Dog Poundin' it

Huskies Stun #5 Terriers 3-2

2007-03-01T00:46:00.000-05:00

Northeastern Gets First Win Over Rival Since 2005

By Keith Lavon

Northeastern (13-16-5, 9-13-5) has struggled with Boston University (18-7-9, 13-6-8) over the past two seasons. They were swept by the Terriers last year and already had lost to them twice this season. But time are changing on Huntington Avenue. The Huskies already won almost five times as many games as they did last season, and came ever so close to a .500 record. Tonight, on senior night, the Huskies got back on track after a rough weekend versus UMass and defeated BU by a score of 4-2. Northeastern jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first and never lost the lead through out the rest of the game, no matter how hard the Terriers pressed.

“You could tell when we went into to address the team before the game you could see they were ready to play.” Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin said after the game, “When we play hard and we play smart, we are a hard team to play against.”

“I think its guys that want to play hard and win their last regular season game going into the playoffs. They did it, we didn't.” a reserved Jack Parker said after the game. “I think we've played great on the road all year , this is our only second road loss on the road all year long...most of the time John Curry stands on his head till we get going, that didn't happen tonight. We left him out to dry.”

Freshmen forward Kyle Kraemer netted his first of two goals at 13:41 of the first period beating BU goalie John Curry five-hole. Jimmy Russo and Aaron Moore collected assists. It was Moore's first point of the season in only his second game. The goal by NU broke a scoring drought of 133 minutes and 22 seconds of being held scoreless by the Terriers.

“The first goal was our system play, we chipped it up the board and made it two on one. Curry is a great goalie and I was going to go glove, but changed my mind at the last second and decided to go five-hole.” Kyle Kraemer said.

Northeastern continued a tough, physical brand of hockey through out the first and then Northeastern stuck again at 17:30 when Chad Costello sent a cross-ice pass to Joe Vitale who nailed a slap shot past Curry sending the announced crowed of 2,956 into a frenzy. The goal was Vitale's 7^th of the year. Dennis McCauley also got an assist.

Going into the locker rooms the Huskies had out played, out hustled, and out worked the Terriers for a majority of the period and also had a two goal lead. The last time NU carried a two goal lead into the locker room after the first, the Terriers battled back and ended up winning that game by a score of 4-3.

BU answered in the second with a goal of their own at 9:09. It was a power-play goal as Jimmy Russo was in the box for the Huskies. Matt Gilroy shot a puck through traffic that found its way to the back of the net as NU goalie Brad Thieseen was screened by more than a couple of players. Pete MacArthur and Bryan Ewing added assists of their own on the extra man tally.

About a minute later NU scored again when Bryan Esner made a brilliant move on the BU defense leaving Kyle Kraemer all alone in front of the net. Esner fired of a pass to Kraemer who tapped it behind the a sprawled Curry. Louis Liotti also got an assist. This made the score 3-1 and that is where it would stand for the rest of the second period as the end to end rushes continued for both teams.

“This goal was all Bryan Esner. It was a four on four goal, he used his speed and flew by the whole D. The D let me go, the goalie went at Bryan and Bryan passed it across. That goal was all him. I did the easy part, I just tapped it in.

It was around this time in the second that BU defender Kevin Shaeffer was seen hobbling off the ice. Shaeffer suffered a knee injury and missed the rest of the game and is expected to miss at least a few weeks. Also to note, Northeastern senior captain Mike Morris, who has been out of the line up for the past few games is also not expected to return the rest of the season due to injury, this is according to head coach Greg Cronin.

Headed into the third with a two goal lead the Huskies seemed to be content to sit back on defense but the Terriers managed to break through and add another goal on the visitor side of the score board. Pete MacArthur took a shot from the point in which Brad Thieseen made the easy save by kicking the puck away. Unfortunately for Thieseen, he kicked it right to a surprised Bryan Ewing who just pushed it right back at the net and scored. Eric Gryba also got an assist.

Holding onto the one goal lead the Huskies shifted their focus to defense but in the end penalties would be the end of the Terriers. In the last four minutes of the game the Terriers got two penalties which severely limited their offensive chances.

Senior Bryan Esner put the final nail in the coffin and secured the win for the Northeastern Huskies with an empty net goal at 19:45. It was a fitting send of for a senior class that has gone through significant adversity including a coaching change and last years three win season. Another senior, Ray Ortiz got an assist.

“We beat a good team, and won the last game at home, it just feels good” senior Bryan Esner said after the game.

On the night Brad Thieseen made 30 saves and John Curry made 25 in his final regular season game. The BU power-play went 1-3 and NU went 0-6. Northeastern senior defensemen Steve Birnstill was a +4 on the night as he was on the ice for all Northeastern goals and none of the BU strikes. This also is the first win over the Terriers for Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin inlcuding the time he was the interim coach at Maine.

Both teams have now concluded regular season play and will be watching this weekend to find out who they will be playing. Northeastern will finish 7^th in conference and BU will either finish 2^nd or 3^rd depending on how BC does against UNH. BU could be hosting NU in first round playoff play if UNH sweeps Boston College.

Power Rankings

2007-02-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

Keith Lavon's HEA Power Rankings

1. UNH
2. BU
3. BC
4. Vermont
5. Maine
6. UMass
7. Northeastern
8. Providence
9. UMass-Lowell
10. Merrimack

Hockey East Power Rankings 2-04

2007-02-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

1. UNH
2. UVM
3. BU
4. Maine
5. UMass
6. BC
7. NU
8. PC
9. MC
10. UML

Hockey East Power Rankings 1-28

2007-01-29T00:48:00.000-05:00

1. UNH
2. BC
3. BU
4. UVM
5. UMass
6. Maine
7. Northeastern
8. Providence
9. Merrimack
10. UMass Lowell

PS I don't like something in the middle

UMass, Maine, and NU could all change, we shall see how it plays out

Maine Recap

2007-01-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a huge win for the program. The Huskies just looked good at every moment in this game and at the end really seemed to our work Maine. A little pay back for earlier this year when NU was mauled 7-1. Tomorrow should be an interesting game, tune in at 6:45 for the Cappy's pre-game show and the puck drops at 7.

