Sikura's Four Points Lead Northeastern Past Minnesota, 6-4
Junior forward Dylan Sikura scores three goals and assist for Huskies

Junior forward Dylan Sikura scored three goals and an assist for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 0:35  NOE1-0 EV Garret Cockerill (3)Patrick Schule/1, Zach Aston-Reese/12
1st 9:21  MIN1-1 EV Justin Kloos (4)Tyler Sheehy/9, Rem Pitlick/6
1st 11:21  MIN2-1 EV Vinni Lettieri (5)Ryan Lindgren/1, Jake Bischoff/7
1st 14:01  NOE2-2 EV Dylan Sikura (7)Adam Gaudette/11
1st 17:32  MIN3-2 PP Justin Kloos (5)Jake Bischoff/8, Tommy Novak/6
2nd 6:38  MIN4-2 EV Justin Kloos (6)Tyler Sheehy/10
3rd 1:40  NOE3-4 EV Dylan Sikura (8)Adam Gaudette/12
3rd 3:22  NOE4-4 PP Adam Gaudette (8)Dylan Sikura/13, John Stevens/4
3rd 13:22  NOE5-4 EV GW Dylan Sikura (9)Lincoln Griffin/2
3rd 19:28.2 NOE6-4 EV EN Zach Aston-Reese (10) -
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Minnesota  3104
Northeastern  2046
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Minnesota  1111931
Northeastern  1331127
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Minnesota (5-4-2)  1/4 3/6 0
Northeastern (5-5-4)  1/2 5/10 0
Minnesota Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Eric Schierhorn (L, 5-4-2)58:545 113721
Empty Net1:061     
Northeastern Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Ryan Ruck (W, 5-4-3)60:004 810927

BOSTON, Mass. - Trailing 4-2 entering the third period, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (5-5-4) stormed back with four goals in the final frame to knock off No. 11/8 Minnesota (5-4-2) on Friday night at Matthews Arena, 6-4.

Dylan Sikura led the way for the Huskies with his first career hat trick, scoring in each period including the eventual game-winner with 6:38 remaining in regulation. Zach Aston-Reese (one goal, one assist), Adam Gaudette (one goal, two assists) and Garret Cockerill also scored for Northeastern. Not to be outdone, Justin Kloos provided the firepower for the Golden Gophers with a hat trick of his own, while Vinni Lettieri also found the back of the net for the visitors.

After NU jumped out to a 1-0 lead just 35 seconds into the game on a goal from Cockerill, Minnesota responded with four of the game's next five goals to take a two-goal lead through 40 minutes of play. It was all Northeastern from there, which tied the game with a pair of goals in the first four minutes of the third from Sikura and Gaudette before Sikura completed the hat trick late in regulation. Aston-Reese provided an insurance marker with an empty net goal in the final minute of play.

"I credit the players," said head coach Jim Madigan. "They came out, they stuck with it and they battled, and for me this is a really good character win for our hockey club. Probably our biggest win this year."

Ryan Ruck made 27 stops in goal for Northeastern, including the final 16 he faced in the game. At the other end, Eric Schierhorn had 21 saves for Minnesota, which outshot the Huskies 31-27 in the game. NU won the battle in the face-off dot with 40-of-65 draws led by strong performances from Gaudette (17-of-24) and John Stevens (16-of-28).

Goal descriptions:

- Northeastern drew first blood just 35 seconds into the contest as Cockerill netted his third of the year. With NU controlling the puck in the attacking zone, Patrick Schule tossed it out into the slot where Cockerill hammered a one-timer that caught the stick of a Gopher defenseman before getting past Schierhorn for the score.

- Minnesota leveled the score at one with 10:39 left in the opening period on Kloos' fourth of the year. After Minnesota created a turnover in the defensive zone, Tyler Sheehy sped up the left side before throwing the puck towards the net, where Kloos was there to redirect it home to tie the game at one.

- The Golden Gophers took a 2-1 edge two minutes later on Lettieri's fifth of the season. After Ryan Lindgren and Jake Bischoff played catch with the puck along the blue line, Lindgren's blast sailed wide of Ruck, but Lettieri was there to quickly wrap the puck around the net and under Ruck's pad.

- The Huskies fired right back, however, as Sikura netted his seventh of the year off a turnover in the neutral zone. With the Gophers transitioning up ice, Adam Gaudette took a hit to make a play, knocking the puck loose and on to the stick of Sikura. The junior winger did the rest, flying into the attacking zone and sending a shot from the left dot that somehow got between the pad of Schierhorn and the left post for the score.

- Minnesota went back up by one with 2:28 remaining in the frame on Kloos' second of the evening. With the Gophers on the power play, Bischoff fired a shot from the point that missed wide to the right. The puck, though, popped off the boards and straight back into the slot, where Kloos was able to sneak a shot through Ruck's pads.

- Kloos completed the hat trick with 12:28 remaining in the second period when the Gophers transitioned following a turnover in the neutral zone. After Kloos picked off a Husky pass, he dished to Sheehy along the half wall. Sheehy and Kloos then sprinted into the attacking zone as Sheehy saucered a pass up to Kloos for a shot that Ruck saved. Kloos, however, followed his shot and was able to knock the rebound home for a 4-2 Minnesota lead.

- The Huskies continued to fight into the third period, and cut the deficit in half less than two minutes into the frame on Sikura's second of the game. With Sikura stationed atop the face-off dot, Gaudette won the draw clean back to Sikura, whose wrist shot beat Schierhorn short side to make it 4-3 Minnesota.

- Northeastern buried the equalizer less than two minutes after the SIkura goal on Gaudette's eighth of the year. After Ryan Norman was called for interference, Stevens chipped the puck across the attacking zone to Sikura. Sikura then patiently maneuvered around the zone and into the right face-off dot before zipping a pass across the grain to Gaudette at the far post. Gaudette was then able to bury it before Schierhorn could go post to post to tie the game at four.

- Sikura completed his own hat trick with 6:38 remaining in regulation to give the Huskies a 5-4 lead. After catching a shot in on goal from center ice, Schierhorn elected to put the puck back into play. Before the Gophers could regain possession, Sikura had sprinted into the zone and knocked the puck back into danger. He then collected the loose puck and sent a shot in on goal that got through traffic and under the glove of Schierhorn.

- Aston-Reese put the hosts on top for good with 31.8 seconds remaining in regulation with his 10th goal of the season, picking off an attempted clear right at the blue line before depositing a shot into the empty net to make it 6-4.

Stats of the game:

- Sikura's hat trick is the first for a Husky since Kevin Roy and Zach Aston-Reese both recorded one against Connecticut on Feb. 13, 2015. He has five goals and four assists in his last four games.

- Cockerill's first period goal was Northeastern's fastest goal to start a game since Mike Szmatula against Providence on Dec. 6, 2013 (seven seconds).

- Aston-Reese moved into a tie for 40th on Northeastern's all-time scoring list with 107 career points (45 goals, 62 assists).

- Cockerill has five points (one goal, four assists) in his last four games, while Gaudette has two goals and five assists in his last three games.

The road ahead:

- Northeastern will be back in action on Tuesday when the Huskies host No. 4/3 Boston College at Matthews Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.