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 Steven Agriogianis Forward Transferred to Mercyhurst Marco Bozzo Forward Graduation (signed with EHC Neuwied) John DeRoche Forward/Defenseman Graduation (retired) Evan Fear Goaltender Left program (retired) Jordan Harris Defenseman Graduation (signed with Montreal Canadiens) Dylan Jackson Forward Transferred to Arizona State Ty Jackson Forward Transferred to Arizona State Julian Kislin Defenseman Graduation (retired) Tommy Miller Defenseman Graduation (signed with Toronto Marlies) T. J. Semptimphelter Goaltender Transferred to Arizona State Ryan St. Louis Forward Returned to juniors (Dubuque Fighting Saints)
Recruiting Vincent Borgesi Defenseman 18 Philadelphia, PA Harrison Chesney Goaltender 20 Malverne, NY Jackson Dorrington Defenseman 18 North Reading, MA; selected 176th overall in 2022 Braden Doyle Defenseman 21 Lynnfield, MA; transfer from Boston University; selected 157th overall in 2019 Kyle Furey Defenseman 20 Marblehead, MA Cameron Lund Forward 18 Bridgewater, MA; selected 34th overall in 2022 Hunter McDonald Defenseman 20 Fairport, NY; selected 165th overall in 2022 Anthony Messuri Forward 21 Arlington, MA Grant Riley Goaltender 20 Rochester, NY Liam Walsh Forward 23 Bridgeville, PA; transfer from Merrimack Jack Williams Forward 20 Biddeford, ME
Roster As of August 11, 2022.
Standings
Schedule and results
!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular Season
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!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular Season
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Scoring statistics LW 34 20 18 38 14 C 35 15 21 36 26 C/LW 35 10 20 30 8 C/RW 35 9 15 24 12 C 35 7 16 23 16 C 35 10 9 19 25 RW 35 6 11 17 4 C 32 5 11 16 16 D 35 1 13 14 56 C/LW 35 8 4 12 26 LW 23 5 7 12 10 D 31 1 11 12 56 F 35 4 6 10 6 D 32 1 9 10 14 D 32 1 9 10 24 D 23 1 7 8 6 RW 32 2 4 6 18 D 35 0 6 6 23 D 24 0 2 2 16 LW 4 1 0 1 2 D 8 0 1 1 4 F 16 0 1 1 0 F 1 0 0 0 0 G 2 0 0 0 0 F 2 0 0 0 0 D 6 0 0 0 0 G 34 0 0 0 0 Total 107 201 308 377
Goaltending statistics 34 2064:37 17 12 5 77 1066 6 .933 2.24 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
PollWeekPre123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627 (Final) USCHO.com8-8712151615181818NRNR-NRNRNR20NR20161515151616-16 USA Today998814171615161819NRNRNRNRNRNRNR20171614161618171816 Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.
Awards and honors Devon Levi Mike Richter Award Devon Levi AHCA East First Team All-American Aidan McDonough 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 Justin Hryckowian Hockey East Second Team Hunter McDonald Hockey East Rookie Team Cam Lund
References