Boston – Northeastern continued the impressive start to its 2012-2013 season with a surprising upset victory over the defending national champions in a packed Matthews Arena. For the second straight game, the Huskies jumped on their opponent early with two first period goals in the first eight minutes of the contest, coming from Ryan Belonger and Kevin Roy. Boston College cut the lead in half towards the end of the first period, scoring just 10 seconds into its first power play opportunity with a quick wrist shot from Steven Whitney. The second period remained scoreless as both teams benefited from tighter defensive play and solid goaltending. The atmosphere in Matthews Arena was electric with the Huskies up by one to begin the final period of play. Just under four minutes into the third frame, Matthews Arena exploded as Colton Saucerman sent a dancing slap shot from beyond the blue line that froze Parker Milner and found the back of the net. With the crowd and momentum in their favor, the Huskies dominated the majority of the play throughout the third period. The Eagles did their best to tie the game with a late flurry of offense, but were denied by a series of blocked shots and impressive saves from Chris Rawlings. The complete performance by the Huskies effectively ended the Eagles’ 19 game win streak and gave the Huskies their first 2-0 start since 1999.

Our Observations

Chris Rawlings – Had another solid outing in only his second win against the eagles in his four years at Northeastern. The senior goaltender was not tested too frequently with only eight shots a piece in the first two periods. Rawlings stood tall when he was needed most at the end of the game with a total of 15 saves in the third period. The late offensive push by the Eagles left Rawlings in the position to keep his team in the game and he did just that. He finished with 31 saves on the night and was a big reason the Huskies were able to hold the Eagles to under two goals for the first time since they shutout by UMass in January of last year.

The Freshmen continue to contribute. With all three goals coming from freshmen on the night, it is obvious that the success of this Husky squad will rely heavily on the contributions of its first year players. With goals scored by Ryan Belonger, Kevin Roy,  and Colton Saucerman, along with impressive play from Cam Darcy, both the coaching staff and Northeastern faithful must be awfully excited about the future of their team.

Johnny Gaudreau was brilliant. He may not have been able to put the puck in the net, but that does not mean that he was not incredibly effective throughout the night. The former Northeastern commit consistently made difficult plays look effortless as he used his speed and vision to set up dangerous scoring chances for his teammates. Whether the Eagles were on the power play, penalty kill, or playing 5 on 5, the sophomore forward was able to generate quality scoring chances out of seemingly broken plays throughout the night. Despite the losing effort, Gaudreau’s talent was consistently on display and proved why he is considered one of the most talented players in the nation.

The Huskies are in unfamiliar territory beginning their 2012-2013 campaign with a 2-0 start. Northeastern has not been 2-0 since 1999. This year’s squad will attempt to avoid the same fate as their 1999 counter part that ended their season with a combined record of 11-20-3.

JThaler Fall Sports, Hockey Hockey East