By: Jason Mastrodonato, News Staff
Sophomore goaltender Chris Rawlings made 37 saves, including 17 in the third period alone, to fend off the pressing Vermont offense Friday night in Burlington as the men’s hockey team rallied from two goals behind to earn a crucial Hockey East point in a 2-2 draw.
The Catamounts scored in each of the first two periods, but the Huskies stormed back when senior captain and forward Tyler McNeely stuffed home a rebound 26 seconds into the third period. Northeastern took just three shots on net in the final frame, but grinded out the tie.
“It’s always nice to come back on the road and get a point,” said freshman defender Luke Eibler, who notched his first collegiate goal in the second period. “Vermont is a tough place to play. They played us pretty well and we battled back. They pretty much controlled the third period so we got lucky with a few bounces and finally the bounces went our way instead of the other team’s.”
Northeastern earned its seventh point in conference play and is now in seventh place of 10 Hockey East teams with a 2-4-3 record, 2-7-4 overall. The Huskies have three contests left, all league games, before they dive into a month-long break. They have a chance to enter the holiday vacation with 13 points, which could put them in third place in the conference.
“During the year, the standings change so much,” Eibler said. “If we have a good weekend this weekend, we could go right back up and be in the top tier. It’s just trying to get as many points out of a game as you can. Getting two is great but even a tie helps us out. Hockey East is tight. Every game is a grind. You have to come every night and play hard.”
Vermont scored in the eighth minute when defenseman Drew MacKenzie took a pass from forward Brett Leonard and slotted in the one-timer. Forward Chris McCarthy put the Catamounts up by two with a power play chance in the second period. He followed his own shot to the goal and knocked the rebound past Rawlings’ blocker side.
Northeastern ripped nine shots on net in each of the first two periods, but couldn’t convert on four power play chances.
“That just breathes life into your offense when you have a power play that you know is going to give you that momentum,” head coach Greg Cronin told WRBB radio after the game. “I thought ours was pretty good tonight, but we didn’t score.”
Eibler was able to put the Huskies on the board with an individual effort late in the second. The defender induced a turnover in Vermont’s zone and snapped off a wrist shot that beat goalie Rob Madore.
McNeely put away a rebound 26 seconds into the third to tie the game, 2-2, but the Huskies weren’t able to get any momentum in the final 20 minutes, getting out-shot 17-3.
“After we scored, Vermont took the game up to another level and we weren’t able to match it,” Cronin said. “And part of that inability to match was our unwillingness to get pucks deep. They were able to sustain pressure and they fed off that momentum all the way down to the end.”
The Huskies allowed just as many goals as they scored in conference play this season, with 21 goals on each side. But despite a goal differential of zero, they’ve won just two of nine Hockey East contests.
“It’s really the bounces,” Eibler said. “If you can get a bounce here or there and get a goalie off his game and score a few goals early, it’s such a bonus. I don’t know why we’re losing games and why we’re winning some. It’s really up in the air.”
Northeastern will host Merrimack Friday night with the puck scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.
McNeely said the players are hoping Matthews Arena will be full of fan support and create a strong atmosphere.
“These next three games are huge,” he said. “We know what the standings are like and that every point is huge. We’re going into the next few games really focused, working on every detail and doing everything we can to give ourselves a good chance to win.”
