# 2022–23 Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2022–23 Northeastern Huskies Men's ice hockey season was the 91st season of play for the program and 39th in Hockey East. The Huskies represented Northeastern University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Jerry Keefe in his 2nd season, and played their home games at Matthews Arena.

## Season

With most of team's top players returning, particularly reigning Mike Richter Award-winner, Devon Levi, Northeastern was expected to be in contention for an NCAA tournament appearance, if not a National Championship. The addition of four drafted players, including top prospect Cameron Lund, were only supposed to buoy the team's chances and led the Huskies to be picked as Hockey East's top team in the preseason.
Everything looked good at the start as NU won its first three games, seeing Levi post his 1st shutout of the season. The offense, led by team captain and All-American Aidan McDonough was solid as well, recording 13 goals in those matches. In the second half of October, however, the scoring diminished and the Huskies went four games without a win. The team seemed to recover by the beginning of November but that was only a short reprieve. After sweeping lowly New Hampshire, Northeastern went through a terrible stretch that lasted until after New Year's. In 10 games, the Huskies went 2–7–1 and lost games to several teams that were well outside the playoff picture. The defeats took a heavy toll on Northeastern's ranking and the team fell into the mid-40s by early January. The most surprising part of the skid was the subpar performance of Levi. While his numbers weren't necessarily bad, they were far below the stellar figures he had posted in '22.
During the skid, the Music City Hockey Classic, which was scheduled to take place in Nashville on November 25, had to be moved to the Ford Ice Center Bellevue in nearby Bellevue, Tennessee. The change in venue was caused by a water main break at the Bridgestone Arena.
After the team's nadir, a 4–8 loss to Harvard, there was little chance for the Huskies to make the tournament. Despite seemingly everything being arranged against Northeastern, the team found its resolve and quickly altered its fortunes. In the very next game, at Fenway Park, Levi had his best performance in over a month and led the Huskies to a win over Connecticut. That began a streak of 5 wins with 4 coming against ranked teams. UConn ended Northeastern's run with a loss at the beginning of February but that didn't stop the Huskies from regaining a spot in the polls.
The vastly improved play could not have come at a better time as Northeastern was getting set to take conference leader Boston University in the Beanpot semifinal. Levi was key in the team's upset of the Terriers, stopping 33 shots en route to a 3–1 win. A week later the Huskies took on Harvard in the championship and Levi was again called on to save the day. After the team got down 1–2, Levi stopped 14 Crimson shots in the third period while Gunnarwolfe Fontaine tied the score with his second goal of the match. Levi stopped everything Harvard threw at him after the start of the third and was named as the tournament MVP.
With the wins piling up, Northeastern was on the cusp of the playoff picture and had nearly recovered from its mid-season debacle. Unfortunately, the offense began to experience some inconsistency in the later portion of the season. The Huskies went 3–2 to end the regular season and slipped just below the cut line for the NCAA tournament. Fortunately, the team was just outside the playoff bubble and could use a good showing in the conference tournament to earn an at-large bid.
Northeastern finished 3rd in the conference and received a bye into the quarterfinal round as a result. The Huskies ended up playing host to Providence and got off to a good start. Cam Lund opened the scoring on the power play, staking Northeastern to a 1–0 lead after the first period. Starting in the second, however, the Friars took over the match. Providence ended up getting 20 shots on Levi in the middle frame and tied the game. The Huskies recovered a bit in the third but were unable to get another goal and the two teams needed overtime to settle the score. Providence was again the aggressor in extra time and scored on their third shot to end the Huskies' season.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Steven Agriogianis | Forward | United States | Transferred to Mercyhurst |
| Marco Bozzo | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with EHC Neuwied) |
| John DeRoche | Forward/Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Evan Fear | Goaltender | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Jordan Harris | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Montreal Canadiens) |
| Dylan Jackson | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Ty Jackson | Forward | Canada | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Julian Kislin | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Tommy Miller | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Toronto Marlies) |
| T. J. Semptimphelter | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Arizona State |
| Ryan St. Louis | Forward | United States | Returned to juniors (Dubuque Fighting Saints) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Vincent Borgesi | Defenseman | United States | 18 | Philadelphia, PA |
| Harrison Chesney | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Malverne, NY |
| Jackson Dorrington | Defenseman | United States | 18 | North Reading, MA; selected 176th overall in 2022 |
| Braden Doyle | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Lynnfield, MA; transfer from Boston University; selected 157th overall in 2019 |
| Kyle Furey | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Marblehead, MA |
| Cameron Lund | Forward | United States | 18 | Bridgewater, MA; selected 34th overall in 2022 |
| Hunter McDonald | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Fairport, NY; selected 165th overall in 2022 |
| Anthony Messuri | Forward | United States | 21 | Arlington, MA |
| Grant Riley | Goaltender | United States | 20 | Rochester, NY |
| Liam Walsh | Forward | United States | 23 | Bridgeville, PA; transfer from Merrimack |
| Jack Williams | Forward | United States | 20 | Biddeford, ME |

