By Alex Faust, News Correspondent

From the adrenaline-fueled elation Friday to the bruising letdown Saturday, the men’s hockey team survived an emotional roller coaster and grabbed its first Hockey East victory of the season last weekend, defeating Boston University 1-0. One day later, the Huskies crashed back down after their second game of the weekend, with a bruising 5-1 defeat at the hands of another rival, Boston College.
The Huskies are now 3-4-0 on the season (1-3-0 Hockey East).
Friday’s contest between the Huskies and Boston University Terriers had the buildup of a post-season showdown, despite the fact both teams entered the game with losing records. Paid tickets sold out nearly a week in advance of the game, and Matthews Arena hosted a full house of 4,666 fans on game night.
Injuries set the tone for the night, as the Huskies were without junior captain and forward Tyler McNeely after the first period because of an undisclosed injury, and the Terriers were without offensive catalysts junior forward Nick Bonino (dislocated shoulder) and sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky (hip). McNeely’s loss compounded other absences, as freshman forward Garrett Vermeersch was on the bench with the flu, and sophomore defenseman Drew Meunch missed the game with an upper-body injury.
It was not until late in the third period that Northeastern was able to put a goal on the board. An interference penalty called on the Terriers’ freshman forward Alex Chiasson with 8:23 remaining in regulation play set up the Huskies’ chance.
In the resulting power play, junior defenseman Mike Hewkin took a quick wrist-shot the blue line, saved by Millan, but a rebound trickled to Millan’s left side, leaving a wide open goal for junior forward Wade Macleod. He poked it into the net, giving the Huskies the only goal they would need, with 7:23 left in the third period.
Northeastern’s penalty kill was ranked last in the league entering the weekend, but the team elevated their level of play by killing 10 Friday. The most dramatic kill of the night came at the end of the game, as the Huskies endured a frantic final four minutes shorthanded after Hewkin was escorted from the ice for a major hitting-from-behind penalty.
Freshman goaltender Chris Rawlings made a career-high 43 saves and earned his first career shutout with the 1-0 victory.
‘I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,’ Rawlings said after the game. ‘I was thinking about the game all week in practice. … I can’t thank my [penalty killers] enough, they were blocking shots everywhere. It made my job a lot easier.’
Terriers coach Jack Parker also commended Rawlings’ play.
‘He’s the reason why they won,’ he said. ‘We weren’t rattled – I thought we made good plays. … [Rawlings] stood tall.’
Saturday against BC, Northeastern struck first, appearing to have seized the momentum from Friday’s emotional victory. Senior forward Kyle Kraemer received a pass from freshman defenseman Chris Student in front of Eagles’ goaltender John Muse, leaving Kraemer with an easy goal just 4:23 into the game.
It was the last moment of jubilation on the night as Boston College responded, and pulled away, with five unanswered scores past Rawlings.
Hewkin returned to the ice Saturday after suffering a hard collision during Friday’s game, but was not at full health. Senior forward Randy Guzior sustained an injury during Saturday’s game as well, leaving four healthy defensemen to shoulder the load.
‘I’m not one for excuses, but we had as short a bench you’re going to have in college hockey,’ head coach Greg Cronin said after Saturday’s loss. ‘We’re on a bad path right now with injuries and illnesses.’
Five separate players scored for the Eagles, including two power play goals. Eight penalties forced the Huskies onto their heels, a situation which Cronin addressed after the game.
‘I told them before the game:’ Don’t take penalties, penalty killing just kills defensemen. It tires them out,’ Cronin said. ‘We’ve had these problems in the past; I thought we corrected them but these last three games we’ve just been shooting ourselves in the foot.’
After taking two points on the weekend, the Huskies are tied for eighth in the Hockey East standings with BU and Providence, as they enter a two-game series against Maine this Friday and Saturday at Matthews Arena.