# 2023–24 Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Northeastern Huskies Men's ice hockey season was the 92nd season of play for the program and 40th in Hockey East. The Huskies represented Northeastern University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Matthews Arena and were coached by Jerry Keefe in his 3rd season.

## Season

Northeastern had a rather sizable hurdle to overcome from the start of the season. Not only was the team having to contend with half of last year's roster departing but they were also having to replace the two-time national goaltender of the year, Devon Levi in goal. Freshman Cameron Whitehead stepped in between the pipes and looked good against weak opposition in the first few weeks, however, once the team began their conference schedule everything seemed to fall apart. Whitehead had a little trouble getting up to speed with the college game and though he had a couple of decent performances, he went winless over a 4-week stretch. Equally at fault was the almost complete lack of scoring that afflicted the Huskies. Team captain Justin Hryckowian missed over a month after getting hurt in the first game of the season while his brother Dylan along with Matt DeMelis and Jack Williams were in and out of the lineup with bumps and bruises. The rest of the offense didn't step up and cover for their absent teammates and Northeastern suffered as a result. By Thanksgiving, the team had lost seven games in a row, the worst start to the conference schedule in the history of the program.
The team took a slight break during the holiday weekend and travelled west to face Rensselaer. The first game was a pedestrian draw but the second looked to be a turning point of the season. Northeastern scored 9 goals in the first two periods and steamrolled the Engineers. Just as importantly, the Huskies got contributions from up and down the lineup with nine players recording at least 2 points in the match. The following week the team barely resembled the same group that had lost seven in a row when they took on #1 Boston College. After building a 3-goal lead in the first, the Huskies got into power play trouble and the match was tied entering the third. Cam Lund, who had been very quiet during the losing streak, completed a hat-trick in the final frame to lead the Huskies to a massive upset to give Northeastern its first conference win of the year.
After returning from the winter break, Whitehead went through a rough patch and Northeastern went winless in four. However, when it appeared that the season might be slipping back into the abyss, the offense stepped up and bailed out their netminder. In late January, the team scored at least 4 goals in each match over a four-game stretch and won every contest. The hot streak led the Huskies right into the Beanpot, where they were set to defend their championship. Northeastern was fortunate by being set against Harvard in the first game but still had a tough time beating a down Crimson squad. Despite widely outshooting the Ivy Leaguers, Northeastern needed a late comeback to force overtime. Their efforts were rewarded, however, when Gunnarwolfe Fontaine scored just 33 seconds into the extra frame. The championship match pitted the Huskies against Boston University but Northeastern didn't show any fear towards the #3 team. The Terriers got into the lead three separate times in the match but the Huskies matched every goal with one of their own. Despite a vast disparity in shots (17–36) Northeastern hung in the game and forced overtime. BU was in total control for seemingly the entire extra session but, with just seconds to play, a mistake in the BU end left Fontaine wide open in the left circle and the Huskies' only shot in overtime went in and Northeastern held on to its crown.
The win streak put Northeastern above .500 for the first time in months and gave the team an outside chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, the Huskies plait each of the next three weekends and lost any chance of becoming a bubble team. When the conference tournament began, a Hockey East championship was Northeastern's only hope of making the national tournament. They played like it in their first game and shut down Merrimack 4–0 thanks to three-point nights from Justin and Dylan Hryckowian. In the semifinal, the Huskies met Boston University for the fourth time and the Terriers were looking for revenge. After a scoreless first period, BU took a 3-goal lead in the second to put Northeastern's season on the edge of a cliff. Justin Hryckowian scored two goals to spur a comeback from the Huskies but none of his teammates could follow suit. A late goal from BU ended the attempt and Northeastern would have to wait for another year.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jérémie Bucheler | Defenseman | Canada | Graduate transfer to Vermont |
| Sam Colangelo | Forward | United States | Transferred to Western Michigan |
| James Davenport | Defenseman | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Cam Gaudette | Defenseman | United States | Transferred to Stonehill |
| Jack Hughes | Forward | United States | Transferred to Boston University |
| Riley Hughes | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Ohio State |
| Devon Levi | Goaltender | Canada | Signed professional contract (Buffalo Sabres) |
| Aidan McDonough | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Vancouver Canucks) |
| Chase McInnis | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Alex Mella | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Jakov Novak | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Allen Americans) |
| Tyler Spott | Defenseman | Canada | Graduate transfer to Sacred Heart |
| Jayden Struble | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Montreal Canadiens) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Alex Campbell | Forward | United States | 18 | Châteauguay, QC; transfer from Clarkson; selected 65th overall in 2019 |
| Patrick Dawson | Defenseman | United States | 24 | Medway, MA; graduate transfer from Sacred Heart |
| Brett Edwards | Forward | Canada | 24 | Grande Prairie, AB; graduate transfer from Denver |
| Michael Fisher | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Westborough, MA; selected 76th overall in 2022 |
| Nolan Hayes | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Boston, MA |
| Connor Hopkins | Goaltender | United States | 23 | Malden, MA; graduate transfer from Yale |
| Dylan Hryckowian | Forward | Canada | 19 | L'Île-Bizard, QC |
| Andy Moore | Forward | United States | 21 | Cumberland, ME |
| Billy Norcross | Forward | United States | 20 | Lynn, MA |
| Eli Sebastian | Forward | United States | 19 | Burlington, ON |
| Matt Staudacher | Defenseman | United States | 23 | Grand Blanc, MI; graduate transfer from Minnesota |
| Pito Walton | Defenseman | United States | 23 | Peapack, NJ; graduate transfer from Princeton |
| Cameron Whitehead | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Orleans, ON; selected 128th overall in 2022 |