## Roster

As of August 11, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 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 |
| #4 Boston University †* | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 99 | 62 | 40 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 154 | 106 |
| #14 Merrimack | 24 | 16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 72 | 52 | 38 | 23 | 14 | 1 | 106 | 89 |
| #16 Northeastern | 24 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 78 | 45 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 107 | 82 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 78 | 71 | 35 | 20 | 12 | 3 | 113 | 96 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 39 | 56 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 89 | 82 |
| Maine | 24 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 62 | 65 | 36 | 15 | 16 | 5 | 92 | 94 |
| Providence | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 64 | 60 | 37 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 103 | 87 |
| Boston College | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 70 | 73 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 6 | 104 | 104 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 55 | 80 | 35 | 13 | 17 | 5 | 94 | 103 |
| New Hampshire | 24 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 44 | 76 | 35 | 11 | 20 | 3 | 74 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 36 | 76 | 36 | 11 | 20 | 5 | 69 | 103 |
| Championship: March 18, 2023 † indicates regular season champion * 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 ||||||||||
| October 1 | 7:30 PM | Long Island* | #8 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,579 | 1–0–0 |
| October 7 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | #8 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Levi | W 5–2 | 1,726 | 2–0–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 8 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | #8 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | W 5–0 | 1,692 | 3–0–0 (2–0–0) |
| October 15 | 7:30 PM | #15 Providence | #7 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 1–2 | 4,742 | 3–1–0 (2–1–0) |
| October 18 | 7:00 PM | Boston College* | #12 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,198 | 3–1–1 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | #19 Massachusetts Lowell | #12 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Riley | L 2–3 | 2,387 | 3–2–1 (2–2–0) |
| October 28 | 7:05 PM | at Maine | #15 | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Levi | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | - | 3–2–2 (2–2–1) |
| October 29 | 7:05 PM | at Maine | #15 | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Levi | W 4–1 | 3,029 | 4–2–2 (3–2–1) |
| November 4 | 7:00 PM | New Hampshire | #16 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+, ESPN+ | Levi | W 6–2 | 2,468 | 5–2–2 (4–2–1) |
| November 5 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | #16 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Levi | W 3–0 | 4,337 | 6–2–2 (5–2–1) |
| November 11 | 7:00 PM | Boston College | #15 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | T 4–4 $^{SOW}$ | 4,724 | 6–2–3 (5–2–2) |
| November 12 | 7:00 PM | at Boston College | #15 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 2–3 | 5,724 | 6–3–3 (5–3–2) |
| November 18 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Boston University | #18 | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | W 2–0 | 4,822 | 7–3–3 (6–3–2) |
| November 19 | 7:00 PM | #11 Boston University | #18 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 3–4 | 4,724 | 7–4–3 (6–4–2) |
| November 25 | 7:30 PM | vs. #15 Western Michigan* | #18 | Ford Ice Center Bellevue • Bellevue, Tennessee (Music City Hockey Classic) | | Levi | L 4–6 | 1,272 | 7–5–3 |
| December 3 | 7:00 PM | at Union* | #18 | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | ESPN+ | Levi | L 2–3 | 1,621 | 7–6–3 |
| December 6 | 7:05 PM | at Sacred Heart* | | Total Mortgage Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut | FloHockey | Levi | L 2–4 | 1,004 | 7–7–3 |
| December 18 | 7:15 PM | at Long Island* | | Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow, New York | | Levi | W 4–3 $^{OT}$ | 717 | 8–7–3 |
| December 30 | 7:05 PM | at Bentley | | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Levi | L 1–3 | 1,780 | 8–8–3 |
| January 1 | 4:00 PM | at #9 Harvard* | | Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 4–8 | 3,095 | 8–9–3 |
| January 7 | 2:30 PM | #9 Connecticut | | Fenway Park • Boston, Massachusetts (Frozen Fenway) | NESN, ESPN+ | Levi | W 4–1 | - | 9–9–3 (7–4–2) |
| January 14 | 7:05 PM | at #11 Connecticut | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Levi | W 4–3 | 2,691 | 10–9–3 (8–4–2) |
| January 20 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Merrimack | | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | W 5–1 | 2,946 | 11–9–3 (9–4–2) |
| January 21 | 7:00 PM | #11 Merrimack | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN+, ESPN+ | Levi | W 1–0 | 2,526 | 12–9–3 (10–4–2) |
| January 31 | 7:00 PM | Boston College | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Levi | W 2–1 | 2,621 | 13–9–3 (11–4–2) |
