Overshadowed (in this space, at least) by defending NCAA champion UMass in recent weeks, the Northeastern men’s hockey team has quietly made its case as not only the best team in Hockey East, but as a national contender to boot.
Going into Tuesday night’s home game vs. independent Arizona State, the Huskies have won six straight and have not lost in regulation since a 5-3 setback at home vs. UConn (16-9-7, 6-4-0).
A weekend sweep of Long Island, plus UMass getting swept at No. 4 Michigan, has put Northeastern as the highest-ranked league team in the latest DCU/USCHO.com poll at No. 11.
First-year Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe, upset with what he saw as a lack of urgency despite a 1-0 win over LIU on Jan. 7, said he was pleased with how his team responded the next night, a 6-0 win.
“We challenged our guys pretty hard,” Keefe said. “We responded. I thought we came out and tried to play our identity right off the bat.”
Fast starts (or, at least getting on the board first) have been a hallmark for Northeastern during its recent winning streak, which has included only one come-from-behind win (2-1 at home vs. Rensselaer on Nov. 28).
And it doesn’t help to have what Keefe calls a “mature group” protecting said leads. Following the LIU series, Keefe had high praise for senior assistant captain Julian Kislin and junior left defenseman Tyler Spott.
“We like our ‘D’ corp. a lot,” Keefe said. “I just think they read off each other really well. We’ve got some size, toughness and skating ability back there. (They) all kind of bring different elements.”
It’s safe to say Northeastern is in better shape offensively with Sam Colangelo in the lineup. The sophomore forward had a goal and a pair of assists in Saturday’s win vs. LIU after being out since a 3-2 win at home against Maine on Oct. 30.
“He can finish,” Keefe said. “(He) was playing some pretty good hockey before he got banged up this year. (He’s) got a lot of ability, and when he’s playing at the top of his game, he can be a difference maker.”
Aiden McDonough, who scored twice in the rout of LIU, was tied for second in the nation in scoring going into Tuesday night (15 goals, 4 assists — 19 points).
“He works at his shot,” Keefe said. “He puts himself in really good spots to shoot the puck as well. He’s always ready for the puck. He can one-time it when the puck’s anywhere near his body and he’s hungry to score. He loves scoring goals and he works to score goals.”
Not enough can be said about Huskies’ goalie Devon Levi. With a pair of shutouts on the weekend vs. LIU (44 saves total), Levi now has eight on the season, already a school record, and four short of the NCAA single-season record of 12 set by Niagara’s Greg Gardner in 2000.
“He’s a talented goalie,” Keefe said. “He prepares better than anyone I’ve seen at this level. Mentally, I thought he was really sharp (in the first game vs. LIU). Those aren’t always easy games, because they’re tight games.”
Northeastern’s Saturday night visit to Vermont was postponed until Jan. 18 due to Covid issues. The following weekend a huge weekend home-and-home series looms vs. UMass (10-6-2, 7-2-2).
