BOSTON – The energy in Matthews Arena was palpable from start to finish on Saturday night as Northeastern took down No. 3 Boston College in their most impressive display this season.
Following Friday’s 3-0 shutout loss to BC, the Huskies came out hot on Saturday with three goals in the first period alone, ultimately leading to their 4-2 victory over the Eagles. The win was the Huskies’ first in Hockey East play, improving their record to 2-6-3 (1-4-3).
“Just proud of the guys,” said Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe. “We needed a win, and we were able to find a way to get one.”
The first frame consisted of a constant back and forth between Northeastern and BC, with both teams determined to establish the tone for the rest of the game. The Huskies struck first with a goal from sophomore forward Dylan Hryckowian at the 10:20 mark of the period, followed up no less than two minutes later by a goal from junior defenseman Jackson Dorrington.
“The energy was hot on the bench, we got two quick ones early and we just rolled with that,” said Hryckowian after the game.
The Eagles responded quickly, as just two minutes later, forward Oskar Jellvik slipped the puck past Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead and brought the score up to 2-1.
However, this attempt to shift the momentum was quickly struck down by the Huskies captain, Jack Williams, who picked up a loose dribbler in the slot and scored a dirty-area goal less than a minute after Jellvik’s score to put the Huskies back in front by two goals..
Northeastern may have been riding high as the first period came to a close, but the Huskies’ momentum was thwarted after Williams was whistled for a major penalty and ejection for cross checking — putting BC on a five minute power play to begin the second frame.
However, as the second period began, the Huskies returned with the same ferocity they displayed in the first, killing the entire five minute penalty and maintaining their 3-1 lead over the Eagles.
“Getting that kill meant a lot, especially with it being our captain that took the five minute, we wanted to kill that one off for him,” Hryckowian said.
BC brought the intensity for the second frame, but Northeastern stepped up to match their intensity and ensure that the second period remained scoreless for the Eagles.
“The biggest thing for me was our PK, which was outstanding tonight. We needed it to be outstanding, and that was huge for us,” Keefe said.
Northeastern goalie Cameron Whitehead rose to the challenge with a number of high-difficulty saves in the second period while navigating tons of traffic in front of his net, and other Eagles shots were missed wide. Any hopes for BC to score in the second frame was shut down as forward Jake Sondreal received a penalty for cross checking in the waning minute of the period. The initially-called minor penalty was successfully challenged by Northeastern and bumped up to a five-minute major, providing the Huskies with a power-play opportunity as they closed out the second and headed into the third.
The extended power play opportunity for the Huskies proved unsuccessful as the third frame began, and BC’s perfect record on the penalty kill (28/28) remained intact as Saturday night came to a close.
The Eagles were clearly as determined as they were frustrated in the last third of the game. Northeastern struggled to fend them off, which was seen when defenseman Michael Hagens went coast to coast and was only kept from scoring when Whitehead gloved his wrist shot.
“He made some huge saves, and that gets your guys going, and the momentum you get off those saves is huge,” Keefe said.
The Eagles prolonged offensive pressure finally translated to the scoreboard when star winger Ryan Leonard scored with just under six minutes remaining to make the score 3-2. Two minutes later, junior defenseman Joaquim Lemay took a minor penalty for holding
Considering Northeastern’s rough history this season when it comes to maintaining a third period lead for a regulation victory, Lemay’s penalty could have been the nai in the coffin for the Huskies on any other night. However, they remained strong on the penalty kill and kept the Eagles from scoring on their power play.
“It wasn’t easy, we knew they were gonna push. It took everybody,” Keefe said.
The Eagles had a number of opportunities to tie the game in front of their netafter pulling goaltender Jacob Fowler, but Hryckowian finally controlled the puck in the closing 10 seconds and buried the empty netter to secure the victory for the Huskies.
“We played a little better in the second and third, but the hole was pretty deep,” said BC head coach Greg Brown.
The Huskies clear command of their penalty kill as well as notable efforts from both Whitehead and Hryckowian paved their way to victory over the Eagles, establishing a momentum that they can only hope to maintain for the rest of the season.
“To get the trust and to get the buy in, and to really understand what it takes and how we have to play — You need to have success to do it,” Keefe said. “And obviously getting a win against a good opponent is a good start. So now it’s all about building on this one.”
Northeastern returns to action on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a home non league contest against Bentley. Luke Graham, Amelia Ballingall, and Armaan Vij will have the call on WRBB 104.9FM.