Boston House of Pizza Husky Hotshots:
Chad Costello and Greg Costa

Hockey East Power Rankings

2007-01-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Power Rankings 1/22/2007

1. UNH
2. Boston U
3. UVM
4. Boston C
5. Maine
6. UMass
7. NU
8. PC
9. MC
10. UML

Russo Scores in Overtime to Give Huskies the Win

2007-01-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

Northeastern Scores 1:01 Into the Extra Frame

The battle between Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell would need more than 60 minutes to be decided but the score was settled only 1:01 into overtime. Northeastern netted the game winner on a two-on-one where Ryan Ginand made a great pass to Jimmy Russo who had no problems banging the puck into the empty net. The win gave NU the weekend sweep over UML, the second weekend sweep for the Huskies this year with the other coming over Merrimack December 1 and 2. This is the first time since the 1999-2000 season the Huskies have had two weekend sweeps in the same year.

“I thought we played very well after having a poor outing last night...I thought we played extremely well tonight in all faces of the game. We had some new guys in the line-up tonight, we played, we played, 12 freshmen tonight. Thats pretty darn good for these guys to come into this great environment and compete the way they competed. I thought we deserved a much better fate tonight.” UML coach Blaise MacDonald said after the game.

Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin had only high praise for the tenacious defense of the River Hawks. “I told Blaise [MacDonald] after the game that they deserved a better fate, we played the brass, so to speak, with BC, BU, and Vermont twice, and I thought the game we played against Lowell tonight was the fastest paced game we played. They can really skate and their D are very quick to get involved in rushes and tonight they defended very well. They were very good in their D zone, we couldn't get a lot of pucks through.”

Lowell grabbed the first lead of the night when at 12:58 the puck found its way past Northeastern goaltender Brad Thieseen. Kelly Sullivan took the shot on net that was trickling on the goal line. As Thieseen and NU defender Denis Chisholm both went to knock it out of the way, their sticks collided and knocked the puck in. It was Sullivan's, a junior, first goal of his collegiate carrier. Getting assists on the play were Jeremy Hall and Chris Auger.

Lowell kept the Huskies off the board for the first two periods only letting up a combined 13 shots in the two periods. Northeastern finally got a goal when Bryan Esner took a shot from the outside that got deflected by the Lowell defense past freshmen goaltender Nevin Hamilton who was making his first start of the year. The play was unassisted.

“It's good to score the goal, but the best part is that were finding ways to win, and thats the most important thing,” senior Bryan Esner said.

When MacDonald was asked about Nevin Hamilton he had this to say, “That's his first full game hes played in probably two years. I thought he was solid, square to the puck. Made it look pretty fundamental, did a great job.”

The two teams traded opportunities for the rest of the third but chance after chance was either shot wide or turned away by the net minder.

As the overtime session got underway, Lowell got the first opportunity. After the shot was wide, Joe Vitale grabbed the puck in his own zone, as he was skating it out he made a tape-to-tape pass to a streaking Ryan Ginand sending Ginand and line mate Jimmy Russo in on the two on one. As Ginand moved towards the outside, the defender followed as did Hamilton, Ginand fired a cross-ice pass to Russo who banged it home. “Ginand made such a good pass, I got lucky the puck was flat right on my stick and I just hit it right where I wanted to...It's just a great feeling, not many overtime winning goals, it feels good.” Russo continued “this was a really big weekend for us because we put a lot of distance between us and Lowell and they were one of the guys on our heels.”

Northeastern moves to 8-11-4 on the season and 5-9-4 in Hockey East play and 4-1-2 over their last seven games. UMass Lowell moved to 3-17-5 and 2-12-2 in Hockey East. UML is winless in their last 17.

On the night UML went 0-2 on the power-play and NU went 0-3. Thieseen made 25 saves and Hamilton made 21 for Lowell.

Northeastern makes a trip to the Alfond Arena next weekend for a pair at Maine and Lowell is hosting UMass-Amherst Friday night in the state school showdown.

WRBB Hockey East Power Rankings

2007-01-16T16:20:00.001-05:00

1. UNH

2. Boston College

3. Boston University

4. Maine

5. Vermont

6. UMass

7. Northeastern

8. Providence

9. UMass Lowell

10. Merrimack

WRBB Hockey East Power Rankings

2007-01-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

1. UNH

2. Boston College

3. Boston University

4. Maine

5. Vermont

6. UMass

7. Northeastern

8. Providence

9. UMass Lowell

10. Merrimack

Vermont Shuts Out Northeastern

2007-01-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

Catamounts Win Season Series

By: Keith Lavon

For the second straight night the University of Vermont Catamounts scored a goal with less than a minute left in a period, this time however, it proved to be the game winner. Vermont notches a 3-point weekend at Matthews Arena and widens the gap between Northeastern University and Vermont in the Hockey East standings. Vermont goaltender Joe Fallon notched his 16^th career shutout, his fourth against Northeastern in his carrer.

“I thought we were excellent from the net out, Joe [Fallon] played extremely tough in there for us tonight, they had a lot of scoring opportunities on second and third chances and he certainly was a wall back there for us.” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said after the game.

The first period started off where last night left of, that being very physical and neither team getting a ton of quality chances to score. As the second period continued the physicality of the game seemed to dwindle away but the scoring chances were still few and far between.

Northeastern almost escaped the second with a scoreless tie in tact, but on a clearing miscue UVM opened up the scoring with only 40 seconds left in the second period. After Northeastern netminder Brad Thieseen made the first save on a shot from the slot, the rebound came to Torry Mitchell who then banged the puck into the open net. Brayden Irwin and Arthur Femenella also got assists.

“It was good [to get that goal], they did such a nice job of preventing us from really mounting any sort of offensive attack when we had sustained possession in their zone. They made is really difficult for us to get shots through, it came down to a shot and a rebound,they aren't always going to be pretty goals when you play a team that does such a good job defensively.” UVM coach Kevin Sneddon said after the game.

