Northeastern men’s hockey (17-18-1, 11-13-0 HE) lost to the University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen (22-12-1, 14-9-1 HE) 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East tournament March 14.
The Minutemen struck first three and a half minutes into the first period. Junior forward Jack Musa passed the puck along the board back to sophomore defenseman Larry Keenan. Keenan sent the snipe from inside the blue line to open up scoring, marking his eighth goal of the season.
The Huskies outshot UMass 22 to 17, with both teams having brief moments of empty nets and power plays in the first 20 minutes.
Northeastern got on the board for the first and only time in the game thanks to sophomore forward Griffin Erdman, who scored with a minute and 20 seconds remaining in the first period. Sophomore forward Joe Connor took a shot, but it bounced off junior goaltender Michael Hrabal. Erdman watched the play from behind the net before rushing to the front and swiping the rebound back in.
The next period was tight between the two teams, with the Minutemen taking 18 shots to Northeastern’s 14.
UMass broke through in the final 30 seconds of the second frame, doubling its lead.
From the outer of the right circle, Musa took a shot that was blocked by freshman defenseman Dylan Compton. Musa then grabbed the puck next to Compton at the faceoff circle and attempted another, launching it past junior goaltender Lawton Zacher’s shoulder.
UMass came out fiery in the final frame, getting off five shots to add an insurance goal four minutes in.
Freshman forward Jack Galanek won the faceoff, sending the puck to Musa in the slot. Musa passed back to freshman forward Václav Nestrašil for the finish. This assist was Musa’s 100th career point.
Northeastern let off 15 shots, trying to narrow the Minutemen’s lead and equalize for the chance to advance to the Hockey East semifinals. The team pulled Zacher out of the net twice, but the second time, UMass’s junior forward Cam O’Neill capitalized on the opportunity, scoring the fourth and final goal of the night with 30 seconds left.
The Huskies ended their season 17-18-1, playing their strongest at the beginning of the season when they had a five-game win streak and defeated notable opponents likethe University of Denver and Boston College.
Junior forward Dylan Hryckowian led the team in goals at 15. Last season, Hryckowian and Connor were the most consistent goal scorers, but freshmen forwards Giacomo Martino, Jacob Mathieu and Amine Hajibi added depth, finding the back of the net in crucial moments. Martino, Mathieu and Hajibi ended the season tied for second, fourth and fifth most goals scored, respectively.
Senior defenseman and captain Vinny Borgesi ended the season with the most blocks at 75. The second player on the list — senior defenseman Austen May — only has 53. Borgesi has worn the Husky uniform all four years, serving the most ice time in the country in the 2024-25 season with 28:04 minutes per game.
Borgesi, May and senior defensemen Dylan Finlay and Joaquim Lemay are graduating, leaving an impact on the team. May and Finlay came into the season as new Huskies, but they quickly established a strong defense, connecting with Borgesi, Compton and sophomore defenseman Jack Henry in front of Zacher.
Lemay has been injured since November, so he was unable to play his full last season. Still,he ended his second and last season as a Husky with three goals, 10 assists and 54 blocks.
With 14 new players added to the roster at the beginning of the season, the team gelled well for the amount of time it was given. Despite the rough patch in January and February, the team was able to succeed through some tough games and moments. With nine freshmen and seven sophomores, the young team has time to develop and improve as the 2026-27 season approaches.
