The No. 12 UConn men’s hockey team (15-7-3, 9-5-1) will travel to clash with the Northeastern Huskies (12-12-1, 7-9-0) for the final 2025-2026 in-conference meeting.
Coming into tonight’s contest, Connecticut is favored to win. Despite owning an overall 13-15 record, dating back to the 2014-2015 season, they have won the last four games.
In the two programs’ previous outings, UConn swept the Northeastern Huskies in a two-game series in November.
In Game 1, two players scored goals to help UConn in their 4-2 victory.
Paving the way, Jake Percival secured a hat-trick. Behind the forward, Ethan Gardula drained a goal.
With 11 and a half minutes remaining in the matchup, Connecticut escaped overtime with two netters by Percival after Northeastern tied the fight 2-2.
By the end of the battle, both teams took 35 shots apiece. While Northeastern’s accuracy struggled with a 5.7% shooting percentage, Connecticut finished the night with an 11.4% shooting percentage.
Defensively, UConn tallied 12 blocks, whereas the Hockey East rivals swatted away nine potential goals.
In the net, Tyler Muszelik saved 33 shots for Connecticut, while Lawton Zacher denied 33 shots.
Turning to Game 2, the same story was told. Through three periods and overtime, both squads kept the match close.
With just over 15 minutes left in the showdown, Percival clutched up for UConn once again and cashed in a goal to force extra time.
In overtime, Joey Muldowney scored to give Connecticut a close 4-3 triumph.
Collectively, UConn outshot the Northeastern Huskies 34-19 with a shot percentage of 11.8%. Unlike Game 1, Northeastern flipped the switch and finished with a 15.8% shooting percentage.
Scouting Northeastern Hockey:
Heading into tonight’s bout, Northeastern is coming off a four-game losing streak.
In the team’s most recent meeting with the Boston University Terriers, the Huskies fell in an intense 2-1 shootout.
For Northeastern, Dylan Hryckowian kept the pressure on goaltender Mikhail Yegorov, targeting the net five times.
With a little under nine and a half minutes left in the first period, the junior contributed the first points of the contest during a power play. The forward also assisted in Jacob Mathieu’s late second-period goal, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead.
Scouting UConn Hockey:
After bringing the CT Ice Cup back to Storrs, Conn., UConn looks to add to its two-game winning streak.
One player to keep an eye on is Muldowney, who could stay hot offensively. Currently, the forward has netted the puck in the squad’s last two clashes.
Something worth acknowledging is Connecticut snagging in faceoffs. While facing the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the CT Ice finals, the Bobcats won 37 faceoffs, whereas UConn only grabbed 22.
For those interested, fans can tune into the Hockey East showdown today on ESPN+ with the puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.