Staying on the upswing, NU routs BC
This is a hungry Northeastern team. The third-ranked Huskies, for so long the fourth team in the Beanpot, are contenders this year and they proved it with panache last night as they dropped defending champion Boston College, 6-1, in the second game of the first round at TD Banknorth Garden.
Northeastern (18-6-2, 13-4-1 Hockey East) flattened No. 12 BC (11-9-4, 7-7-4) - despite being outshot, 46-27 - by transforming turnovers into goals. After scoring three times in the second period, the Huskies had a 5-1 lead and the game all but wrapped up. Chris Donovan tied the bow at 12:04 of the third, knocking in the rebound of an Alex Tuckerman shot that popped off John Muse's glove and straight out onto Donovan's stick.
Muse, a sophomore who had played every minute of every game since he got to BC, was re placed by Chris Venti after Donovan's goal.
"It sounds like a funny statement but I just told my team after the game, I'm not sure it was a 6-1 game," said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin, now 2-5 in the Beanpot. "You see the score from a distance and you think, 'Wow, Northeastern walloped BC,' but as I told the players after the game, I think we were very fortunate."
Muse struggled, twice leaving his net to play the puck and twice setting up Northeastern for a goal.
"We were fortunate to get some turnovers right in front of the net that blew open a game that was a tight-checking game," said Cronin.
A five-on-three power-play goal at 3:24 of the first period whetted the Huskies' appetite. Taking a pass from Mike Hewkin at the point, Ryan Ginand walked in from the right corner and ripped a shot past Muse to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
"We were tense early and you could feel it on the bench," said Cronin. "When we scored that goal, you could feel it lifted off of us."
The Huskies have had a sure thing in the net this season in Brad Thiessen, a junior with a 2.06 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. But Thiessen gave up a goal to Matt Price at 8:06, a sharp wrist shot from the blue line that nicked Thiessen's pads and trickled behind him.
"In the beginning of the game, we were on the attack and then all of a sudden, they got the first shot and it kind of squeaked through," said Thiessen. "I knew I had to be better than that.
"I was able to focus on the puck all night. Our D and forwards played great. A lot of the shots I saw all the way. When there was a scramble in front, they were able to pick up their sticks and clear pucks away, so they did a great job in front of me."
Each goalie made seven saves in the first period, but Thiessen had the tougher job, stopping three point-blank shots, including a right pad save on BC star Brock Bradford, who tried to jam in a back-door pass from Brian Gibbons on the power play.
"He was terrific," said Cronin.
Northeastern regained the lead at 11:06. Donovan, who finished the game with a goal and three assists, worked the boards in the right corner, coming away with the puck and sweeping a close-range shot at Muse. The rebound came loose and Greg Costa came flying in on the right and cashed in his fifth goal of the season.
"I thought the pressure started with the Costa-[Rob] Rassey-Donovan line in the first period," said Cronin. "They were able to get some quality chances down low. I kept reminding the bench, 'That's a line you want to try and match as far as their energy and their possession game.' "
Things started popping for the Huskies as they scored goals 42 seconds apart. Liotti connected for a power-play goal, taking advantage of Muse's mishap behind the net. Muse chased a puck that took a funny bounce off the end boards and lost his balance. The puck landed in front of the net and Steve Quailer got it back to Liotti, who fired in his third goal of the season at 11:58.
Dennis McCauley made it 4-1 at 12:40, picking off a weak clearing pass around the boards and whipping a shot past Muse from the blue line.
Quailer then took advantage of another poor clear by Muse. The goalie went into the right corner after a puck and tried to backhand it up the boards, but it stopped short. Donovan reached in and flipped a pass out to the middle of the zone. That's where Quailer was, driving down the slot, and he fired into an empty net at 18:19 to make it 5-1.
"The energy tonight was amazing," said Ginand, a senior who was playing in his first 8 o'clock game. "I didn't know what it was like and now I do. I can't wait till next week."