With Joe Fallon's shut out in tact going into the third, Vermont seemed to switch to defensive mode. “It should have been a 0-0 game going into the third period, instead its 1-0, and they are a team thats really difficult to come back on when they have the lead.” Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin said after the game.

UVM was able to add on an insurance tally at 16:04 when Jonathan Higgins took a pass from Jay Anctil and backhanded it in. Northeastern goalie Brad Thieseen got caught a little off guard as it seemed him along with his defense was anticipating a pass and instead Higgins took the shot. Reese Wisnowski also collected an assist on the play.

Torrey Mitchell sealed the deal with an empty net goal at 18:38. Mitchell's shot came from near the red line and was deflected by the Northeastern defense and went soaring in the air before finally landing in the back of the net. Kenny Macaulay and Dean strong both collected their 10^th assists of the season.

Joe Fallon collected his fourth shutout against Northeastern in six starts against the team. Fallon ended the night with 23 saves. Northeastern goalie Brad Thieseen made 23 saves. Both teams had a good night on the penalty kill with UVM going 0-4 a man up and NU going 0-5.

Northeastern (6-11-4, 3-9-4) has a home and home with UMass Lowell next Friday and Saturday starting in Lowell on Saturday. Vermont (12-8-2, 7-4-2) will travel back to Boston for a pair at Boston College on Friday and Saturday night.

New Hampshire Handles the Huskies

2006-11-25T22:48:00.001-05:00

Winning Ways Continue for the Wildcats

By: Keith Lavon

BOSTON- The University of New Hampshire’s unbeaten streak, which started November 3 with a 6-3 comeback win versus Northeastern University, continued as UNH beat Northeastern 3-1 Saturday night.. Recording the first three strikes of the game, all even strength, UNH cruised through most of the game. UNH was also helped by goal-keeper Kevin Regan who made 28 saves on the night. UNH remains unbeaten in the month of November.

“Regan played consistent and solid, Northeastern could have gotten back in the game but Regan shut them down,” UNH coach Dick Umile said after the game.

The first period started slow and lethargic as both teams seemed to be working of their fair share of turkey and stuffing from the Thanksgiving holiday. At 16:00 UNH opened the scoring when Mike Radja took a blistering shot from the point that was deflected by Kevin Kapstad past NU goalie Brad Thieseen. It was Kevin Kapstad’s first collegiate goal. UNH piled 13 shots on Thieseen in the first but Thieseen closed the door and let up very few rebounds for UNH to take advantage of. Thieseen said “All game long they throwing everything at the net, just getting on the wall and whipping it towards the net”

New Hampshire came out fast in the second and a little over a minute in added their second tally of the night. Brett Hemingway finally got the puck into the net on a third chance opportunity after Northeastern defender Brian Deeth did his best goalie impression, making a big kick save, to keep the puck out of the net as Brad Thieseen came sliding over from the far side but the damage was done after Hemingway found the back of the next on his third try. Jacob Micflicker collected his 15 assist of the year.

UNH continued to pile the shots on, taking a total of 18 in the second, and found pay dirt when Thomas Fortney came streaking out of the penalty box and it looked like he hit the back of the net on the breakaway. The linesmen had though Fortney had scored, so did Fortney, but the goal light never came on. A conference ensued between the officials before awarding the goal to Fortney. Brad Flaishans got an assist on the play. It was the third even strength goal for UNH.

Northeastern finally struck on a somewhat fluky goal when Northeastern captain Mike Morris threw the puck towards the net from the point and it rattled off both posts before ending up in the back of the net. The Northeastern power play was severely hurt by the loss of senior defensemen Steve Birnstill who was out with injury. [The power play] has been out of whack since Birnstill got hurt, it’s not clicking,” Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin said after the game. Northeastern was 1-10 on the power-play. “[Birnstill] is one of the best defensemen in the league, so not having him on the ice is a tough loss.” NU goalie Brad Thieseen added after the game. Steve Birnstill is expected to return next weekend.

UNH now has a four point lead in Hockey East and Brett Hemingway said “it’s a good start” but it still is a young season. UNH has now won five straight games and are undefeated in their last eight.

On the night the Northeastern power-play went 1-10 and the New Hampshire power-play was 0-4. Kevin Regan made 28 saves on 29 shots and Brad Thieseen made 38 saves on 41 shots. UNH moves to 9-2-1 (7-1-1 HEA) and Northeastern is now 2-8-2 (0-7-2 HEA). Next for UNH is a Tuesday tilt with Merrimack College at home and that following weekend Northeastern plays a home and home with Merrimack starting Friday at Matthews Arena.

New Hampshire Handles the Huskies

2006-11-25T22:48:00.000-05:00

Winning Ways Continue for the Wildcats

By: Keith Lavon/USCHO Arena Reporter

“Regan played consistent and solid, Northeastern could have gotten back in the game but Regan shut them down,” UNH coach Dick Umile said after the game.

No. 13 New Hampshire Sweeps Northeastern

2006-11-04T22:43:00.000-05:00

Second Period Rally Gives Wildcats Lead for Good

BOSTON-After coming back from behind on Friday night, many felt as if Northeastern would take a hold of this game and run with it but three second period goals by New Hampshire would turn out to be the deciding factor in this game. New Hampshire coach Dick Umile said “[the second period] was a real character period.” Northeastern was only playing its second home game of the year, and their first in Hockey East.

Northeastern struck first on a power play goal from Mike Morris which set the faithful crowd of 3,596 into a frenzy. Morris, who netted his third of the year, scored on a centering pass the deflected off the defense and past UNH goalie Kevin Regan. Assists were given to Steven Birnstill and Chad Costello. Northeastern seemed to have the ice titled towards Regan for the rest of the period collecting 18 shots in total well only giving UNH six. Without question Northeastern was out playing the Wildcats though out the first and seemed to have them on their toes. Chance after chance was turned away by Regan who made many phenomenal saves to keep New Hampshire in the game.

Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin said “the bottom line is when you have 18 shots in the first period, and you have a couple that are wide open, you got to put them in, you got to put those pucks in.”

