By Calli Remillard, sports editor
The Northeastern men’s ice hockey team swept Merrimack College this weekend in a home-and-home series
“Two points, as I’ve talked about a lot, are hard to come by in this league,” head coach Jim Madigan said of Friday night’s win. “One thing it does is stop the bleeding from a two-league-game losing streak and gets us back on the winning track.”
From the first puck drop Friday, the game was intense and the plays were quick. Northeastern got on the board first as second-year forward John Picking scored his second goal of the season just under eight minutes into play.
“I thought [Picking] played really well,” Madigan said. “He’s heavy on pucks, he got pucks in deep, he competes, he battles.”
The Huskies managed to capitalize on their second power play of the game with just two seconds left in the power play, bringing the score to 2-0. Fourth-year forward and captain Nolan Stevens fired the puck past third-year Merrimack goaltender Craig Pantano on a rebound from fourth-year forward Dylan Sikura.
The competitors headed back onto the ice for the second with the Huskies ahead by two. Third-year forward Adam Gaudette received the puck from Stevens and sent it hurling towards the goal early in the second, but it rang off the post.
The game was physical, with players cycling in and out of the penalty box for minors such as high sticking or hitting after the whistle. One instance landed second-year Merrimack forward Tyler Drevitch in the box with a minor for goaltender interference, but the Red and Black were unable to find the back of the net despite the man advantage.
After some back and forth through the main part of the middle frame, the Huskies chalked up their third goal of the game with two minutes to go. Chaos in front of the net allowed third-year forward Lincoln Griffin to put away his fifth goal of the season.
The third period of the game saw just as much aggression as the previous 40 minutes of play. Second-year forward Matt Filipe received a five minute major for goaltender interference and charging with ten minutes to go in the game.
Merrimack scored their first goal of the game halfway through the power play, with second-year forward Cole McBride beating Primeau’s glove side for the point.
Merrimack fourth-year defenseman Marc Biega received a minor for cross-checking with 2:15 left on the clock, and the Huskies were able to secure the 3-1 win.
The Huskies traveled north on Saturday night to take on Merrimack on their home ice, where Gaudette, Sikura and Stevens played on the same line for the first time this season.
“We’re always moving things around and we thought, in this building, getting those three guys together here and give us an offensive spark here.”
The opening frame was dominated by the Huskies, who struck first late in the period. With a four-on-three advantage, Sikura fired a pass over to Gaudette, who in turn ripped a shot on goal past third-year goaltender Drew Volger for the first point of the game.
Returning to the ice for the second period, Merrimack was quick to cut the deficit and earn a point of their own. Just over five minutes into play, second-year forward Logan Coomes capitalized on a rebound that had been deflected by Primeau and evened the score.
Northeastern regained the upper hand just a few minutes later with Gaudette’s second of the game. Receiving a pass from second-year defenseman Ryan Shea, Gaudette flew down the left side and sent the puck over the blocker of Volger for his tenth goal of the season.
Gaudette scored his 26th career power play goal against Merrimack, the most of any active NCAA player.
The Huskies put one more away to secure their lead, this time with a power play goal from Stevens with less than a minute to go in the second period. Fourth-year forward Brett Seney was called for cross checking at 19 minutes, and the Red and Black captain used the man advantage to score his ninth goal of the season just 8.5 seconds into the power play.
“[Stevens] is an impactful player,” Madigan said. “He’s more of a 200-foot guy up and down the wall, so he’s not as in the middle of the ice as, say, Gaudette or Sikura with the moves, but Nolan is a legitimate scorer.”
A scoreless third period gave the Huskies the win for a weekend sweep over Merrimack, leaving them with a 7-3-0 record in conference play and the number two seed in Hockey East.
Merrimack outshot the Huskies 29-20, with Primeau making an impressive 28 saves for the second night in a row.
“Cayden Primeau was awesome this whole weekend,” Madigan said. “They go hard to the net and he stood his ground.”
The Huskies will travel across town to Chestnut Hill next Saturday, facing off against Boston College with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
