By: Dan McLoone
LOWELL – Adam Gaudette helped Jim Madigan reach 100 wins in style, netting a natural hat trick in just two periods as No. 20 Northeastern bested No. 17 UMass Lowell, 3-1, at the Tsongas Center on Friday night.
Gaudette got the scoring going just five minutes into the game for the Huskies (3-2-1, 1-0-0 Hockey East), firing home a rebound on the doorstep off a Garrett Cockerill shot on the power play to make it 1-0. He doubled the lead two minutes into the second period, batting home a puck just seconds into the power play to make it 2-0.
The junior Braintree native completed the hat trick with just five seconds left in the second, slapping home yet another rebound on the doorstep to make it 3-0.
Connor Sodergren cut into the lead seven minutes into the third period, firing a shot that deflected off of a Northeastern skate and past netminder Ryan Ruck to make it 3-1. The Riverhawks (3-3-0, 0-2-0 HE) sustained heavy offensive pressure down the stretch, but Ruck stood strong strong in net, making 23 saves.
Dylan Sikura tallied two assists on the evening to bring his nation-leading point total to 14 (6 goals, 8 assists), while also extending his streak of multi-point games to six. Sophomore defenseman Jeremy Davies added three assists.
The victory was career win number 100 for Madigan, reaching the milestone after missing out on opportunities in the last two weekends. He improves to 100-98-28 in his seventh season at the helm on Huntington Avenue.
The Huskies will return to Matthews Arena to close out the weekend series against the Riverhawks on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. with full coverage provided by WRBB beginning at 6:45.
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