By Sarah Moomaw, News Staff
An aggressive first period for the Huskies secured Jim Madigan’s first win as men’s hockey head coach on Friday, as his squad took down the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Wildcats, improving to 1-1-1 in the standings.
The Huskies came out strong and with purpose as they put up three goals, matching the number of goals scored in each of last weekend’s games in just as many minutes.
“A flurry of three goals in the first period gave us some of the offense we’ve had during the course of the year, but gave just a chance to believe in what we are trying to work on in practice, is actually coming through,” Madigan said. “The guys are playing their hearts out for us.”
A late goal in the third period clinched the 4-0 win and junior goalie Chris Rawlings’ ninth career shutout, tying Brad Thiessen (2006-09) for the Northeastern franchise record. On Monday, Hockey East announced that Rawlings was named the “Defensive Player of the Week.”
“Pucks weren’t getting through [the defense] which makes my job a lot easier,” Rawlings said “We didn’t freak out. We just sat back and realized what we had to work on and move forward.”
Sophomore center Braden Pimm picked up where he left off last Friday, scoring his second goal of the season off an assist from junior forward, Steve Quailer, who returned to the Huskies line up for the first time season. Their combined effort and coordination put the Huskies up 1-0 at 6:29 in the first period.
“Steve Quailer has been anxious to go and he played really well,” Madigan said of Quailer’s return. “As great as he is offensively, you have to see how good he is defensively. Coming back through the neutral ice, he took away a lot of passes. He’s got that long reach. He’s good on the man down and he’s really good along the wall, which we’ve been struggling [with] … he just brings a sense of leadership to our hockey club.”
Roughly a minute after Pimm’s goal, the Huskies were celebrating sophomore forward Zak Stone’s first collegiate goal, as Northeastern’s lead over the Wildcats grew to 2-0.
For a third goal in the three minute attack, UNH’s senior goalie Matt Di Girolamo faced an unwelcomed visit from junior center Justin Daniels, who successfully shot for his third goal of the season at 9:21.
The second period rang quiet for both sides as they matched each other shot for shot, ending the period at seven a piece. After a total of three penalties in the first period, the box received equal visits by both sides in the second.
“[Penalty numbers] had to come down from last weekend because we were giving up too many power plays,” Madigan said. “There was a focus, it’s the players. We as coaches can sit there and talk about it, but the players have to respond. They took it upon themselves and said, ‘Hey, we have to play smarter.’”
The first line sent Northeastern’s freshman defenseman Dan Cornell and UNH’s senior forward Kevin McCarey to the box for hitting after the whistle. The physicality didn’t end there as sophomore Husky defensemen Anthony Bitetto and junior Wildcat forward Dalton Speelman took time for unsportsmanlike conduct five minutes later. A solo penalty to Northeastern gave the Wildcats a period-ending power play that they could not turn into points to ease the three goal deficit.
The third period started just as high strung as the second ended. A scuffle in front of the Wildcats bench and the beginning of a second brawl at center ice sent two from each side to the penalty boxes at 4:56. Northeastern got a raw deal, receiving four penalties to UNH’s three, resulting in a Wildcat power play.
“We have to keep it simple on the bench, keep the emotions down so we can get a win,” Quailer said regarding unnecessary penalties.
Once the drama had cooled, senior captain and forward Mike McLaughlin placed the puck just out of reach of Wildcat goalie Matt Di Girolamo, setting the final score at 4-0.
In the last 30 meetings since 2002, the Wildcats came upper hand on the Huskies, as they had dominated the series 3-27 prior to Friday night. The win was Northeastern’s first against UNH since Nov. 21, 2008 when they won 3-2 at Matthews.
The Wildcats had come looking for their first goal of the season after dropping a 5-0 shutout at Boston University on Oct. 8, but left defeated.
“[The win] feels great,” Madigan said of his first win as head coach. “The personal accomplishments … I’ll have the memory, but we needed to the win, 1-1-1 in the league is more important than Jim Madigan getting a win. I’m thrilled for the team because we competed hard. We’ll take this and build on this for next weekend.”
For a second straight home game, the student tickets available through myNEU sold out, only leaving an allotted number at the door.
Friday’s game was observed by 3,094 fans, many of whom were packed into the Dog House. Last week’s late goal forced a “No Tee OT.” This week, two hard hits by Northeastern defensemen prompted the notable fan-favorite “Macho Man” chant to ring through Matthews Arena rafters twice.
Tomorrow, the Huskies will take on the Warriors of Merrimack University. UNH finally picked up its one and only goal of the season on Oct. 15 in a 5-1 home opener loss to Boston College, who will be skating against the Huskies at Matthews Arena Saturday at 7 p.m.
