Northeastern Edged By Yale, 5-4
Sophomore forward Adam Gaudette records two assists for Huskies

Sophomore forward Adam Gaudette had two assists for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 3:43  YAL1-0 EV Chris Izmirlian (4)Luke Stevens/3, Henry Hart/5
1st 12:24  NOE1-1 EV Sam Kurker (1)Brendan Collier/6
1st 16:49  NOE2-1 PP Patrick Schule (3)Eric Williams/6, Matt Filipe/4
2nd 7:17  YAL2-2 EV Andrew Gaus (1)Robbie DeMontis/1, Mitchell Smith/1
2nd 10:41  YAL3-2 EV Frankie DiChiara (4)Robbie DeMontis/2, Henry Hart/6
2nd 18:25  NOE3-3 SH Zach Aston-Reese (18)Adam Gaudette/17
2nd 19:10.8 YAL4-3 PP John Hayden (11)Ryan Hitchcock/14, Matt Foley/4
3rd 4:26  NOE4-4 EV Dylan Sikura (12)Adam Gaudette/18, Ryan Shea/5
3rd 9:28  YAL5-4 EV GW Mike Doherty (2)Joe Snively/10
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Northeastern  2114
Yale  1315
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Northeastern  6101228
Yale  14101034
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Northeastern (7-8-4)  1/4 8/32 1
Yale (5-6-2)  1/4 7/22 0
Northeastern Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Ryan Ruck (L, 7-7-3)58:565 137929
Empty Net1:040     
Yale Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Patrick Spano (W, 5-3-2)60:004 491124

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Mike Doherty's goal midway through the period proved to be the difference as Yale (5-6-2) survived a late push from the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (7-8-4) in a back-on-forth bout on Tuesday night at Ingalls Rink, 5-4.

Neither team led by more than a goal at any point in the contest with Northeastern erasing deficits of 1-0, 3-2 and 4-3 before surrendering the game's final goal with 10:32 to play in the game. The game saw nine different players combine for goals, including NU tallies from Sam Kurker, Patrick Schule, Zach Aston-Reese and Dylan Sikura.

After seeing the Bulldogs take an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Chris Izmirlian, the Huskies responded with two goals in four minutes from Kurker and Schule to take a 2-1 edge through 20 minutes. The middle frame would see the Bulldogs find the back of the net three times on tallies from Andrew Gaus, Frankie DiChara and John Hayden while Aston-Reese scored his team-leading 18th goal of the year late in the period.

Sikura would level the score less than five minutes into the third period on his 12th of the season to extend his point streak to a career-long eight games (eight goals, nine assists), but Yale closed out the scoring from Doherty on a goal in transition.

Ryan Ruck steered aside 29 Yale shots on the night while Patrick Spano stopped 24 shots at the other end, including a sprawling save on Eric Williams late in regulation and a one-timer from John Stevens in the slot as the final horn sounded. Yale outshot the Huskies 34-28 on the evening while both teams went 1-of-4 on the power play.

Goal descriptions:

- Yale drew first blood less than four minutes into the game when Izmirlian recorded his fourth goal of the year off a face-off play from the Bulldogs. After Izmirlian won the puck back to Henry Hart at the point, Hart ripped a shot into traffic that Luke Stevens got a stick on. Stevens then sent the puck in on Ruck and off Izmirlian's skate before crossing the goal line. The officials took a lengthy look at the replay to see if the puck was directed in with the skate, but the goal stood as called.

- Northeastern got on the board with 7:36 to play in the opening period on Kurker's first of the season following a strong cycle from the Huskies. With the line of Kurker, Brendan Collier and Matt Filipe working the puck in the attacking zone, Collier won a puck battle along the half wall before firing it across to Kurker at the right post, who beat Spano to tie the game at one.

- The Huskies took a 2-1 lead with 3:11 to go in the frame on Schule's third of the year with NU on the power play. With Billy Sweezey in the box for interference, Filipe sent a pass up to Eric Williams stationed at the right point. Williams then found Schule alone at the left post, and threaded a shot pass down to him at the left dot. Schule then had time to settle the puck and rip a snap shot over Spano's glove for the score.

- Yale tied the game at two with 12:33 remaining in the second period on Gaus' first goal of the season. After taking a pass from Mitchell Smith, Robbie Demontis wheeled the puck from out of the right corner before finding Gaus crashing the cage, and tossed the puck into space for Gaus to redirect over the shoulder of Ruck for the score.

- The Bulldogs retook the lead 3:34 later on a goal from Frankie DiChara, his fourth of the season, when he took a pass from Demontis in the neutral zone and went in one-on-on with a Northeastern defenseman. DiChara then used the defenseman as a screen on Ruck and rocketed a shot over his glove for a 3-2 Yale lead.

- Northeastern leveled the score at three as Aston-Reese buried his 18th goal of the year, and third shorthanded marker of the campaign, with 1:35 left in the second period. The Huskies capitalized on a Yale icing, bringing the puck back into NU's attacking zone. There, Adam Gaudette was able to win the puck back to Aston-Reese atop the left dot, and his shot caught the glove of Spano and trickled over the goal line.

- Yale fired right back, though, and took a 4-3 advantage just 45 seconds after the Aston-Reese tally. With the Bulldogs still operating on the power play, Hayden picked up a pass from Ryan Hitchcock and snuck a shot top corner from the doorstep with just one second remaining on the man advantage.

- Northeastern battled back yet again in the third period, and knotted the game at four less than five minutes into the third period on Sikura's 12th of the year. As a Northeastern penalty expired, Sikura flew the puck through the neutral zone as Lincoln Griffin joined him on a two-on-two rush. Sikura then faked a pass across to Griffin before sneaking a low, hard shot through Spano five-hole for the score.

- Yale would bury the eventual game-winner midway through the final frame as Doherty netted his second of the season. As Doherty took a pass from Joe Snively, Doherty's initial shot was blocked by Williams, but Doherty was able to corral his own rebound before ripping a shot that beat Ruck bar-down to give the hosts a 5-4 lead.

Stats of the game:

- Northeastern is now 20-22-1 all-time against Yale, and played its first game at Ingalls Rink since Nov. 26, 1995 on Tuesday.

- Aston-Reese's 18th goal of the season moved him into a tie for 27th all-time in scoring at Northeastern with 118 points (53 goals, 65 assists) with Jim Averill and David Poile.

- Aston-Reese now has points in each of his last eight games (12 goals, seven assists), which ties a career-long point streak. Sikura is also riding a career-long point streak with points in eight straight contests (eight goals, nine assists).

- Filipe now has points in each of his last three games (one goal, two assists), tied for a season-long, while Collier is also riding a three-game point streak (one goal, two assists).

The road ahead:

- The Huskies will resume Hockey East play on Saturday night when Northeastern travels to Burlington, Vt. for a matchup with the Catamounts. Puck drop at Gutterson Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m.