The first five minutes of the second looked like it was going to be a copy cat of the first with Northeastern dominating the play to start. But on what seemed to be an innocent change for UNH Matt Fornataro skated the puck down the ice to feed Trevor Smith for the goal. Trevor Smith scored his eight of the year. He has scored a goal now in all six games UNH has played. “[Smith] is playing well for us, its not a surprise, I mean he is someone who last year proved he is a goal scorer in this league” UNH coach Dick Umile said after the game when asked about Smith’s goal scoring streak.

UNH wasn’t done and took the lead for good about three minutes later on a goal from Chris Murray. Murray slapped home a shot from the point that seemed to be deflected after Northeastern failed to clear the zone. Picking up assists on the play were Trevor Smith and Matt Fornataro.

UNH then capitalized late in the second on a power play opportunity. Brett Hemingway fed the puck through traffic in front and Jamie Fritch was able to bang it home and give the Wildcats a two goal lead going into the break. Jacob Micflicker also collected an assist on the play. UNH found its wheels in the second collecting more than twice as many shots as they did in the first period while only letting Northeastern get six shots on Regan. Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen was doing all he could to keep the Wildcats at bay, making many incredible saves to try and keep NU in the game, but penalties and defensive miscues would spell disaster.

Moving into the third, initially the Huskies came out and dominated play again for the first stretch of the period. UNH responded and began to trade rushes with the Huskies. Neither team seemed to generate too much offense and Northeastern out shot the Wildcats six to five. Northeastern almost came close a few times to scoring a goal late in the third after they pulled Brad Thiessen but the Wildcat defense continually held the Huskies to the outside and cleared the puck out of the zone numerous times.

On the night Northeastern went 1-7 on the power-play and UNH went 1-6. NU net minder Brad Thiessen made 21 saves on the night and Kevin Regan made 29.

Up next for Northeastern (2-5-1, 0-4-1) is a tilt with UMass at the Mullins Center in Amherst, MA on Friday and for UNH (4-2-0, 2-1-0) they head to Boston University to take on the Terriers on Friday night.

Michigan Round Up

2006-10-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

I do not think it was fair to anyone involved to say we were out played, no matter how the stat sheet may suggest. Thieseen (btw it is pronounced tea-seen, not thee-sen as originally thought, its also LINE-erd not LIN-ard) played very, very well, but I dont think its fair to say he stole it. I think that the most important part about this weekend on the positive side is that the fact that we still score, the offense looked good and Costello and Morris finally got their first goals of the season, as did Birnstill and Russo. I am concerned about the amount of penalties, I am willing to chalk it up to CCHA refs, but I honestly don't think thats it. I still think that the defense got caught off guard a few too many times and had to take really really dumb penalties. If there is is nice part of all that its that on the second night UM went 0-12 on the power-play, very attributed to the fact that NU played very good PK. Other plus' of note:

-Morris is back, he was good in the second night regardless that he did not score a goal
-Ginand-Morris-Costello is a nasty line, cycle the puck very well, Ginand also does well in front of the net
-Rassey could possibly be the second best face off man on this team, if not the best, he also has no respect for his body, he will block ANY shot, he is a great blue-collar type player, works had, skates his best, won't put up amazing stats, but I like seeing him out there, he wont let you down imho
-Esner has come into his own, I take back many of the bad things I've said about him
-outside of Union, this was the first time they didn't blow a lead (see bc, bu, and UM the first game)
-first road win since feb 26 2004 versus bu, also the first of cronin era
-Vitale's head has calmed down, when Jack Johnson was pounding him, he took it, and let Jack Johnson get kicked out, not him

On the bad side (hey we all have to be honest)
-as good is Thieseen is boy does he give up FAR to many rebounds, he needs to be more like a sponge, not a brick wall
-Ginand is struggling to find the back of the net, give it time it won't be a factor but for now I am a tad concerned, however I think coach should let him work through it on the ice, and not bench him
-Passing at times is still and issue, a full sixty minutes of playing well is a must
-Second night power play was not as good as the first, not a true worry since we scored three the first night
-PENALTIES
-shots on goal, we must hold em well under 40, well under

Overall- a solid weekend for NU, taking UM to OT the first night and winning the second. it was about as good as one could ask for. Going into UNH one has to feel good about this team as UNH has dropped their last two to UMass and Yale.

Grade for the weekend: A-/B+

Northeastern Walks Over Union

2006-10-21T23:14:00.000-04:00

BOSTON-Wins haven’t come easy for the Huskies since Greg Cronin took over last year. In the 2005-06 campaign the Huskies did not get a win until November, dropping the previous seven. This year however, things are different on Huntington Avenue. The Huskies (1-2-1) out shot and out play the Union Dutchmen (2-1-1) on the way to a 5-0 win at Matthews Arena in front of a crowd of 4,082. The Huskies scored three in the first and added two more in the third. The game was a penalty filled nightmare for both teams as Northeastern took a total of 21 penalties for 69 minutes and Union collecting 15 of their own for 41 minutes. This gamed was officiated under the new two referee experiment which lead to the outpour of penalties. “If someone had told be we would be the victims of that than I would have thought we would have lost the game,” Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin said, “The game was called just as I predicted, I just don’t like the [two referee] system”. Northeastern senior Ray Ortiz collected three points on the night, all assists, as NU had five different goal scorers.

Freshmen have been one of the major factors to Northeastern success in this game and on the season as a whole, “The key to our success this year will be how quickly we can develop [the freshmen].” Greg Cronin said. On the season four of the twelve of the goals have come from freshmen with an additional seven scored by sophomores.

Northeastern opened the scoring early as Joe Vitale scored a short-handed goal 2:37 into the game. Vitale came down on a 2-on-1 with Joe Santilli who fed Vitale the puck for the goal Louis Liotti also collected an assist on the play. Northeastern wasn’t done as Andrew Linard rifled a shot from the point to collect his first goal of the season. The play got started when Ray Ortiz passed to Chris Donovan who made a no look, between the legs, pass to Linard who skated across the blue-line and slapped it home. A little over a minute later the Huskies struck again as Ryan Ginand netted his first of the year on another 2-on-1 with Rob Rassey. Rassey fed the puck to Ginand who just had to tap it in. It was the first point of the season for both players. After the third goal Union pulled netminder Justin Mrazek who made only two saves on the night. Freshmen Rich Sillery entered the match and the freshmen made his collegiate debut.

