Tag Archives: Robbie Vrolyk

Oct 10 2012

Mass. College Hockey Game Summary: Northeastern 4, Merrimack 2

By Matt Noonan 

BOSTON, MA – Despite a second period rally, Northeastern held onto capture their first Hockey East clash of the season, as the Huskies defeated Merrimack College, 4-2 at the Matthews Arena.

How the game was won: With less than one minute remaining in the third period, Robbie Vrolyk stole the puck in the Northeastern zone and rushed down the ice to net a shorthanded open net strike, which sealed the victory for the Huskies.

Northeastern sets the tone early: The Huskies gained the momentum in the first period by notching three goals off 16 shots thanks to Garrett Vermeersch, Joseph Manno and Kevin Roy, which provided Northeastern with a 3-0 cushion prior to the first intermission.

Merrimack’s second period rally: Entering the second period, the Warriors netted two tallies by Quinn Gould and Justin Mansfield, which brought the visitors to within one strike. They also earned some serious momentum, too, but it wasn’t enough to score another goal in the final period.   

Penalties Galore: Both teams combined for 15 penalties, and despite the various trips to the box, both squads were only able to muster one power play goal apiece.

Power Play Struggles: Excluding one goal per team on the power play, neither Merrimack nor Northeastern was able to produce necessary strikes on their other power plays.

The Huskies had a golden opportunity to shut the door on a Warriors comeback at 10:34 when Rhett Bly was whistled for interference. And without the center on the ice, the Warriors defense denied roughly four scoring chances by the Huskies.

If the Huskies want to contend, they’ll need to capitalize on their power plays.

Up Next: Northeastern will continue conference play on Saturday when they welcome Boston College to their home ice, while Merrimack will enjoy a few days off until they face-off against Alaska Fairbanks on October 20.  

Feb 13 2012

Boston Beanpot Rapid Reaction: Harvard 3, Northeastern 2

By Matt Noonan

BOSTON, MA – Rapid reactions and thoughts from Harvard University’s men’s ice hockey team’s eighth  win of the season against Northeastern University.

How the game was won: The Crimson tallied three goals, one in each period, which came off the sticks of  juniors Alex Fallstrom and Luke Greiner, and senior Alex Killorn to earn a 3-2 win. The win marks the second year in row that the Crimson have finished the tournament in third place. Also, Harvard received some decent goaltending in the win from freshman Steve Michalek, who turned away 24 shots.

Witt starts in place of Rawlings: In a surprise move, Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan started sophomore Clay Witt, who denied 36 shots between the pipes. He recorded his second loss of the season, while junior Chris Rawlings sat on the bench. Madigan didn’t exactly clarify why he started Witt, but explained that he has been working hard in practice.

What it means: Harvard has now won eight games this season, but still remains in fourth place in the ECAC standings behind Colgate, Cornell and Union. As for Northeastern, this was once again another heartbreaking one-goal defeat. The Huskies have now lost nine games this season by one goal, and currently reside in ninth place in the Hockey East conference.

Stat of the Game: Northeastern’s offense finished the game with 26 shots on net, and only two strikes from junior Robbie Vrolyk and sophomore Luke Eibler.

What’s next: Harvard will return to the ice on Friday when they travel to Brown University, while Northeastern will look snap their three-game losing streak at home against Providence College. Both games are slated for 7:00pm face-offs.

Oct 14 2011

Northeastern Blanks UNH, 4-0

By Joshua Kummins 

BOSTON, MA – After a tie and a loss last weekend, the Jim Madigan era at Northeastern University finally saw their first win on Friday night at Matthews Arena, as junior goaltender Chris Rawlings pitched his school-record ninth shutout in a 4-0 decision over No. 15 New Hampshire.

“Obviously, it was a great win for our team,” said Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan. “We had a good week of practice and we brought the game into its simplest form in all three zones.”

It was all Huskies in the first period, as they tagged New Hampshire senior Matt DiGirolamo for three scores on just six shots.

Northeastern took the 1-0 lead at the 6:29 mark of the first stanza, as Braden Pimm redirected a nifty pass in the slot from junior line-mate Steve Quailer. Then, sophomore Zak Stone was found at the right place at the right time and sent a loose puck through the five-hole on DiGirolamo for his first collegiate goal before Justin Daniels made it 3-0 for the home team at the 9:21.

“[The three goals] gave us a chance to believe in what we worked on all week in practice-just actually coming through,” said Madigan.

New Hampshire surrendered five goals in a shutout at BU last Saturday and had been blanked just six times in the last five seasons, including just two in ‘10-’11. Although, despite 14 total shots in the opening period, neither team was able to light the lamp in the middle stanza, as both goaltenders settled in to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of the home team.

At the start of the third period, the Huskies put several golden chances towards DiGirolamo’s cage, including a point-blank shot from Robbie Vrolyk on the right circle before eventually sophomore Luke Eibler connected with senior captain Mike McLaughlin on the right circle for his second goal of the season.

McLaughlin took a wrist shot that was deflected into the net over DiGirolamo’s right shoulder, allowing the Reading, Mass. native and sophomore Jeff Wyer to see his first regular-season game action ever in a Wildcat uniform.

Wyer made three saves in the final 11:23, while DiGirolamo made 14 stops in 48:37 and was credited with his second defeat of the season.

For Husky goaltender Chris Rawlings, this particular game was a great comeback from last weekend’s dismal performance.

“It was a complete 180 from Maine,” said Rawlings. “Our team was completely different in all three zones. The biggest key was all the shots we blocked…Pucks were not getting through, which makes my job a lot easier.”

The Huskies return to action next Friday night at Merrimack, while UNH’s home opener is tomorrow against the nation’s top ranked team, Boston College.

GAME NOTES:

* With the Huskies’ first blanking of the season, Rawlings record 27 saves en route to tying Brad Theissen’s career record with nine shutouts from ‘06-‘09.

* The Huskies had not scored three goals in a period since the third and deciding game of the Hockey East Quarterfinals at Boston University on March 13.

* Zak Stone played in 14 games last year, recording his only point on an assist against Harvard on Jan. 19.

* The Huskies have enjoyed recent success when leading after two periods with a [20-3-3] record over the past two seasons.