| Prd | Time | Team | Score | Type | Scored By | Assists |
| 1st | 9:41 | MNE | 1-0 | PP | Eduards Tralmaks (8) | Rob Michel/6, Mitchell Fossier/11 |
| 1st | 11:16 | NOE | 1-1 | PP | Adam Gaudette (16) | Jeremy Davies/16, Dylan Sikura/17 |
| 1st | 12:47 | NOE | 2-1 | EV | Adam Gaudette (17) | Dylan Sikura/18 |
| 1st | 15:34 | NOE | 3-1 | PP | Grant Jozefek (6) | Matt Filipe/6, Brandon Hawkins/4 |
| 2nd | 13:39 | NOE | 4-1 | EV GW | Bobby Hampton (4) | Collin Murphy/1, Adam Gaudette/16 |
| 2nd | 16:40 | MNE | 2-4 | EV | Emil Westerlund (4) | Canon Pieper/8, Patrick Shea/7 |
| 3rd | 3:40 | MNE | 3-4 | EV | Brady Keeper (6) | Mitchell Fossier/12, Chase Pearson/14 |
| 3rd | 18:36 | NOE | 5-3 | EV | Dylan Sikura (11) | Biagio Lerario/4, Brandon Hawkins/5 |
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Maine | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Northeastern | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Shots on Goal | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | SOG |
| Maine | 11 | 10 | 12 | 33 |
| Northeastern | 11 | 14 | 13 | 38 |
| Team Stats and Records | PP | PIM | SHGF |
| Maine (11-8-2) | 1/4 | 6/12 | 0 |
| Northeastern (13-5-3) | 2/5 | 5/10 | 0 |
| Maine Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Jeremy Swayman (L, 8-4-1) | 58:44 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 33 |
| Empty Net | 1:16 | 0 |
| Northeastern Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Cayden Primeau (W, 9-3-3) | 59:37 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 30 |
| Empty Net | 0:23 | 0 |
Adam Gaudette (two goals, one assist) and Dylan Sikura (one goal, two assists) tallied three points apiece and Cayden Primeau steered aside 30 shots as the No. 10/9 Northeastern men's hockey team (13-5-3, 9-3-1) extended its unbeaten streak to eight games (6-0-2) in a 5-3 victory over No. 20 Maine (11-8-2, 5-5-1) on Friday night at Matthews Arena.
NU's eight-game unbeaten streak is now tied for the seventh longest in team history and fourth longest active streak in the NCAA. The win also moves the Huskies to within one point of Boston College for first place in the Hockey East standings.
Maine began the contest with the game's first seven shots, and took a 1-0 lead midway through the frame on Eduards Tralmaks eight of the year. Northeastern then responded in a big way with the next three goals, including a pair from Gaudette 91 seconds apart before Grant Jozefek gave the hosts a 3-1 lead through 20 minutes.
The teams would trade goals in the middle frame as Bobby Hampton gave Northeastern a 4-1 edge before the Black Bears brought it back to two on Emil Westerlund's fourth of the year with 3:20 to play in the period.
The Black Bears made it a one-goal game less than four minutes into the third period as Brady Keeper finished off a feed from Mitchell Fossier on the doorstep, and continued to press throughout the remainder of regulation before Sikura put the game away with a breakaway goal, barely staying onsides, to close out the scoring.
Northeastern outshot the Black Bears 38-33 in the game as Maine goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 33 stops. The Huskies found the back of the net twice on the power play (2-of-5) while Maine went 1-of-4 on the man advantage.
Goal descriptions
FIRST GOAL (1-0 Maine) - FIRST PERIOD - Eduards Tralmaks - 9:41 (PP)
Maine struck first midway through the opening frame with a power play strike from Tralmaks, his eighth of the year. With NU in the box for a slashing, Mitchell Fossier worked the puck up to Rob Michel at the point for a one timer that Primeau stopped. The rebound, though, popped right to a waiting Tralmaks, who buried it for the 1-0 Maine lead.
SECOND GOAL (Tied, 1-1) - FIRST PERIOD - Adam Gaudette - 11:16 (PP)
Northeastern drew even with a power play tally of its own, this one from Adam Gaudette. Just 13 seconds after Maine was sent off for a hook, Dylan Sikura fed the puck up to Jeremy Davies just inside the blue line. Davies then sent the puck down to Gaudette in the left face-off dot, who blistered a one-timer through a screen and past Swayman for his 16th of the year.