Union found some fire coming into the second and played very solid hockey for most of the second. However not to be out done the Huskies defense was spot on. Adam Geragosian made his first start of the season and did not disappoint. Geragosian made save after save as the defense cleared out the middle and let him see every puck all the way in. Rebounds were practically non existent and Geragosian smother most shots towards him and those what weren’t were quickly cleared away by the defense. At the end of the second things got confusing. As the horn sounded an altercation between Scott Brady of Union and Dennis McCauley of Northeastern saw both men ejected. Brady got a major for spearing and a game misconduct and McCauley got both a 10 minute misconduct and a game misconduct.

Northeastern had a five minute power play to start the third and quickly were given an additional two minute of 5-on-3 play but the Dutchmen defense played superbly well not giving the Huskies very many opportunities. At 14:42 Bryan Esner netted his first of the year after streaking down the left side and firing off a rocket to beat Sillery top shelf on the glove hand side. Ray Ortiz collected his second assist on the play. Freshmen Chris Donovan had been all over the ice all night an already hit a post but at 15:35 found pay dirt and collected his first collegiate goal putting in his own rebound. Denis Chisholm and Ray Ortiz also collected assists on the play. “Donovan [generated points] and was very visable all night” NU head coach Cronin added.

The penalties would continue for the rest of the game as both teams found themselves short handed at many points. “It was an awful, goofy game I mean the penalties after penalties…it was just a sloppy game, it was just good to get the win,” Greg Cronin stated.

On the night Adam Geragosian made 32 saves for the shut out, Justin Mrazek made two saves for Union with Rich Sillery collecting the other 22. Northeastern was 1-10 on the power play and Union was 0-12. Next up for Union is the Capital District Classic in Albany, NY and they take on RPI on the first round. Northeastern has a pair with the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor starting Friday.

2006-10-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

HOLY OF ALL HOLY! NU GET THE UPSET, I DONT KNOW WHAT TO THINK. MORE LATER AFTER THE HOCKEY GAME VERSUS UNION, TUNE INTO WRBB FOR ALL THE ACTION, www.wrbbradio.org

RECAPS OF BOTH FOOTBALL AND HOCKEY WILL BE ON LATER TONIGHT!

No. 6 Boston University Nearly has Home Opener Ruined

2006-10-21T11:25:00.000-04:00

Upset was on the mind of the Northeastern Huskies as they traveled across Boston to take on rival Boston University and they wasted no time proving that. NU jumped out to an early 2-1 lead and it stayed that way going into the final frame. BU answered in the third with three goals and NU added one more. The game winning goal was scored with only 56 seconds left after NU had tied the game less than two minutes before. Pete MacArthur scored two goals and had an assist. His second goal was the 10,000^th goal in the history of Boston University hockey. Even with the loss, Northeastern coach Greg Cronin is excited, “Clearly, we're back," he said. "We've got a heckuva team. There were [13] freshmen or sophomores in the lineup led by our goaltender. There are a lot of things to build off for us. Obviously, it's a lot easier to build off if you win the game, but we've got an exciting group of players and it's going to be a fun year to coach.”

Injuries hit the Terriers had and both Brandon Yip and Bryan Ewing left the contest early and are expected to be out “for a while”. The game was also the home opener for the Terriers who are now 5-0-1 in their past six home openers.

It only took Northeastern 36 seconds go take the lead. Dennis McCauley scored his second of the season and a pass from Chas Costello and Mike Morris. McCauley’s goal stunned the crowd of 6,036 as a decent number of fans were still finding their seats when NU scored first. At 6:33 the Huskies would add another on the power play. Goalie Brad Thieseen collected his second assist in three games by sending a pass to McCauley who fired it on net. BU goalie John Curry made the initial save but the rebound went to a streaking Joe Vitale who buried it in the back of the net, his second goal in the young season. BU coach Jack Parker is worried about the teams lethargic start, “Maybe we were reading our press clippings and thinking we were pretty good and we needed to make some pretty plays and doodle around," Parker said. "Nobody can do that anymore against anybody in Division I. You've got to come ready to play, ready to beat people to pucks.”

NU held the lead through the rest of the first and into the second. Freshmen goalie Brad Thieseen made his mark making a number of incredible saves to keep the BU Terriers at bay, but with the pressuring BU offense it was only time before they solved him. At 14:31 of the second John McCarthy scored a power play goal to cut the Huskies lead in half. McCarthy deflected a shot by Sean Sullivan, Brian McGurik also collected an assist.

Things were looking good for the Huntington Hounds going into the third with the lead, then came Pete MacArthur. MacArthur scored two rebound goals and the Northeastern defense was struggling to clear the front of the net. The equalizer game at 8:35 and MacArthur put the puck in the back of the net after a scrum in front. BU took their first lead of the game at 2:44 when MacArthur buried the rebound from the Kenny Roche shot. The third goal also marked the 10,000^th in the history of Boston University men’s hockey.

Not to be out done the Huskies tied the game with only 2:03 left on the clock. Freshmen Kyle Kramer collected his first collegiate goal as he put in his own rebound. Kramer got the puck from Joe Vitale who received a pass from Joe Santilli. Everyone at Agganis Arena was thinking overtime as the clock counted down, but someone forgot to tell Kenny Roche and the rest of the BU Terrier offense. Kenny Roche backhanded another rebound goal in to give the Terriers the lead for good. MacArthur collected his third point of the contest with the assist.

Brad Theiseen made an impressive 35 saves on the night and BU senior John curry made 28. Northeastern went 1-6 on the power-play and BU was 1-8.

Next up for Northeastern (0-2-1) is their home opener Saturday night versus Union College. BU (1-0-1) plays again Saturday night at Merrimack.

