Northeastern Huskies Clipped By Quinnipiac Bobcats, 4-3

Sophomore forward Mike Szmatula scored two goals for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 7:45  NOE1-0 EV Mike Szmatula (2)Kevin Roy/3, Mike McMurtry/2
1st 11:52  NOE2-0 PP Mike Szmatula (3)Garret Cockerill/3, Kevin Roy/4
2nd 0:23  QUI1-2 EV Landon Smith (3)Matthew Peca/6, Sam Anas/3
2nd 10:29  QUI2-2 PP Landon Smith (4)Sam Anas/4, Tanner MacMaster/2
2nd 11:00  NOE3-2 EV Ryan Rosenthal (1)Dalen Hedges/3, Zach Aston-Reese/4
2nd 18:53  QUI3-3 EV Andrew Taverner (3)Landon Smith/4, Bo Pieper/2
3rd 4:59  QUI4-3 EV GW Soren Jonzzon (1)Alex Miner-Barron/1, Tim Clifton/2
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Northeastern  2103
Quinnipiac  0314
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Northeastern  691126
Quinnipiac  891027
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Northeastern (0-6-0)  1/6 14/36 0
Quinnipiac (3-2-1)  1/7 14/44 0
Northeastern Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Derick Roy (L, 0-4-0)59:424 86923
Empty Net0:180     
Quinnipiac Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Michael Garteig (W, 3-2-0)60:003 481123

HAMDEN, Conn. - After Mike Szmatula scored a pair of first period goals to give the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (0-6-0) a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes of play, Quinnipiac (3-2-1) responded with four of the game's final five goals to skate to earn a sweep of the Huskies on Sunday afternoon at TD Bank Sports Center, 4-3.

Ryan Rosenthal also scored for the Huskies late in the second period, while Derick Roy made 23 saves in goal. Landon Smith had two goals and an assist to pace the Bobcats, who held a narrow 27-26 edge in shots on goal and received 23 stops from Michael Garteig. Each team capitalized on the man advantage (NU 1-of-4, QU 1-of-7) while face-offs were even at 32 apiece.

The Huskies came out firing in the first period, setting the tone physically and scoring twice on six shots thanks to a pair of goals from Szmatula. NU got on the board less than eight minutes into the game when Kevin Roy took a pass from Mike McMurtry before dropping to Szmatula just inside the blue line. Szmatula's initial shot from between the hashmarks was blocked, but the sophomore center followed the puck and buried the rebound for his second of the season.

With Northeastern on a four-on-three power play midway through the frame, Szmatula struck again when Garret Cockerill's shot from the point was stopped by Garteig, but the rebound hopped right onto the stick of Szmatula, who deposited it into the back of the net.

At the other end of the ice, Roy stood his ground to steer aside all eight shots he faced in the opening stanza, including three opportunities on Quinnipiac's two power play chances.

Fans a bit of everything in the second period as the teams combined for 34 penalty minutes, while Quinnipiac scored three times to send the teams into the dressing room tied at three. The Bobcats cut the NU lead in half less than 30 seconds into the frame when Landon Smith roofed a shot over the right shoulder of Roy off a dish from Matthew Peca.

Minutes after Peca ripped a shot off the post following a clean face-off win the offensive zone, Quinnipiac leveled the score at two when Smith buried rebound past Roy for his second of the contest. Tanner MacMaster began the play for QU when he sent the puck up to Sam Anas with the Bobcats on the power play. Anas' shot was knocked down by Roy, but Smith was there waiting for the rebound and quickly snuck it under Roy's pad for the score.

Northeastern responded quickly after Smith's tally as Rosenthal picked up his first goal as a Husky with nine minutes to play in the period when he followed a rush from Dalen Hedges before sending home a low backhander through the legs of Garteig.

Not to be outdone, Quinnipiac fired right back with 1:07 left in the period when Andrew Taverner spotted a loose puck in the crease and poked it into the cage before Roy could cover up to knot the game at three.

Quinnipiac continued to build momentum into the third period as the Bobcats took their first lead of the game 4:59 into the frame. After Roy made the first stop on a shot from just inside the point, Soren Jonzzon crashed the net in search of the rebound and pounded it home for his first of the season and a 4-3 QU lead.

NU tried to find the equalizer as the period wore on, and nearly did when Zach Aston-Reese found Hedges for a chance in the slot that Garteig steered aside. NU would pull Roy in favor of the extra skater late in regulation, but could not net the tying goal.

The Huskies will resume conference play next weekend when Northeastern battles UMass Lowell in a home-and-home set, beginning on Friday night at the Tsongas Center at 7:15 p.m.

Season tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are available for men's ice hockey and can be purchased by visiting GoNU.com/tickets. In addition, the student sale for the 2015 Beanpot will take place on Saturday, January 17, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Matthews Arena lobby. Please contact the Ticket Office by calling 617-373-4700 or emailing huskytix@neu.edu with any questions.

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Game Notes:

- Northeastern is now 1-2-0 all-time against Quinnipiac.

- Roy's two first period assists him him four points (one goal, three assists) in his last two games. It's also his 24th career multi-point game.

- Szmatula recorded his third career multi-goal game, and 12th career multi-point game.

- Cockerill is riding a three-game point streak after his first period assist. He has one goal and three assists in his last four games.

- Aston-Reese is on a three-game point streak after logging an assist in each of the past three games.

- Northeastern has power play goals in consecutive games for the first time since January 11 (vs. UMass Lowell) and January 17 (vs. Vermont).