No. 11 men’s hockey captured one win and one tie this weekend against the University of Vermont. In the first game of the series, the Huskies (3-1-2, 3-1-2 HEA) earned three power-play goals and finished with four goals total, compared to one power-play goal by UVM (0-3-1, 0-3-1 HEA), which was their only goal of the night. In the second game, the Catamounts kept the score tied up, pushing the game into overtime. However, a shootout goal by freshman forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine allowed NU to take the win. 

“I still think we can be better as a team. We’re happy with the win, we did some good things, but there’s a lot of things we can do better,” said head coach Jim Madigan after NU’s 4-1 win. “That’s the challenge to our guys. We can be more thorough in all three zones, all aspects of the game.”

Fontaine proved himself to be a key player in both games against the Catamounts. In the first, he scored two power-play goals — his first career goals — and offered an assist, giving him three total points on the night. His shootout goal in the second game secured his spot as a star in the series. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. On Monday, he was named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week by Hockey East. 

Powerful start for the Huskies in 4-1 win

NU started off strong, with their first goal of the night coming just under 10 minutes into the first period. Sophomore forward Riley Hughes scored during NU’s first power play of the game with assists from freshman forward Dylan Jackson and sophomore defenseman Jayden Struble. 

Only two minutes later, freshman forward Ty Jackson scored the Huskies’ second goal of the night with assists from Fontaine and junior defenseman Julian Kislin. NU maintained their two-goal lead for the rest of the first period. 

A UVM penalty at 0:37 in the second period gave the Huskies another power-play opportunity — one that they didn’t miss out on. Fontaine scored his first career goal at 2:26 with assists from senior forward Zach Solow and junior defenseman Jordan Harris, bringing the score to 3-0. 

But Fontaine wasn’t finished just yet. He scored a second power-play goal at 9:11 in the second period with assists from Solow and redshirt senior forward Grant Jozefek. 

After the Huskies managed to secure a four-goal lead, UVM took senior goaltender Tyler Harmon out of the net and replaced him with freshman Gabe Carriere, who finished with 23 saves by the end of the game. 

As the two teams entered the third period, it seemed clear that the Huskies would leave with a win. However, coming off two tough losses against UMass, the Catamounts weren’t giving up. Their only goal of the night came at 6:32 in the third period during a power play. It was scored by senior forward Tristan Mullin — his first as a Catamount after transferring from Cornell University. 

The Huskies were successful in killing penalties throughout the game. UVM only earned one power-play goal despite having six opportunities. NU was more successful, finishing three for seven on the power play. 

“We gotta stay out of the penalty box. You can’t take six and seven penalties, so we gotta be a lot smarter,” Madigan said. “Stick infractions and hitting from behind, cross-checking — penalties that we can certainly be smarter [about] and not take that allows us to play five-on-five.”

NU doubled UVM in shots on goal — 40 to 20 — and their efforts proved worthwhile as they finished with a 4-1 win. 

NU secures another shootout win, 2-2

The second game of the series saw a slow start, as both teams failed to capitalize on two power-play opportunities, each in the first period. NU missed out on another one in the second period but bounced back with a goal four seconds after the power play ended. 

The goal was scored by freshman forward Matt DeMelis, his first of the season, with assists from Hughes and Struble. 

However, the Catamounts kept the score tied with their first goal of the night coming just over a minute later. It provided another first goal of the season, this time for UVM sophomore forward Jacques Bouquot. 

Ty Jackson scored another Husky goal quickly into the third period with assists from DeMelis and Struble. It was NU’s only power-play goal of the game, compared to their three from the night before. 

UVM managed to parallel their first goal of the night, scoring their second just minutes after NU. The goal came from freshman forward Ray Vitolins and was his first career goal.  

The rest of the third saw both teams battling for the winning goal of the game. But as the clock ran out on the third period, the game was sent into overtime — NU’s second overtime of the season. 

No goals came during the first period of overtime, leaving the fate of the game up to the shootout period. Fontaine once again demonstrated his power and precision with a shootout goal, giving the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the final overtime period. 

“The guys are getting to know each other, the second [line] is the one that scored there today, they’re getting to know each other a little bit more and having a lot more confidence with each other,” Madigan said. “It’s been good just to see their progress for the last little bit here.”

The Huskies now look to challenge BU in the teams’ first series of the season, taking place Jan. 1 and 2.