THIRD GOAL (2-1 Northeastern) - FIRST PERIOD - Adam Gaudette - 12:47
The Huskies struck again just 91 seconds later with Gaudette's second of the evening. After Gaudette won a face-off battle back to Sikura at the right hash, Sikura's shot attempt was blocked by a Maine defenseman. The loose puck, though, bounced right to Gaudette on the doorstep, who hammered it home for the 2-1 lead.
FOURTH GOAL (3-1 Northeastern) - FIRST PERIOD - Grant Jozefek - 15:34 (PP)
The second power play unit got into the act late in the opening period when Jozefek knocked home his sixth of the year. Northeastern controlled the puck down low as Brandon Hawkins fed Matt Filipe below the dot. Filipe then spotted Jozefek alone at the far post, and slid the puck across the grain to the fellow sophomore, who lifted it over Swayman's pad for the 3-1 advantage.
FIFTH GOAL (4-1 Northeastern) - SECOND PERIOD - Bobby Hampton - 13:39
The Huskies took a three-goal lead with 6:21 to go in the second period on Hampton's fourth of the year. After Gaudette raced in and had his initial shot blocked at the left side, he chased down the rebound and tossed it up to Collin Murphy at the point. Murphy then spotted Hampton in the slot and fired a hard pass down between the hashmarks for the redirection past Swayman.
SIXTH GOAL (4-2 Northeastern) - SECOND PERIOD - Emil Westerlund - 16:40
Maine brought it back to a two-goal game late in the second period on Westerlund's fourth of the year. As the Black Bears moved in transition, Canon Pieper carried the puck down the right side and fired a shot that was blocked by Trevor Owens. But Westerlund was waiting for the second chance and tucked it home.
SEVENTH GOAL (4-3 Northeastern) - THIRD PERIOD - Brady Keeper - 3:40
The Black Bears cut the deficit to one less than four minutes into the third period on Keeper's sixth of the season. With Maine moving up ice in transition, Keeper fed Fossier on the left side as the Black Bears entered the attacking zone. Keeper continued with the rush, and Fossier laid a perfect pass on his tape at the far post for the tap in past Primeau to make it 4-3.
EIGHTH GOAL (5-3 Northeastern) - THIRD PERIOD - Dylan Sikura - 18:36
Sikura put the game on ice with 1:24 to play in regulation with the Black Bears pressing. With Maine in search of the tying goal, the Huskies were able to get control of the puck in the defensive zone and move up ice. That's where Biagio Lerario threaded a pass through the legs of Hawkins and on to the stick of Sikura, barely staying onsides, allowing Sikura to go in alone and roof a backhand over Swayman's glove for his 11th of the year.
Stats of the game
- Northeastern extended its unbeaten streak to eight games (6-0-2), tied for the seventh longest unbeaten streak in team history. It's also the fourth longest active streak in the NCAA.
- The Huskies are 7-1-0 in their last eight home games and 9-3-0 overall, tied for the third most home victories in the NCAA.
- Northeastern has nine Hockey East wins in its first 14 league games for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
- The Huskies have now won six straight home games against Maine, dating back to 2014.
- Since 2013-14, Northeastern is now 66-9-4 (.861) when leading after two periods.
- The Huskies are outscoring their opponents 27-9 in the first period this season. The +18 goal differential is the highest in the nation.
- Gaudette potted his eighth power play goal of the year on Friday, tied for the most in the nation. He has 29 career goals on the power play, the most of any active skater in the nation and two away from tying the school record, held by Rod Isbister and J.F. Aube.
- Sikura moved into a tie for 27th on Northeastern's all-time scoring list with 121 career points (47 goals, 74 assists), and into a tie for 26th in career assists (74).
- Gaudette's now tied for 34th on Northeastern's all-time scoring list with 115 points (55 goals, 60 assists), and 30th in career goals (55).
- Gaudette extended his point streak to a season-long seven games (nine goals, six assists), while Davies is on a career-long six-game streak (one goal, six assists).
- Hawkins tied a career-long with a four-game point streak (two goals, five assists), and both Sikura (two goals, five assists), Jozefek (one goal, two assists) and Lerario (one goal, two assists) have points in three straight games.
- Murphy recorded his first collegiate point with the primary assist on Hampton's goal.
- Owens tied a career-high with four blocked shots.
The road ahead
The Huskies and Black Bears return to the ice tomorrow afternoon for the series finale. Puck drop at Matthews is now at 5 p.m.