Friday, October 27, 2000

at

Northeastern 3 0 2 5
UMass-Lowell 0 2 0 2

Steven Tyler once sang the line, "I've got to get that monkey off my back."  Bruce Crowder may or may not be a big fan of Aerosmith, but he had to feel the same way going into this game against his old team.  After four years away from the Merrimack Valley, the players that Crowder had recruited long ago have all moved on in life, so maybe there wouldn't be as tough a time playing this one as in games past.   The Huskies had not won a game in the new Taxpayer Financed Tsongas Arena since it opened, and they had not won in Lowell since 1996.

Given to scoring prowess of the Mischler, Ryan, Selig line since the beginning of the season, one would think that this would be the primary option for Huskies' offense.  However, the goals came from a different direction in this one.  At 3:29 of the first period freshman Ryan Dudgeon scored his first collegiate goal to put the Huskies up 1-0.  The unassisted goal came as Dudgeon shot at the UML goalie Cam McCormick and followed up on a rebound.  Soon thereafter, at 6:49, Willie Levesque scored on a power play.  With a UML player in the box for a delay of game (dislodging the net) Levesque took an assist from Chris Lynch and John Peterman as his shot deflected off of a defenseman's skate and beat McCormick for the 2-0 score.  The Huskies showed uncharacteristic aggression against the Riverhawks; they consistently surged at the UML net while the Riverhawks just stood around watching them.  The aggression paid dividends again at 10:26 when Chris Lynch scored a short-handed goal his. With Brian Cummings in the box for roughing, Levesque had caught a turnover at the UML line and passed up to lynch for the assist.

Now the second period has been a rough one for the dogs lately.  In their previous two games at Notre Dame they gave up eight goals in that period alone, once costing themselves a lead and possible win.  The second period horrors continued here.  With Graig Mischler in the box for obstruction interference UML's Laurent Meunier scored on a left wing drive to Jason Braun's glove side (assists to Josh Reed, Chris Gustafson).  Then, at 12:42, Kyle Kidney (Laurent Meunier, Ron Hainsey) scored a short-handed goal to close the score to 3-2.  Now it was the Huskies standing around admiring the pretty skating of the Riverhawks.

Northeastern had a 29 second 5-on-3 advantage in the third period, but was unable to score.  However, on another power play, referee Gravalese had put UML's Josh Reed in the box for cross-checking Joe Mastronardi at 13:20.  Chris Lynch scored his second goal of the game at on the following face-off, going to McCormick 5-hole (Eric Ortlip).  Lynch later knotted that hat trick when he scored an empty net goal from Jim Fahey.

A few problems in this game revolved around penalties.  First of all, John Peterman is taking too many of them.  He served three minor penalties in the third period during a time when the Huskies needed his defense out on the ice.  This team is not so good yet that they can miss a defenseman while protecting a lead.  Second, players have not yet seemed to notice that the refs are calling all sorts of obstruction interference penalties this season.  The refs are trying to get the game to open up, so those illegal picks on the ice are being called.

The scoring has evened out a little.  After the explosion of the Mischler, Ryan, Selig connection, Chris Lynch has stepped up and scored in the last three games; all road games.  The junior's first career hat trick came against a team that NU has had historical problems scoring against.  Also, Ryan Dudgeon broke the ice for his first, hopefully first of many.  This offensive balance will be crucial in the dogs next task: the Number One Wisconsin Badgers.

Let's go Huskies!