against PC.  Tuckerman has 1-2-3 line in 6 games. Vermeersch has 1-4-5 in 6 games.  So those two will likely be in the lineup.  But with the offense struggling, Madigan could go for a complete shake up.  He showed last weekend that he isnt afraid to do it with the defense and no one is too good to sit. Could we see the same this weekend with the offense.

At the beginning of the year, this looked like a weekend where Clay Witt could get a start but I can’t see it now.  Chris Rawlings has been on fire lately.  And in 6 games against PC, he has 1.79 GAA to go wit ha 3-1-2 record.   He has kept the team in games recently, maybe tonight they can win one for him.

Travelling: For those who don’t have a car and want to go to this game: There is a 5 o’clock train from South Station (5:09 at Ruggles) that gets to Providence at 6:10.  The rink is about an 8 dollar cab ride away.  There is usually a decent amount of NU fans, so you can split the cab.   I’ll be on that train and Cory is picking me up at the train station, so we might have room to take 1 or 2 people if you see us.