by Matt Neiser
Coming into their matchup against the Merrimack Warriors (4-10-1, 2-6-0 HE) with a four game winning streak, the Northeastern Huskies men’s hockey team (9-3-1, 5-1-1 HE) wasted no time ensuring that streak continued. When the dust settled, the Huskies walked away with a 9-1 victory, their largest of the season.
Matt Filipe and Austin Plevy both scored within four minutes of the start, giving Northeastern an early lead. Merrimack responded 3 minutes later through Patrick Kramer, as the junior’s shot trickled past netminder Cayden Primeau to cut the lead in half.
From there, it was all Huskies. Zach Solow added two before Brandon Hawkins capped off a frenetic first period with another, chasing goaltender Logan Halladay from the game and giving Northeastern a 5-1 lead heading into the break.
Solow lit the lamp a third time less than five minutes into the second period, capping off a 25-minute hat trick. John Picking slid two more into the Merrimack net later in the period, dispelling any worries of a Merrimack comeback.
The third period, though chippy at times, was much less eventful. Hawkins notched his second of the night six minutes in, and that was the last time either team saw a puck cross the line.
Northeastern finished with twelve different players scoring points on the night, including a first career point for freshman Julian Kislin. Kislin impressed on the night, giving the Huskies solid two-way play from the blue line.
In a game filled with penalties (31 total minutes), including a game misconduct for Merrimack’s Ryan Cook, Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan praised his team’s ability to stay focused. “I loved how we kept our mindset the same going into the second period, going into the third period, not swaying from our identity. I liked our discipline throughout the game.”
These two teams face off again in eight days, as the Huskies will travel to North Andover for a rematch on the Warriors’ home ice on December 8th.