Huskies Score a Tie at UVM

2006-10-15T04:09:00.000-04:00

BURLINGTON, VT- After only one game after rising to the top ten, chances are the Catamounts will fall again. Vermont tied Northeastern 2-2 in front of a raucous sold out crowd of 4003 at the Gutterson Fieldhouse Saturday night. Northeastern had not earned a point at Vermont since tying them 3-3 in 2002, their last win was way back in 1982.

Vermont grabbed the lead on a five-on-three after three penalties were called on NU within a span of only 34 seconds. A well set up power play saw Dean Strong slap a one timer on a pass from Torrey Mitchell. Ryan Gunderson also picked up an assist on the play. Vermont ran a similar point to one-timer play for the rest of the night but the Huskies caught on. As the first period progressed it only seemed like penalties would once again be the name of the game as the Huskies picked up five penalties and often penalized Vermont picked up two as well.

Even with the Huskies trailing by one, they came out in the second with determination. At 8:15 sophmore Joe Vitale deflected a shot by senior Joe Santilli behind Joe Fallon on the two-on-one. The goal broke Joe Fallon’s 154:48 shut out streak of the Huskies dating back to last season. The lead would not be long lasted as Catamount Arthur Femenella scored his second collegiate goal in four seasons as he slapped one past a fallen Brad Thiessen. The Femenella goal was assisted by Peter Lenes and Torrey Mitchell, Mitchell’s second of the night. Only a short two minutes later freshmen defenseman David Strathman took the puck from his own goal line and skated it all the way down basically untouched and wristed one by Fallon as the end of the Northeastern power play. Goalie Thieseen also collected an assist on the play. Penalties however were no longer a factor as only three were called in the second, I liked the way the refs called the game," said Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin. “They set the tone early and then let the guys play the game. That's the way it should be.”

Vermont set the tone in the start of the third coming out very strong but goalie Brad Thieseen was able to turn away every Vermont shot and the Northeastern defense played well clearing every rebound that came out. The second half of the third was dominated by the Huskies but Joe Fallon returned the favor and kept the puck out of the net to secure the tie going into overtime.

Overtime was slow-played for most the five minutes but the Huskies apparently got the game winning goal at 2:22 by Jimmy Russo but was disallowed as it was ruled that the net had come of the moorings. It was the second time in the game the Huskies were convinced they had scored only to have it disallowed after the fact. As overtime came to a close the Catamounts and Huskies traded a few more opportunities but conservative play ensued as this early in the season both teams seemed content with a point, the Huskies however much more content than Vermont. “We learned a lesson tonight,” Vermont head coach Kevin Sneddon said. “Anybody can beat anybody on any given night. Northeastern came in and worked really hard and did a nice job against us. We made a lot of mistakes and have to learn from it. We didn’t make a lot of mistakes last weekend, so it will be an important teaching week.”

Brad Thieseen made 24 saves and Joe Fallon made 19 for UVM. NU went 1-3 on the power-play and Vermont went 1-5. Next up for NU (0-1-1) is a trip over to Commonwealth Ave. to take on cross town rivals Boston University on Friday and open their home schedule Saturday versus Union. Vermont (2-0-1) hosts Michigan Tech for a pair starting Friday.

Eagles Sink the Huskies

2006-10-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

#1 Eagles Score 3 in the Third

The #1 Boston College Eagles took care of business Tuesday night in a 5-2 win over the Northeastern Huskies in a penalty filled game. Brian Boyle netted a pair along with Brock Bradford. Twenty-three penalties were called in the game with 13 of them going to the Huskies. On the night the Huskies spent 18:08 of it short handed. BC coach Jerry York earned his 750^th win in his career as a head coach, 283 of them at Boston College during his 12 seasons behind the bench.

The first period was back and forth with neither team grabbing a goal. Boston College goalie Cory Schneider continued to shine for the Eagles making saves on all nine shots he saw. For Northeastern Freshmen Brad Thiessen was making his first collegiate start and has a solid first period making twelve saves. Both teams had ample opportunities to score but both defenses did a great job of clearing the puck as neither squad had very many second chance shots.

Northeastern opened up the scoring in the second period when Dennis McCauley took a back hand pass from freshmen Chad Costello and buried the puck in the back of the net. Northeastern held the lead for thirteen minutes before BC netted the equalizer at 14:50 on the Brian Boyle goal. Only 40 seconds later Brock Bradford added his first of the night on a brilliant cross ice pass from Joe Rooney.

The second period saw Northeastern go short handed four times. Coach Greg Cronin said, "For 35 minutes we played the type of game we needed to have against the No. 1 team in the country on the road but we can't take all those penalties.” Penalties are a reoccurring theme for the Huskies as last year they were one of the most penalized teams in Hockey East averaging over 22 minutes in the box.

In the third things really started to come together for the Eagles as they netted an additional three goals to move ahead 5-1. Brock Bradford added his second on a 5 on 3 power play goal 3:24 in with assists going to Dan Bertram and Brian Boyle. At 10:28 Brian Boyle added a short handed goal on a great cross ice pass from Joe Rooney as Boyle used his size and strength to over power Husky Mike Morris. Andrew Orpik then added the fifth at 16:44 with Dan Bertram getting his second assist and Brian Boyle collecting his fourth point of the night.

At 18:13 in the third freshmen Randy Guzior gave the Huskies some life with his first collegiate goal on a heads up play putting in the wide shot from Denis Chisholm. Dennis McCauley also collected his second point on the assist.

The Huskies had two 5 on 3’s, none of which provided a point for the Huskies. The Eagles went 1-10 on the power play and NU went 0-7. Cory Schneider made 22 saves on the night and freshmen Brad Thiessen made 32.

Northeastern heads to Vermont on Saturday to take on the #10 Catamounts and up next for Boston College is an exhibition against the US Under-18 Team on Friday.

