New Hampshire goaltender Kevin Regan picked up his first career shutout and sophomore defenseman Craig Switzer earned a goal and an assist as the 12th-ranked Wildcats defeated the Northeastern Huskies, 3-0, Saturday night in Hockey East action at the Whittemore Center.
Regan made 27 saves during the contest as he picked up his first victory of the 2005-06 season. The sophomore continues to maintain a perfect record against the Huskies, picking up his fourth victory in as many starts against Northeastern.
The Wildcats gained the advantage 48 seconds into the game. After Daniel Winnik hit the right post with a shot, Jacob Micflikier collected the ricochet and found Switzer alone on the left side. Switzer, now with seven points in his last three games, beat Northeastern goalie Adam Geragosian for his second goal of the season.
Neither team had another serious scoring chance until the middle of the second period, when UNH earned a two-man advantage. Five seconds into the five-on-three, Winnik and Switzer found Micflikier at the right circle, and Micflikier sent a blistering shot over Geragosian’s shoulder for his second goal of the season.
In the third period, during a four-on-four situation, Josh Ciocco sent a pass to Brian Yandle, whose shot was saved by Geragosian. Mike Radja picked up the rebound at the left post and stuffed in his first goal of the season at the 8:02 mark of the third period.
“We had good balance with all of our lines tonight,” UNH head coach Dick Umile said. “We generated a lot of scoring opportunities. This was a real good win, I’m proud of our guys tonight.”
Northeastern had a chance to close the gap with seven minutes left in the third period, as Brad Flaishans was called for a five-minute major penalty. However, the Huskies shot themselves in the foot by first drawing a penalty of their own and then not taking advantage of a five-on-three situation after UNH was called for another penalty.
The Wildcats, completing the weekend home-and-home sweep over the Huskies, are 12-0-2 in the last 14 meetings against Northeastern. UNH outshot Northeastern, 41-27, with Geragosian making 38 saves to keep the Huskies close throughout the game.
