# 2020–21 Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Northeastern Huskies Men's ice hockey season was the 89th season of play for the program and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The Huskies represented Northeastern University and were coached by Jim Madigan, in his 10th season.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Northeastern's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
The Huskies' season began even later than most of their contemporaries, with the first game coming in mid-December. Northeastern was unable to establish any kind of consistency all season with one exception; when NEU played a ranked team, they wouldn't win. The Huskies went 0–7–2 against top-20 opponents during the season and 9–2–1 versus all others. The team's lack of success in such games would lead them to be dropped from the rankings for the first time all season after their early exit from the Hockey East Tournament. With no ranking, a .500 record and a low PairWise score, Northeastern had no real chance to be selected for the NCAA Tournament.
Billy Carrabino, Devon Levi and Nick Scarpa sat out the season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Matt Filipe | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Boston Bruins) |
| Biagio Lerario | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Manitoba Moose) |
| Tyler Madden | Forward | United States | Signed Professional Contract (Los Angeles Kings) |
| Craig Pantano | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (Signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| John Picking | Forward | United States | Graduation |
| Ryan Shea | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Signed with Dallas Stars) |
| Matt Thomson | Forward | United States | Left program |
| Brendan van Riemsdyk | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Knoxville Ice Bears) |
| A. J. Villella | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Bentley |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Steven Agriogianis | Forward | United States | 21 | East Hanover, NJ |
| Marco Bozzo | Forward | Canada | 23 | Woodbridge, ON; transfer from Massachusetts |
| Sam Colangelo | Forward | United States | 18 | Stoneham, MA; 36th selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft |
| James Davenport | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Natick, MA |
| Johnny DeRoche | Forward | United States | 22 | Lynnfield, MA; transfer from Vermont |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | Forward | United States | 20 | Providence, RI; 202nd selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft |
| Dylan Jackson | Forward | Canada | 19 | Oakville, ON |
| Ty Jackson | Forward | Canada | 19 | Oakville, ON |
| Devon Levi | Goaltender | Canada | 22 | Montréal, QC; 212th selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft |
| Michael Outzen | Forward | United States | 21 | Lone Tree, CO |

## Roster

As of September 2, 2020.

## Standings

2020–21 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SOW | HEPI | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #6 Boston College | 21 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 58.61 | 82 | 46 | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 58 |
| #11 Boston University | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 56.36 | 49 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 45 |
| #1 Massachusetts * | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55.44 | 76 | 42 | 29 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 103 | 48 |
| Connecticut | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 52.01 | 69 | 63 | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 70 | 69 |
| #16 Providence | 23 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 50.80 | 63 | 61 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 71 | 67 |
| Northeastern | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49.94 | 68 | 60 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 69 | 64 |
| #19 Massachusetts–Lowell | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48.00 | 46 | 53 | 20 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 59 | 63 |
| Maine | 15 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 46.66 | 41 | 61 | 16 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 68 |
| Merrimack | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45.38 | 47 | 66 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 47 | 66 |
| New Hampshire | 21 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 43.66 | 51 | 83 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 60 | 88 |
| Vermont | 12 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38.02 | 17 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 42 |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 No Regular Season Champion Awarded * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and Results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| December 12 | 6:05 PM | vs. Merrimack | #17 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | W 8–2 | 0 | 1–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| December 13 | 4:05 PM | at Merrimack | #17 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | | Murphy | W 6–3 | 0 | 2–0–0 (2–0–0) |
| December 19 | 1:05 PM | vs. #19 Providence | #12 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 2–0–1 (2–0–1) |
| December 20 | 3:30 PM | at #19 Providence | #12 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN | Murphy | L 0–5 | 0 | 2–1–1 (2–1–1) |
| December 26 | 7:00 PM | at Vermont | #12 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Murphy | W 4–1 | 0 | 3–1–1 (3–1–1) |
| December 27 | 7:00 PM | at Vermont | #12 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Murphy | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 3–1–2 (3–1–2) |
| January 1 | 7:05 PM | vs. #9 Massachusetts | #13 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | L 3–4 | 0 | 3–2–2 (3–2–2) |
| January 2 | 6:00 PM | at #9 Massachusetts | #13 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Murphy | L 3–5 | 0 | 3–3–2 (3–3–2) |
| January 9 | 7:05 PM | at Merrimack | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Murphy | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 0 | 4–3–2 (4–3–2) |
| January 10 | 3:05 PM | at Merrimack | #14 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | W 3–2 | 0 | 5–3–2 (5–3–2) |
| January 13 | 6:05 PM | vs. New Hampshire | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | W 7–0 | 0 | 6–3–2 (6–3–2) |
| February 2 | 7:05 PM | vs. #1 Boston College | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Murphy | L 2–6 | 0 | 6–4–2 (6–4–2) |
| February 5 | 5:05 PM | vs. Connecticut | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Murphy | L 1–4 | 0 | 6–5–2 (6–5–2) |
| February 12 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | #18 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | | Murphy | W 6–2 | 0 | 7–5–2 (7–5–2) |
| February 13 | 6:05 PM | vs. New Hampshire | #18 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Murphy | W 5–4 | 0 | 8–5–2 (8–5–2) |
| February 19 | 7:05 PM | vs. Massachusetts–Lowell | #16 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | L 1–4 | 0 | 8–6–2 (8–6–2) |
| February 20 | 6:00 PM | at Massachusetts–Lowell | #16 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Murphy | W 4–0 | 0 | 9–6–2 (9–6–2) |
| February 27 | 4:35 PM | vs. #14 Providence | #17 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN | Murphy | L 2–4 | 0 | 9–7–2 (9–7–2) |
| February 28 | 7:00 PM | at #14 Providence | #17 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | | Murphy | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 0 | 9–7–3 (9–7–3) |
| March 5 | 5:00 PM | at #2 Boston College | #18 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | | Murphy | L 2–4 | 0 | 9–8–3 (9–8–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 14 | 4:30 PM | at #7 Massachusetts | #20 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | NESN+ | Murphy | L 1–4 | 0 | 9–9–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Zach Solow | C | 21 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 30 |
| Aiden McDonough | LW | 21 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 4 |
| Jordan Harris | D | 19 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 8 |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | LW | 21 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 29 |
| Grant Jozefek | RW | 21 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 16 |
| Dylan Jackson | RW | 21 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 8 |
| Ty Jackson | C | 21 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 16 |
| Jayden Struble | F | 18 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 33 |
| Riley Hughes | RW | 21 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Mike Kesselring | D | 20 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 23 |
| Tyler Spott | D | 18 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| Matt Demelis | F | 21 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Steven Agriogianis | RW | 11 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| Julian Kislin | D | 21 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Sam Colangelo | C/RW | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| T. J. Walsh | LW | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Jérémie Bucheler | D | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Johnny DeRoche | F | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Marco Bozzo | C | 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Connor Murphy | G | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Neil Shea | F | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| James Davenport | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Austin Goldstein | F | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Curtis Frye | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Mella | LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Collin Murphy | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Outzen | F | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Total | | | 69 | 123 | 192 | 243 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Connor Murphy | 21 | 1255 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 57 | 632 | 2 | .910 | 2.72 |
| Curtis Frye | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .778 | 7.83 |
| Empty Net | - | 6 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 21 | 1277 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 64 | 582 | 2 | .901 | 3.01 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | NR | NR | - | NR |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | 15 | 14 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Aidan McDonough | Hockey East Three-Stars Award |
| Jordan Harris | Hockey East Second Team |
| Zach Solow | Hockey East Second Team |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | Hockey East Rookie Team |