Huskies Kick the Hens

2006-10-09T13:34:00.000-04:00

(BROOKLINE, MA)- It had been a long timing coming for Northeastern. Having yet to play a home game after five weeks on the road, the friendly confines of Parson’s Field treated them well Saturday after noon as the knocked off the #18 ranked Delaware Blue Hens on a last second field goal by kick Mat Johnson.

Injuries plagued both teams as Delaware was missing star running back Omar Cuff with an ankle injury and Northeastern was without starting quarter back Anthony Orio who was out with a knee injury.

Northeastern opened up the scoring early grabbing a 20 yard field goal by freshmen kicker Mat Johnson after Maurice Murray took the opening play fifty yards down the field to the Delaware 17.

After going three and out on the ensuing drive Delaware was forced to punt. On a play that could be best described as broken, the dump play landed the Huskies sixty nine yards down to the Delaware two yard line. Two plays later Alex Brookfield ran the ball to the back of the end zone moving the Huskies up 10-0 with 8:29 left in the first quarter.

Delaware quarter back Joe Flacco was not ready to lose. Time and time again he drove his team down the field as the Delaware running game was non-existent. UD only managed to gain 58 yards on the ground, clearly missing Omar Cuff whose single game low this season was 59 in a game where he only got 12 touches.

Delaware managed to tie the game after Joe Flacco drove them 65 yards for a touchdown by Jared Bradley and a 34 yard field goal by Zach Hobby. The Delaware defense took over from there intercepting back up QB John Sperazza to set up the next drive. Jared Bradley took it in the end zone again after the Blue Hens drove 71 yards and giving them the lead 17-10 and that’s how the game would be going into halftime.

The third quarter was a defensive showdown as only seven points were scored. On the scoring drive John Sperazza made quick work of the UD secondary as it took only four plays to drive the team 70 yards for the score, an eleven yard pass to tight end Kendrick Ballantyne tying the game at 17.

With Northeastern starting on their own thirty seven yard line the Huskies took 12 plays and more than seven minutes to score on the penalty laden drive including a third and twenty two first down to keep the drive alive. Maurice Murray eventually found the end zone on a ten yard run to put the Huskies up 24-17 with only 3:28 left in the game.

Joe Flacco wasted no time in driving the Blue Hens right back down for a score of their own to tie the game. Moving his team 64 yards in two and a half minutes Flacco completed a pass to Ben Patrick for the touchdown and seal what all thought would be overtime with only a minute left to go. However Delaware’s kick off by Zach Hobby went out of bounds after he tried to squib it, giving the Huskies the ball on their own forty. Once again John Sperazza went to work, attempting to play hero in only his second collegiate start, he managed to drive the Huskies down to the UD 18 yard line with four seconds on the clock. Freshmen kick Mat Johnson then came out for his second field goal attempt of the game, and by far the biggest of his short collegiate carrier. Johnson split the uprights of the 35 yard kick with no time remaining on the clock to give the Huskies the 27-24 upset victory.

The Huskies are onto a bye week before welcoming #1 UNH to Parsons for their homecoming game. The Blue Hens head back to Newark to host the Hofstra Pride. NU is now 2-4 on the season and 1-2 in the A 10 and UD moves to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the A 10 as well.

Football Update

2006-10-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

Well 1-4 is not where anyone wanted this team to be at this point, but lets face it thats about what they deserve, they have played some really tough opponents. The game agasint Richmond really is a good testament to how good this team CAN be. 12-7 was the final score and if our special teams were a bit more special we could have won that game. Richmond did not get a offensive touchdown, I'll take it. Delaware is gonna have a tough time coming into to Parsons a place where they historically do poorly. Whats also nice is Delaware is coming off a barn burner versus UNH where they put up 48 points and still lost, thats demoralizing for sure. NU will be well rested for the UD game, and are going to give them Blue Hens some hell, bet on it.

2006-09-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

So its tomorrow, Virgina Tech, the best team NU has ever played. I cant wait for this game. I wish I could say that they are going to win but, its VT. Sometimes honesty is the worst thing in the world. If they keep it within 21 I think its a good sign for having to deal with A-10 teams the rest of the season. All in all I'm cised for this game. Tune in at 1 to hear it all!

2006-08-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

TUNE IN TOMORROW THE DOG POUND SPORTS SOUND 3 PM ONLY ON WRBB, www.wrbbradio.org

2006-08-13T23:43:00.000-04:00

Now its been even loger but things are starting to get hot and heavy once again for NU. Football has started practicing so they can take on the national powerhouse Virginia Tech. Worth noting that in the media guide Orio is listed at the top of the depth chart. No real suprise and I expect to see 'Razza get plenty of reps. The offense is returing six starters, with Murray once again in the backfield. Two new wide recievers should prove interesting for the Huskies and I for one would not be shocked to see the Huskies run the option when Orio is in.

On D the Huskies look to run a 3-4 with 4 returing linebackers. That should be a good sign for the Huskies with Mele in the middle staying healthy this linebacker core is not to be messed with.

Now its time for for the picks, these are by no means offical, do not represent the station or the school, its me and my picks. In a perfect world the Huskies dont lose a game, I would love to see that, but the real world is knocking right now and here we go.

@ VA Tech- L
@ Holy Cross- W
@ ND St- W
@ JMU-L
@ Richmond- L
Del- W
UNH- L
UMASS- L
@ Maine- L
@ Hofstra- W
URI- W

OVERALL 5-6, lets give that a plus-minus of two both ways. GO GET EM BOYS!

2006-06-07T00:03:00.000-04:00

Wow its been awhile. The summer has been busy but my mind has not drifted from NU. I would sum up all the news thats gone on, but there is no need for that, most of you know what the deal is. I am just going to comment on a few of the big issues out there. Now that I have mono check back for more updates.

Shawn James: sucks, hope your carrer goes well im not one to ill wish, but boy way to stab us buddy.

Baseball: rough tourey, better luck next year

Otto: nice first round grab, best of luck to him!

More later, im tired as hell

2006-04-23T15:58:00.000-04:00

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS!

