Sikura Scores Two As Northeastern Topples New Hampshire, 4-2
Sophomore forward Dylan Sikura scores two goals for Huskies

Sophomore forward Dylan Sikura scored two goals for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 10:05  NOE1-0 EV Garret Cockerill (4)John Stevens/9
2nd 9:05  NOE2-0 EV Dylan Sikura (3)Adam Gaudette/7, Mike McMurtry/10
2nd 17:24  UNH1-2 EV Marcus Vela (3)Matias Cleland/14, Shane Eiserman/8
3rd 10:02  NOE3-1 EV GW John Stevens (6)Zach Aston-Reese/14, Jarrett Fennell/3
3rd 11:26  NOE4-1 EV Dylan Sikura (4)Mike McMurtry/11, Adam Gaudette/8
3rd 18:36  UNH2-4 PP EA Marcus Vela (4)Andrew Poturalski/19, Maxim Gaudreault/5
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
New Hampshire  0112
Northeastern  1124
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
New Hampshire  691025
Northeastern  12121236
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
New Hampshire (8-9-4)  1/1 5/10 0
Northeastern (6-12-4)  0/2 4/8 0
New Hampshire Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Daniel Tirone (L, 6-9-4)58:554 11111032
Empty Net1:050     
Northeastern Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Ryan Ruck (W, 4-9-3)60:002 68923

BOSTON, Mass. - Dylan Sikura scored twice and the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (6-12-4, 1-8-3) blocked 23 shots in front of freshman goaltender Ryan Ruck (23 saves) to pickup two league points against New Hampshire (8-9-4, 2-3-4) on Friday night at Matthews Arena, 4-2.

Northeastern held 1-0 and 2-1 leads after the first and second periods, respectively, before pulling away with a pair of goals within 1:24 of the third period to extend its lead to 4-1. The Wildcats would score a power play goal late in the third to make it a 4-2 game.

The line of Sikura, Adam Gaudette (two assists) and Mike McMurtry (two assists) accounted for six points on the evening to lead the Huskies, who collected their first Hockey East victory of the season. Garret Cockerill and John Stevens also scored for Northeastern, which extends its unbeaten streak to five games (4-0-1).

Marcus Vela scored twice for the Wildcats, while Danny Tirone made 32 stops in goal. NU outshot UNH 36-25 in the game and was 0-of-2 on the power play while New Hampshire capitalized on its lone man advantage of the evening late in regulation.

Goal descriptions:

- Northeastern took a 1-0 lead midway through the first period on Cockerill's fourth of the year. Coming out of a media timeout, John Stevens won a face-off clean back to Cockerill at the point. Cockerill then took a stride towards the cage before sending a low shot through traffic that caught the right post and beat Tirone for his fourth goal of the year.

- The Huskies went up 2-0 with 10:55 remaining in the second period when Sikura netted his third goal of the year. After Mike McMurtry fed Adam Gaudette for a one-timer that Tirone got a pad on, Sikura scooped up the rebound, cycled back up to the point and flung a wrist shot that found its way through a couple Huskies and in for the score.

- New Hampshire struck back to make it a one-goal game with 2:36 left in the second period when Marcus Vela redirected a shot past Ruck for his third of the year. With UNH transitioning into the attacking zone, Shane Eiserman hit Matias Cleland with a pass at the point. Cleland then fired a low shot towards the slot, where Vela got a piece of it to send the puck past Ruck.

- John Stevens regained Northeastern's two goal edge with 9:58 left in regulation after the Huskies caused a turnover in the UNH zone. After Jarrett Fennell chased the puck down below the Wildcat goal line, he hit Zach Aston-Reese with a pass on the left side. Aston-Reese then spotted Stevens speeding towards the net, and slid the puck over for a Stevens one-timer through Tirone for the score.

- Sikura gave the Huskies a commanding three-goal edge just 1:24 after the Stevens tally with his second of the night. McMurtry began the play by winning a puck battle along the half wall to the right of Tirone before dishing to Sikura in the slot, and Sikura ripped a shot over the glove of Tirone.

- With New Hampshire on the power play with 2:24 left in regulation, the Wildcats brought it to within two when Vela pounded home his second of the evening. After UNH pulled Tirone to give the Wildcats a six-on-four skating advantage, Maxim Gaudreault sent the puck across to Andrew Poturalski atop the left dot. Poturalski then fired a shot towards the net that Vela got a stick on to make it 4-2 NU.

Stats of the game:

- Northeastern is now 61-96-15 against New Hampshire, and picks up its first Hockey East victory of the season.

- John Stevens has eight points (two goals, six assists) in his last seven games.

- McMurtry extended his point streak to a career-long six games on Friday night (two goals, seven assists), while Gaudette extended his to a season-long four games (one goal, six assists).

- After conceding the first goal of the game in 13 of its first 16 games, Northeastern has scored first in five of its last six contests

The road ahead:

- The teams will meet again tomorrow night at the Whittemore Center in the series finale. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. on WBIN.