## Roster

As of September 26, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 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 | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Boston College †* | 24 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 105 | 56 | 41 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 183 | 89 |
| #3 Boston University | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 104 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 163 | 97 |
| #10 Maine | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 76 | 67 | 37 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 94 |
| #16 Providence | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 66 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 100 | 83 |
| #13 Massachusetts | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 57 | 62 | 37 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 108 | 105 |
| #20 New Hampshire | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 69 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 106 | 90 |
| Northeastern | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 65 | 71 | 36 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 113 | 97 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 49 | 77 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 90 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 52 | 81 | 35 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 87 | 106 |
| Merrimack | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 62 | 85 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 98 | 114 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 78 | 36 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 72 | 113 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 pm | Stonehill* | #19 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 7–0 | 2,621 | 1–0–0 |
| October 8 | 4:00 pm | #2 Quinnipiac* | #19 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Exhibition) | ESPN+ | Hopkins | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | | |
| October 14 | 7:00 pm | Bentley* | #19 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 5–2 | 4,287 | 2–0–0 |
| October 26 | 7:00 pm | at New Hampshire | #18 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–4 | 3,613 | 2–1–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 28 | 7:00 pm | Merrimack | #18 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–4 | 2,132 | 2–2–0 (0–2–0) |
| November 3 | 7:30 pm | at #18 Massachusetts | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 5,426 | 2–3–0 (0–3–0) |
| November 10 | 7:00 pm | at #5 Providence | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,914 | 2–4–0 (0–4–0) |
| November 11 | 7:00 pm | #5 Providence | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 2–5 | 3,391 | 2–5–0 (0–5–0) |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | #13 New Hampshire | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 2–4 | 2,612 | 2–6–0 (0–6–0) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | at #13 New Hampshire | | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Hopkins | L 0–4 | 6,010 | 2–7–0 (0–7–0) |
| November 25 | 7:00 pm | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Whitehead | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,930 | 2–7–1 |
| November 26 | 7:00 pm | at Rensselaer* | | Houston Field House • Troy, New York | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 9–2 | 1,856 | 3–7–1 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | #1 Boston College | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 5–3 | 7,884 | 4–7–1 (1–7–0) |
| December 2 | 8:00 pm | at #1 Boston College | | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–3 | 4,392 | 4–8–1 (1–8–0) |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | at Brown* | | Meehan Auditorium • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 4–1 | 1,077 | 5–8–1 |
| Holiday Face–Off ||||||||||
| December 28 | 5:00 pm | vs. Minnesota Duluth* | | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Semifinal) | BSW | Whitehead | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 8,652 | 6–8–1 |
| December 29 | 8:30 pm | vs. #6 Wisconsin* | | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Championship) | BSW | Whitehead | L 0–3 | 8,689 | 6–9–1 |
| January 6 | 5:00 pm | #3 Quinnipiac* | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,182 | 6–9–2 |
| January 9 | 7:00 pm | at #2 Boston University | | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 4,248 | 6–10–2 (1–9–0) |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | Vermont | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Hopkins | L 4–5 | 2,489 | 6–11–2 (1–10–0) |
| January 13 | 7:30 pm | Vermont | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 3–1 | 3,121 | 7–11–2 (2–10–0) |
| January 20 | 7:00 pm | #12 Massachusetts | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–2 | 4,182 | 7–12–2 (2–11–0) |
| January 26 | 7:00 pm | Merrimack | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 5–3 | 2,421 | 8–12–2 (3–11–0) |
| January 27 | 7:00 pm | at Merrimack | | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 4–1 | 2,647 | 9–12–2 (4–11–0) |
