The fight for “top dog”: Northeastern upsets No. 3 Boston University
written By Ariana ottrando - February 2, 2024:It was a dogfight Tuesday in Matthews Arena between the Northeastern University Huskies and No. 3 Boston University Terriers, and the underdog came out on top. In a close matchup decided in OT, the Huskies won the standalone game 4-3 thanks to the go-ahead tip-in by freshman Dylan Hryckowian and stellar goaltending from freshman Cameron Whitehead.
Other key factors that led to the tilt include NU coming off its first series sweep of the season last weekend against Merrimack, and BU with back-to-back losses in the “Battle of Comm Ave” to No. 1 Boston College. While Boston University appeared as the clear favorite against Northeastern on paper, it has been facing some adversity as of late and struggling to close out games. That being said, Northeastern has recently broken out of that same rut and came out on the other side with a fully-healthy roster and newfound hunger for success.
Via: @gonumhockey on Instagram
Game Summary
The first period was clearly won by Northeastern. Right out the gate, the Huskies were rushing BU’s O-zone, getting to the net and, maybe more impressively, preventing the Terriers from doing the same. The SOG count after the opening ten minutes was 4-2 NU.
Near the end of the frame, it was Northeastern to open scoring and take the 1-0 lead. Graduate forward Liam Walsh won the draw back to graduate defenseman Matt Staudacher, who then threw the puck on net from the wall and prevailed through traffic with the tally at 15:16.
By midway into the second period, or halfway in regulation, the Terriers led SOG with 15 to the Huskies’ 10. However, it wasn’t until the first special teams’ action of the game — a holding penalty on NU junior captain Justin Hryckowian at 13:23 — that BU got on the scoreboard to tie things at one.
With 39 seconds left of 5-on-4, BU freshman star Macklin Celebrini sent a rocket bar-down for the power play equalizer and his 18th goal of the season. The 17-year-old is ranked fourth in the nation in points per game at 1.59.
The last twenty minutes were a rollercoaster on both sides. Northeastern retook the lead with consecutive left-dot blasts scored within six minutes of each other: the first by sophomore forward Jack Williams on the power play at 2:50 — his 13th of the season — and the latter by sophomore defender Jackson Dorrington at 8:32, for a score of 3-1.
Having two goals scored by defensemen came as a big advantage for NU to alleviate some pressure off the top-six, something that head coach Jerry Keefe expressed post-game.
“You need secondary scoring, and right now we’re pretty balanced if you look at our lineup. We don’t want to just rely on one player or one line,” said Keefe. “Now that we’re getting healthy and starting to get rolling a little bit, the scoring is starting to spread out and hopefully some of our better scorers can all get hot at the right time.”
But BU wasn’t at all deterred by the two-goal deficit. In fact, the Huskies only maintained that lead for a minute before the Terriers answered with a goal of their own for a 3-2 game. Sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson sent the cross-crease feed out front for his brother Quinn who popped it in gloveside at 9:48.
Northeastern was able to hold off BU’s top-six coming down the wire — that is, until junior goaltender Mathieu Caron was pulled for the extra attacker.
Through a sea of Huskies and Terriers, Whitehead stopped Celebrini’s dart from the middle, but a waiting Ryan Greene, sophomore forward, picked off the rebound with 1:11 remaining to force overtime at three a piece.
For the first half of the five-minute OT period, Boston University dominated possession and almost secured the win off a couple of good looks. But when a too-many-men penalty was called on the Terriers in transition off the bench at 2:33, the Huskies took their timeout to reset and come out stronger for 4-on-3.
“We gave up two [goals] late [in regulation] and we didn’t want to take it to a shootout. We wanted to win it [in OT] and we wanted the three points, so we definitely had a sense of urgency,” said Dylan Hryckowian.
In the final minutes of OT, Northeastern patiently cycled the puck in BU’s zone looking for a lane. With 33 seconds left, D. Hryckowian redirected a wrister generated by senior forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine and deflected it past Caron to secure the 4-3 victory. The upset is especially significant for the Huskies as they lost 3-4 in OT to the Terriers over the same bench minor back on Jan. 9th in Agganis Arena.
“A little disappointed that we can’t find ways to capitalize earlier in the game. For whatever reason, pucks [are] not going in easy for us,” said BU head coach Jay Pandolfo. “Seems like it’s been a challenge for us to score goals at even strength, so it’s something that we have to address … We’re a good hockey team, we’ll find a way to bounce back.”
Ahead of Beanpot
This game serves as a potential Championship preview as both teams are headed for the 71st annual Men’s Beanpot Tournament starting on Monday. It’s very possible that these two face off for a third time this season in the finals on Feb. 12th and battle it out for the trophy under the bright lights at TD Garden.
But before then, each team has another conference contest before its respective Beanpot Semifinals matchup. Looking to extend its three-game win streak, Northeastern will face No. 5 Maine at home on Friday. Boston University, seeking to break its three-game losing streak, will play No. 16 New Hampshire on the road.
Special Teams
Going into game
NU PPG (22.8%), BU PPG (25.7%)
NU PK (79.4%), BU PK (83.9%)
After the game
NU PPG (24.1%), BU PPG (26.2%)
NU PK (80.6%), BU PK (82.6%)
Goalie Performance
NU Cameron Whitehead: .926 SV% (38 saves on 41 shots faced)
BU Mathieu Caron: .862 SV% (25 saves on 29 shots faced)
Star Players
Dylan Hryckowian (NU): game-winning OT goal (1 point)
Vinny Borgesi (NU): 3A (3 points)
Quinn Hutson (BU): 1G, 2A (3 points)
Macklin Celebrini (BU): 1G, 1A, 7SH (2 points)
