VERMONT CATAMOUNTS EDGE PAST NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES, 2-1
Senior forward Ben Albertson nets game-winning goal for Catamounts

Senior forward Ben Albertson scored the game-winning goal for the Catamounts

BOSTON - The Northeastern men's hockey team ran into a red-hot goalie in Brody Hoffman and lost in a physical 2-1 final on Friday night at Matthews Arena. The Catamounts dominated the Huskies on the faceoff dot, winning 55-of-86 draws to dictate the tempo. Vermont outshot the Huskies, 34-27, as senior goaltender Chris Rawlings made 32 stops in the setback. Hoffman stopped 26 shots for his ninth win of the season.

Sophomore Adam Reid scored his fourth goal of the season, first power play strike of the season, while rookie Kevin Roy extended his point streak to a career-best six games.

The opening moments offered chances for both teams but Northeastern picked up a power play at 5:13 of the first stanza on an obstruction interference call to Jonathan Turk and the Huskies cashed in for the 1-0 lead.

Roy started the play in between the circles and deferred to junior Cody Ferriero hiding behind the far post. Ferriero made a crisp pass to Reid on the opposite post and after his first bid was denied, Reid scooped up his own rebound and lifted it over Hoffman's pad at 6:56 for the power play tally.

Vermont returned the favor with a power play strike of its own at 10:54 after Ferriero was cited for a trip at 10:27.

Nick Luukko accepted the puck from the half wall and blasted it into traffic from the blue line. Luukko's shot bounced off of Robert Polesello just in front of Rawlings and Jacob Fallon was in prime position to push the puck the goal line to knot it up, 1-1, at 10:54.

The second stanza opened with a quick 4-on-4 after junior Braden Pimm and Luukko went off at 1:00 an 1:54, respectively. Neither team posed a threat and another 4-on-4 reared its head after senior Vinny Saponari and Brett Bruneteau were called for slashing and tripping 10 seconds apart at 8:08 and 8:18. The Catamounts rattled off a couple shots and their momentum carried past the 4-on-4 to take a 2-1 lead at 11:29.

After a delayed call on junior Zak Stone, Caylen Walls stripped the puck at the red line and sent it over to Turk along the left wall. Ben Albertson swooped in down the middle on the relay and sent it five-hole on Rawlings for the 2-1 advantage.

The Catamounts clung onto their lead through the final frame as Hoffman continued to thwart any chance of the Huskies tying it.

In the waning moments of the game, Fallon was called for a late hook with just 42 seconds remaining in regulation. Northeastern possessed the entire time and a perfectly-placed pass from Saponari to Roy nearly tied the game with just seconds remaining, but Hoffman shifted over and made the pad save to seal the game for Vermont, 2-1.

Northeastern closes out its season series with Vermont tomorrow night at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m.

Game Notes

- Jake Hoefler skated in his fifth-career game and first contest for Northeastern since playing at Boston University on March 5, 2011. It was his first game played at Matthews Arena since the New Hampshire outing on Feb. 26, 2011.

- Adam Reid netted his second career goal and first this season this evening. Reid scored his first career power play at Massachusetts on Feb. 3, 2012.

- Kevin Roy is riding a career-best six game point streak and has amassed 10 points (7-3-10) throughout that stretch. The Lac-Beauport, Quebec, native still leads all freshmen in college hockey with 33 total points (17-16-33). Roy is now tied for 10th all-time in the Northeastern freshmen scoring annals, tying Jordon Shields (14-19-33 - 1992-93).