CHESTNUT HILL — As Northeastern faced off against their in-state rivals on Halloween night for the second consecutive year, The Huskies found themselves in a scenario reminiscent of Groundhog Day. After battling back to force overtime for the second straight night, Northeastern finished the job this time, coming away with a 4-3 win over Boston College behind a game-winner from senior forward Tyler Fukakusa.
Northeastern leaned on senior goaltender Lawton Zacher late in the game, as he stopped 46 of the 49 shots he faced and bailed the Huskies out of several dangerous chances in the defensive zone.
“[Zacher] made some unbelievable saves for us and kept that game tied,” said head coach Jerry Keefe, “he’s just a heck of a goaltender.”
The first period was not nearly as lopsided as the previous night. However, it once again ended with the Eagles in the lead. The lone goal of the period came from junior forward Dean Letourneau, who had scored the game-winner the night before.
Letourneau’s goal came on the power play, generated by a Northeastern bench minor for too many men. It was an early indication of what would become a significant night for special teams, as both teams scored their first two goals on the power play.
Both teams ended the frame with 11 shots on goal. Northeastern generated several quality chances but were unable to finish on any of them.
Their fortunes changed in the second period, however, as they came out strong and drew a boarding penalty off a strong forecheck from the fourth line.
It only took 22 seconds for Northeastern to capitalize on the man advantage, as graduate defender Joaquim Lemay set up sophomore forward Jacob Mathieu with a one-timer from the right circle to even the score at 1-1.
Within five minutes, the Huskies earned another powerplay opportunity after freshman defender Matthew Grimes was given a minor penalty for holding the puck with his hands.
This time, it took 36 seconds for Northeastern to seize their opportunity, as sophomore forward Giacomo Martino set up sophomore forward Amine Hajibi for a one-timer from the same region of the ice as Mathieu’s aforementioned goal.
Boston College had an opportunity to swing momentum back in their favor following a holding penalty on sophomore defender Noah Jones, and the Eagles did just that.
It took the Eagles only 13 seconds to score on the ensuing powerplay, as freshman forward Alex Pelletier found himself in perfect position to strike on a loose rebound in front of the net.
Boston College would score their first even-strength goal in similar fashion just one minute later, as Pelletier backhanded a rebound over Zacher’s glove to give BC a 3-2 lead heading into the final regulation period.
Northeastern registered just three shots on goal in the third period, but the most important one was the first, just three minutes into the frame.
As Mathieu entered the offensive zone, he fired a shot that was blocked by sophomore forward Kristian Kostadinski. As the puck took a favorable bounce off his skate, Mathieu tracked it and fired another shot, which sophomore goaltender Louka Cloutier was unable to save.
“You can always count on [Mathieu],” said Keefe, “he takes a lot of pride in the way he plays the game, and tonight you could see he was a difference maker.”
With the game tied, Northeastern struggled to generate much more offense for the rest of regulation as the Eagles continued to attack relentlessly. Still, the Huskies managed to hold on, with Zacher stopping all 17 shots he faced in the final 20 minutes.
Just like the previous night, the game headed into overtime, and this time the Huskies would be victorious.
Following another impressive string of saves by Zacher, sophomore forward Miguel Marques pushed ahead on a 2-on-1 rush. Cloutier stopped his initial shot, but Fukakusa followed up from the right side and buried the rebound, giving Northeastern its first official conference win of the season.
This win highlighted the Huskies’ resilience throughout the weekend, as they battled back to force overtime both nights. On this occasion, Northeastern overcame multiple deficits to secure the victory.
The Huskies will head to Worcester on Saturday, November 7, as they face off against Holy Cross at 7:00 p.m. Luke Graham, Kabir Singh and Finbar Fitzpatrick will deliver the call on WRBB Sports+.
Kabir Singh is a third-year student at Northeastern University. He is a hockey writer and broadcaster for WRBB Sports. Read all his articles here.