Northeastern hockey beats Holy Cross 5-1 in front of home crowd

Northeastern men’s hockey took control early in a 5-1 victory over Holy Cross on Friday night. The Huskies, ranked No. 19, finished the season with a 4-2-0 overall record and a 2-2-0 mark in Hockey East. Holy Cross, playing in nonconference action, dropped to 4-8-0 overall and 2-4-0 in Atlantic Hockey America.

The game started fast for the home team. Sophomore Amine Hajibi recovered a misplayed puck from a Crusader defenseman and passed cross-ice to Jacob Mathieu. Mathieu, a sophomore, was positioned on a back door and fired a one-time shot into the net to open the scoring in the first minute.

Northeastern continued to apply pressure. The Huskies generated 16 shots on goal against Holy Cross freshman goaltender Connor Towle during the first 18 minutes of play. On the other side, senior Lawton Zacher made five stops in limited action. The offensive push resulted in a goal in the 18th minute when Dawson Sharkey, a freshman, extended the lead to 2-0. Joe Connor, a junior, passed to Giacomo Martino behind the net, and Martino fed the puck to Sharkey in front.

Senior Eli Sebastian took a minor penalty for slashing with 30 seconds left in the first period. The Huskies killed the penalty 90 seconds into the second frame. The second period featured seven penalties but no goals. Holy Cross junior Owain Johnston received a 10-minute major for unsportsmanlike conduct, while Northeastern fifth-year defenseman Joaquim Lemay took penalties for holding and roughing. Both goaltenders made six saves each in the period.

Sharkey added his second goal two minutes into the third period. He received a pass from senior Matthew Perkins in the neutral zone, slipped between two defenders, and scored with a wrist shot. The Huskies went on the power play shortly after when Mathieu drew a hooking penalty. Sophomore A.J. Lacroix broke Zacher’s shutout with a goal from the right faceoff circle, assisted by Quinn McCall. This marked the second time this season a Zacher shutout was lost in the third period, following a similar result against Bentley on Oct. 10.

Northeastern forced eight saves from Towle over the next 12 minutes while Zacher made seven stops. Senior Tyler Fukakusa scored an insurance goal in the 16th minute to make it 4-1. He finished a one-timer from a centering pass by Martino. With 30 seconds remaining, sophomore Noah Jones scored his first goal of the season. Jack Pechar won a faceoff, and the puck slid to Jones at the blue line, who fired it through the five-hole of Towle.

The final score was 5-1. The win secured the No. 19 national ranking for the Huskies. The team will travel to Storrs, Connecticut, to play the University of Connecticut on Nov. 13 and 14. UConn enters that matchup with a 4-5-1 overall record and a 2-3-1 mark in Hockey East.

The box score showed a complete offensive effort for Northeastern. Hajibi, Mathieu, Sharkey, Lacroix, Fukakusa, and Jones all recorded goals or assists. The defensive structure held together despite the penalty trouble, keeping the margin of victory comfortable. The game ended 21 seconds after the final goal, confirming the final tally.