St. Francis Drops Northeastern in Exhibition, 4-3
The Huskies got their season rolling on Sunday afternoon with an exhibition tune-up against the St. Francis Xavier X-Men. Things got off to a good start for the Huskies, as they jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with goals from Josh Manson and Ludwig Karlsson, respectively. Northeastern dominated the play for most of the first period taking a 2-1 lead into the second frame. The domination ended there though, as the X-Men seemed to out-play the Huskies for almost the entire second period, netting two goals against freshman net minder, Derrick Roy. The third period saw improved play from Northeastern as the Huskies out-shot St. Francis for the period, 16-7. The win was not to be though as the X-Men were able to put one past Bryan Mountain, taking a 4-3 lead in the third period that would not be overcome.
Our Observations.
- The Freshmen made it clear that they will be an integral part of Northeastern’s successes and failures this season. Young guys like Kevin Roy and Cam Darcy showed why they were so highly coveted on the recruiting scene, as both were heavily involved in the action for the Huskies. Roy brings the combination of speed and talent that Northeastern has been looking for and it was on display all night in his first contest as a Husky.
- The Defensive Unit for the Huskies, whose youth has garnered much of the attention all offseason, showed both its promise and the inevitable bevy of mistakes that could follow it throughout the course of the season. As Jim Madigan noted before the season began, this team will not be left wanting for offensive ability. The young defensive group put their offensive ability on display with multiple chances in the offensive zone from the likes of newcomer Colton Saucerman, and returning Sophomores Dan Cornell and Josh Manson. While this is cause for optimism there were plenty of mistakes, as the young unit as a whole suffered from multiple miscommunications and was frequently sucked down on top of all three goaltenders, leaving each completely screened on numerous occasions.
