By Matt Neiser
BOSTON — Returning from Minnesota after a two-game set against St. Cloud State last weekend, the No. 10 Northeastern men’s hockey team hosted the No. 3 UMass Minutemen at Matthews Arena for the second time this season. The Huskies jumped out to an early lead with a pair of first-period goals, but five unanswered goals from the Minutemen propelled UMass to a 6–3 win.
Northeastern opened the game on the front foot, taking it to the Minutemen and controlling the play offensively. Before long, their efforts paid off, as grad transfer Brendan van Riemsdyk deflected a pass from Jordan Harris into the back of the net just three minutes into the game. Senior Grant Jozefek doubled Northeastern’s lead a few minutes later, taking the puck into the zone himself on a two-on-one break and sniping a shot past UMass’ Filip Lindberg.
The Minutemen snagged one back with less than three minutes to go in the first period. Bobby Trivigno collected an errant pass from a Husky defenseman and slid a shot by Craig Pantano, halving the Northeastern lead.
A penalty by freshman Julian Kislin with five seconds left in the first period gave UMass a power play to start the second. A cross-check from Jeremie Bucheler 15 seconds into the frame turned it into a five-on-three, and the Minutemen wasted no time evening the game at 2–2. The visiting team scored three more goals in the period, making it five unanswered goals since the Huskies’ pair early in the first frame.
A slick goal from reigning Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week T.J. Walsh early in the final frame gave Northeastern a brief spark, but their momentum went no further. A late empty-netter from the Minutemen extended their lead to 6–3 and put the game out of reach.
Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan pulled Pantano from the game after two periods, handing freshman Connor Murphy the reigns for the final 20 minutes. Of the change, Madigan said, “I didn’t think Craig had a lot of help back there. You try and create a little spurt, see if you can get a little momentum.” Murphy saved both of the shots he faced while between the pipes.
After the game, Madigan implored the team to be more consistent. “Every night you gotta come to play, and every shift, every puck is important. As a group we’re still trying to understand that . . . You gotta play with urgency all the time, and we didn’t play with enough urgency.”
The Huskies will seek revenge tomorrow when the two teams will face off again on Saturday in Amherst, Massachusetts. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 PM, with Matt Neiser and Matt Cunha on the call.