| January 30 | 6:30 pm | #3 Boston University | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPNU, TSN | Whitehead | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 4,009 | 10–12–2 (5–11–0) |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | #6 Maine | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Whitehead | W 6–3 | 3,507 | 11–12–2 (6–11–0) |
| Beanpot ||||||||||
| February 5 | 5:00 pm | vs. Harvard* | | TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Beanpot Semifinal) | NESN | Whitehead | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 17,850 | 12–12–2 |
| February 12 | 8:00 pm | vs. #3 Boston University* | | TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Beanpot Championship) | NESN | Whitehead | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | — | 13–12–2 |
| February 16 | 7:15 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 2–4 | 5,426 | 13–13–2 (6–12–0) |
| February 17 | 7:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Whitehead | W 4–0 | 3,002 | 14–13–2 (7–12–0) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | at #9 Maine | | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 1–5 | 4,684 | 14–14–2 (7–13–0) |
| February 24 | 7:00 pm | at #9 Maine | | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 4–0 | 4,777 | 15–14–2 (8–13–0) |
| March 1 | 7:00 pm | Connecticut | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN+ | Whitehead | L 3–4 | 3,188 | 15–15–2 (8–15–0) |
| March 2 | 3:00 pm | at Connecticut | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 4–2 | 2,691 | 16–15–2 (9–15–0) |
| March 9 | 4:00 pm | at #11 Providence | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Whitehead | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 2,165 | 16–15–3 (9–15–1) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 13 | 7:00 pm | Merrimack* | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Opening Round) | ESPN+ | Whitehead | W 4–0 | 1,254 | 17–15–3 |
| March 16 | 7:30 pm | at #2 Boston University* | | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | ESPN+ | Whitehead | L 2–4 | 5,455 | 17–16–3 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Justin Hryckowian | C | 32 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 8 |
| Alex Campbell | C/LW | 36 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 6 |
| Jack Williams | RW | 34 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 8 |
| Dylan Hryckowian | RW | 34 | 7 | 27 | 34 | 22 |
| Cam Lund | C | 35 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 22 |
| Vinny Borgesi | D | 34 | 5 | 23 | 28 | 10 |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | C/LW | 36 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 6 |
| Pito Walton | D | 36 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 30 |
| Jackson Dorrington | D | 33 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
| Matt Choupani | C | 28 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 |
| Matt Demelis | F | 23 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 |
| Liam Walsh | LW | 36 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 28 |
| Brett Edwards | F | 31 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 18 |
| Hunter McDonald | D | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 32 |
| Matthew Staudacher | D | 31 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Billy Norcross | C | 26 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Nolan Hayes | D | 22 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Michael Fisher | D | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| Eli Sebastian | C | 32 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Braden Doyle | D | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Andy Moore | F | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Connor Hopkins | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Messuri | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Outzen | F | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cameron Whitehead | G | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Harrison Chesney | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Dawson | D | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | | | 113 | 212 | 325 | 258 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Harrison Chesney | 1 | 5:41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Cameron Whitehead | 35 | 2081:20 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 91 | 1005 | 4 | .917 | 2.62 |
| Connor Hopkins | 3 | 86:29 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 0 | .839 | 3.47 |
| Empty Net | - | 17:18 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2190:48 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 97 | 1032 | 4 | .914 | 2.66 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 19 | 19 | 16 | 18 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 or 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Justin Hryckowian | Hockey East Best Defensive Forward |
| Northeastern Huskies | Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award |
| Alex Campbell | Hockey East Third Team |
| Justin Hryckowian | Hockey East Third Team |

## 2024 NHL Entry Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
| 7 | 195 | Joseph Connor $^†$ | Tampa Bay Lightning |
† incoming freshman