If you haven’t been paying attention (though judging by the attendance numbers and general buzz around campus, you have) the men’s hockey team is legit.
The Huskies have come out of the gate 5-0-1, including a joy-inducing 4-0 in Hockey East play, the best start for the squad since the infamous 1980-81 season.
For the vast majority of you who weren’t even a twinkle in your parents’ eyes at that point, the 1980 team is emblematic of NU hockey like no other team has ever been. They opened the season 12-0, thundering to a No. 1 ranking before all that potential disappeared in a 1-13 slide to end the year.
But there are several factors this season that suggest this year’s squad will avoid that same ignominy, and instead will continue this roll right on through the season.
First and foremost is Brad Thiessen, Northeastern’s newly minted all-time shut out leader, and the goaltender with the most game experience in the conference. He has a new goaltending coach, the confidence of his teammates and seems to have forgotten the inconsistent glove hand and rebound problems that plagued him through most of last year.
Second, this is a veteran team. Seniors like Joe Vitale, Ryan Ginand, Dennis McCauley, Louis Liotti and Rob Rassey dominate the lineups and locker room. This senior class is battle tested. Each of them has played or will play in his hundredth game this year, and they remember and are motivated by the past disappointments and failures of their tenure.
Third, the squad has young talent. Sophomores Tyler McNeeley, Wade MacLeod and Steve Silva all played major minutes and scored major points as freshmen. As sophomores they have continued to improve and make the Huskies one of the deepest teams in the nation.
At the back, in front of the wall that is Brad Thiessen, the Huskies return eight defensemen who have played significant time at some point in their careers at NU.
Led by Liotti and the feisty and vocal Jim Driscoll, the defensive core plays with an edge and an aggressiveness that sparks the whole team into action. See last weekend’s performance, a sweep of Maine in a hostile environment with defensemen getting on the score sheet and in the head of the Black Bears.
All of these factors, combined with the strong and uncompromising leadership of Greg Cronin, bode special things in the future for this season and beyond. So let me reiterate, this team is for real. Get out to Matthews and enjoy the ride, it could be one for the ages.
Check out 104.9 FM or at www.wrbbradio.org to hear all the action of your Huskies. Hockey coverage vs. UNH is at 6:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
– Pete Martin can be reached