| February 3 | 7:00 PM | #14 Connecticut | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 3,021 | 13–10–3 (11–5–2) |
| Beanpot ||||||||||
| February 6 | 8:00 PM | vs. #3 Boston University* | #20 | TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Beanpot Semifinal) | | Levi | W 3–1 | 18,258 | 14–10–3 |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | at Providence | #20 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Levi | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 2,972 | 14–10–4 (11–5–3) |
| February 13 | 7:30 PM | vs. #9 Harvard | #16 | TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Beanpot Championship) | NESN | Levi | T 2–2 $^{SOW}$ | 18,258 | 14–10–5 |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| February 18 | 7:00 PM | at Vermont | #16 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Levi | W 3–0 | 3,069 | 15–10–5 (12–5–3) |
| February 24 | 7:00 PM | at Massachusetts | #15 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 2–3 | 4,638 | 15–11–5 (12–6–3) |
| February 25 | 7:30 PM | Massachusetts | #15 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | W 4–0 | 4,407 | 16–11–5 (13–6–3) |
| March 3 | 7:15 PM | at Massachusetts Lowell | #15 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Levi | L 1–3 | 5,394 | 16–12–5 (13–7–3) |
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | Massachusetts Lowell | #15 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Levi | W 7–3 | 2,539 | 17–12–5 (14–7–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 11 | 7:00 PM | Providence* | #15 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | ESPN+ | Levi | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,192 | 17–13–5 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Aiden McDonough | LW | 34 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 14 |
| Justin Hryckowian | C | 35 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 26 |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | C/LW | 35 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 8 |
| Sam Colangelo | C/RW | 35 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 12 |
| Cam Lund | C | 35 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 16 |
| Matt Choupani | C | 35 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 25 |
| Jack Williams | RW | 35 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 4 |
| Jack Hughes | C | 32 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
| Hunter McDonald | D | 35 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 56 |
| Jakov Novak | C/LW | 35 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 26 |
| Liam Walsh | LW | 23 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 |
| Jayden Struble | D | 31 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 56 |
| Matt Demelis | F | 35 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| Jérémie Bucheler | D | 32 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 14 |
| Vinny Borgesi | D | 32 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 24 |
| Braden Doyle | D | 23 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Riley Hughes | RW | 32 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 |
| Jackson Dorrington | D | 35 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 23 |
| Tyler Spott | D | 24 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Alex Mella | LW | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Cam Gaudette | D | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Michael Outzen | F | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Chase McInnis | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Riley | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Messuri | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Davenport | D | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon Levi | G | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 107 | 201 | 308 | 377 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Devon Levi | 34 | 2064:37 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 77 | 1066 | 6 | .933 | 2.24 |
| Grant Riley | 2 | 58:55 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 0 | .824 | 3.06 |
| Empty Net | - | 15:16 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2138:48 | 17 | 13 | 5 | 82 | 1080 | 6 | .931 | 2.26 |

## 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 | 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 | 27 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 8 | - | 8 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | NR | NR | - | NR | NR | NR | 20 | NR | 20 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | - | 16 |
| USA Today | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 20 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Devon Levi | Mike Richter Award |
| Devon Levi | AHCA East First Team All-American |
| Aidan McDonough | AHCA East First Team All-American |
| Devon Levi | Hockey East Player of the Year |
| Justin Hryckowian | Hockey East Best Defensive Forward |
| Hunter McDonald | Hockey East Best Defensive Defenseman |
| Devon Levi | Hockey East Goaltending Champion |
| Devon Levi | Hockey East First Team |
| Aidan McDonough | Hockey East First Team |
| Justin Hryckowian | Hockey East Second Team |
| Hunter McDonald | Hockey East Rookie Team |
| Cam Lund | Hockey East Rookie Team |