By Eoghan Kelly, News Staff
Coming off an eight game unbeaten streak, the men’s hockey team was finally mastered. But it took a group of the United States’ top college and professional prospects to do so.
The Huskies dropped a 7-4 decision Jan. 7 in an exhibition game against the Under-18 US National Team Development Program (Team USA). It was their first loss since a 4-2 defeat at the University of Massachusetts Nov. 12, but does not affect their overall or Hockey East standing.
“We went into it obviously looking to win the game,” head coach Jim Madigan said in a telephone interview Monday. “We didn’t play that well. We were sloppy and didn’t play with the same discipline that we had played with over the last eight games. And thus we lost by a couple goals.”
Saturday night’s was a showcase of the two squads’ power play units. Northeastern went two-for-six, while Team USA cashed in on three of its seven power plays on the man-advantage.
Freshman forward Adam Reid and sophomore defender Anthony Bitetto provided power play tallies in the first and second periods, respectively. Team USA’s extra-man goals came in the third and decisive period. The teams combined for 15 penalties overall.
The Huskies’ special teams units will need to continue to improve for the team to keep winning games, Madigan said.
“Certainly we’re trying to get better in both areas, the power play and the penalty kill,” Madigan said. “We didn’t have very good habits on the penalty kill on Saturday night. We weren’t stopping and starting, we were leaving seams open and our habits weren’t as thorough as they usually are.”
The game’s opening goal came when Reid took a pass from junior forward Garrett Vermeersch on the power play at 9:14 of the first period.
From there, the teams erupted for 10 goals in the game’s final 48 minutes.
Team USA quickly answered the Huskies’ goal with Bitetto serving a minor penalty at 11:29 of the opening frame. Team USA’s Frankie Vatrano, a native of East Longmeadow who has already committed to Boston College, connected on a pass from behind the Northeastern net and ripped a one-timer past junior goalie Chris Rawlings to even the score at 1-1.
Lightning struck twice for the U-18 youngsters when less than a minute later Thomas Di Pauli, a future Fighting Irishman for the University of Notre Dame, put Team USA ahead, 2-1, after he combined with Stefan Matteau and Andrew Copp at 12:16.
Madigan said the quick, back-to-back scores were a reflection of Team USA’s skill level.
“One [goal] came off their power play, so they got a little bit of momentum,” Madigan said. “Then we had a breakdown that allowed them to get the second goal right away. When a team scores, you got to be ready right after that to answer the bell. We might not have been as sharp after [Team] USA had scored the [first] goal, but they’re a good hockey club … They’re younger, but they’re still a very good, skilled hockey team.”
Team USA went ahead, 3-1, just over five minutes into the second period. Forward Quentin Shore, property of the University of Denver, beat Rawlings with a wrist shot after a two-on-one break. Rawlings was pulled for sophomore Clay Witt midway through the second period.
“We were also looking to, because it was an exhibition game, give some guys who have worked hard all season long an opportunity to play and get some games under their belt,” Madigan said. “It was more our defensemen and our goaltenders – we played both Chris Rawlings and Clay Witt – and up front we were a little hurt, so we didn’t have a full complement of forwards.”
At 9:31 of the second, freshman defensemen Dan Cornell joined classmate Ben Oskroba in the penalty box and the Huskies were forced to play two men down for over a minute.
A goal could have all but sealed a win for Team USA, but Northeastern’s penalty kill prevailed. The Huskies followed the crucial kill with a tally of their own. Vermeersch finished off an offensive-zone pass from classmate Alex Tuckerman for a 3-2 score at 11:55.
Bitetto added a power play goal at 17:40,and the game entered the third period deadlocked at 3-3.
During the second intermission, Madigan encouraged his team to focus on coming out with a victory.
“For two periods, we didn’t think we played very well, and here’s an opportunity for, if we win the period, we win the game,” Madigan said he told his team before the third period. “Let’s just focus on playing our system and playing to our strengths in the third period, and if we do that, we’re gonna be successful.”
The final 20 minutes belonged to Team USA, as the national phenoms scored two goals in 35 seconds less than five minutes into the third frame to take the lead for good. Nicolas Kerdiles, who has committed to play for the University of Wisconsin, assisted on Kyle Osterberg’s power play goal and Ryan Hartman tally to give Team USA a 5-3 lead.
Junior forward Robbie Vrolyk drew the Huskies to within one with his first goal of the season at 10:39, but it wasn’t enough.
Kerdiles added a power play goal of his own less than two minutes later, to return the cushion to two goals before Shore put the game out of reach with an empty-netter at 19:38, for the 7-4 final.
Madigan said the Huskies need to return to playing with discipline in their back-to-back games against Boston University and Boston College this weekend.
“For us to have success, we need to play disciplined, smart hockey all the time,” Madigan said. He added that the loss to Team USA “wasn’t our greatest performance, and our players know that, so we’re gonna learn from it and we’re gonna move on.”
Northeastern hosts BU Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Matthews. They then travel across the Fens to Fenway Park Saturday afternoon to take on BC at 4 p.m. in the final installment of Frozen Fenway 2012.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for our hockey club,” Madigan said. “It’s Fenway Park. It has so much historic value and significance to this city, and for us to play a game there against a great team and university like Boston College allows our kids to be in the center spotlight … It’s a wonderful experience and opportunity that they’ll have and always remember.”