Great sweep over W&M!! Solidly in third place now the Huskies are on a CAA tear! The second time they have swept a series at home! Boy o boy is NU turning some heads! Playoffs are looking good as NU just needs to finsh what the started. With a three game set with Towsen on the horizon, another sweep would be huge! Baseball beanpot second round this tuesday on WRBB!! TUNE IN!

2006-04-18T19:46:00.000-04:00

Tough game for the Huskies. Trevor Smith piched well in my opinion even though he got the loss. NU just never really got their bats going and in the field a few costly errors proved to be the turning point. Sidhu did get a hit but still got burned on an error at short which proved costly but the biggest blunder of the day goes to Mitch Duggins in his two errors in the one innning. Take out those three errors and this could be a tied game or a Husky win. Harvard is a fine looking team and this is not to take away from their win at all, it was just a winnable game but sadly the baseball Beanpot is not at the top of the list for any of these teams as all are much more concerned in conference, hence why we did not see Carrington the usual #4. Jeff Maher gets my star of the game with his cluth bases loaded hit that drove in two. Tamsin also played very solid ball.

For a hitteres park NU's offense did not look all that good, coming is spirts. The defense save the three errors was solid, Donaldson did a nice job coming in late makes a huge line drive catch and getting a hit in the top of the ninth.

Fraser Field was a awesome place to see a game, I would not be suprised to see the first round back there next year, if only it was not so cold.

Big three game set versus William and Mary this weekend. Look for a preview on Thursday!

2006-04-17T15:13:00.000-04:00

Carolos Pena has signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees. More later.

PC

2006-04-14T18:15:00.000-04:00

Well its offical, Bill Coen is the new mens bball coach coming all the way from the Univeristy of Chesnut Hill. I think he is a great hire and will do very well go the Huskies. Allthough he seemed nervous during his speech he was very personable on his one on one and I think that is a good sign. Alot of big names were there for the PC and the media seemed very interested. All in all a big day for the Huskies

On the womens side La Force Mann i think will prove to be a legendary hoops coach at NU. All things coming from her seemed like the gospel, she knows whats shes doing and NU is lucky to be the one to give her the chance.

Baseball Beanpot this tuesday, its gonna be fun we are playing Harvard and I will be there with the call, so tune in.

First Look: Football 2006-2007

2006-04-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

After a rough season last year, I would have to say all thinks look up for the Hutington Hounds. Returning many familiar faces such as Orio, Sperrazza, Mele, and Murray. But this post is not about what you do know, its about what you might not, the new recruit class is out and I took some time and went through each player, this is what I've gathered.

David Akinniyi (Played TE/DB in high school, team made finals)

LB 6’3 206 Rocklin, CA/Rocklin

Brent Barkwill (A big OL addition)

OG 6’2 265 Long Beach, CA/Los Alamitos

Alex Dulski (Great passer, “we were most impressed by his ability to read defenses and adapt at the line of scrimmage” (Hager) Dulski is a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Star)

QB 6’2 205 Walpole, MA/Walpole

Conor Gilmartin-Donahue (BIG MAN, “Conor Gilmartin-Donahue has the size we were searching for in a tight end at 6’5, 233.’ (Hager))

TE 6’5 233 White Plains, NY/White Plains

Kurtis Hart (“Kurtis Hart possesses a great blend of size, strength and speed, such that he can take the ball inside as well as turn a five-yarder into long run.” (Hager))

TB 5’11 230 Coral Springs, FL/Taravella

Phillip Higgins (Higgins earned All-Met, All-Maryland and All-County honors as a member of the Maryland 3A State Championship squad.)

LB 5’11 205 Accokeek, MD/Gywnn Park

Mat Johnson (Johnson was selected for the Max Emfinger All-American High School Bowl game this past January and took home the title at the fourth annual Chris Sailer Kicking Competition in Las Vegas, Nev. by setting a competition record for field goal accuracy among high school seniors and junior college kickers.)

K 5'11 155 Ankeny, IA/Ankeny

Rashad Jordan (“Jordan made a positive impression on our entire staff two summers ago at our football camp” (Hager) Jordan is a two-time Eastern Massachusetts All-Star,)

CB 6’0 185 Dorchester, MA/Catholic Memorial

Scott Kaplan (Kaplan from the 2005 MAC Champions, Akron University.)

OT 6’5 310 Miami, FL/Boca Raton/Akron

Michael Lukenda (Lukenda is an All-League and All-Area DT from the 2005 Ches-Mont League Champions.)

DT 6’2 270 Downingtown, PA/Downingtown East

Yaroslav Mukah (Mukah is an All-City Public League and All-Southeast Pennsylvania linebacker as well as a wrestler. His high school is the chief rival of new teammate Cornelius Bunchís Central High.)

LB 6'5 270 Philadelphia, PA/Northeast

Gregory Niland (Niland was named the 2005 Eastern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player)

OT 6’5 280 East Bridgewater, MA/Coyle-Cassidy

John Pfund (Pfund has garnered numerous All-League and All-State awards on both sides of the ball)

DT 6’1 280 Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East

Kerry Pollard (Pollard is a state champion in the shot put)

LB 6’0 200 Upper Marlboro, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt

Tyvone Sibert (Sibert earned All-Met, All-County and All-League honors and helped lead his squad to the 2004-05 county championship. He is also an accomplished long snapper.)

FB/LS 6'1 225 Glen Dale, MD/Eleanor Roosevelt

Nathan Thellen (Thellan was a large reason for the success that the Brockton football program has enjoyed in recent years. Thellen was a member of the two-time state champion Brockton Boxers team, earning Big Three All-Star accolades.)

DB 6’0 185 Brockton, MA/Brockton

“We believe this group of young men is a fine representation of the type of student-athlete that Northeastern University strives to recruit and will help us as we build the successful future of Northeastern football.” -Rocky Hager

All in all I think this is a class to be excited about, quite a few strong players from the looks of it, only time will tell if these guys can help lead this team to the A-10 promised land, and when it comes around, leave their mark on the new CAA.

Hello and welcome

2006-04-11T01:35:00.000-04:00

This blog will service as a home for Keith Lavon's rants and raves on all things Husky. From game reports to news, it will all be here.