Northeastern has played only two games, but the word is out: Stay out of the penalty box against the Huskies.
If you don’t, they can make you pay.
Northeastern carved up Merrimack last weekend for six power-play goals in 14 opportunities, going four for eight in Saturday’s 8-1 home win and two for six in a 6-3 road victory on Sunday.
The Huskies’ first unit has a nice blend of skill and smarts. Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) man the points, with Zach Solow, Aidan McDonough (Milton, Mass.) and Grant Jozefek up front.
The brains behind the PP is associate head coach Jerry Keefe.
Junior defenseman Harris, who potted two power-play goals in the opener, points to Keefe’s communication skills as a key reason why NU is dangerous with the man advantage.
“All of his ideas he voices through us and he lets us talk about it as well. It’s not just, ‘Hey, we’re doing this and we’re going to do it my way.’ He lets us talk about it and it’s a good dialogue between all of us,’’ said Harris, NU’s captain and a Montreal draft pick.
“Every single year he seems to put guys in the right spots and have success on the power play. It shows his hockey intelligence as a coach.’’
Keefe, who presented on offensive-zone play and the power play at Los Angeles Kings’ development camp a few summers back, says that the skill and intelligence of the players is what makes NU’s PP click.
“We’ve got really good players on it, which is obviously really important. Just as important, though, we have really smart players, and they’re able to make reads off each other,” he said. “When our power play is good, it’s when they’re able to know their outs as soon as they touch the puck, know where the next guy is going to be.
“We talk a lot about the next play, knowing the next play. That takes intelligence and it takes trust. If we’re going to have success on the power play, we need those two things. (Against Merrimack) they were very good. They were dangerous every time they went out there, both units,’’ Keefe said.
For the Huskies, the power play is a team effort, not a one-man show.
“If you’re going good you have to be selfless. It’s not run where it goes through one person. Some power plays are like that, where you have one shooter, one guy always handling the puck. All five guys have to be involved.
“Adam Gaudette (2018 Hobey Baker Award winner now with the Vancouver Canucks) was a great example. He led the nation (with 16) power-play goals (in 2017), but the power play did not run through him and he had no problem with that because he knew at the end of the day, if everyone did their job, he was going to have success.’’
Harris, NU’s best player, is a major asset not only on the power play, but also in all situations.
“Really intelligent player. The thing with Jordan is he’s so good at being able to create his own shot because his feet are so good. Every time he touches the puck, he’s a threat,’’ Keefe said.
“When you’re a threat, two things happen. You’re going to be able to get a puck through or it opens up a lane for somebody else, and he’s really good at that. He’s done a great job of adding deception to his game.
“We scored a power-play goal on Sunday where he made a heck of a play of pumping a guy and then finding a guy on the back side. It was all playing with his eyes up and able to use deception to make the play.’’
Harris, who came to Northeastern straight from Kimball Union Academy, has blossomed into one of the top players in college hockey.
“He is as hard of a worker as you’re going to find. His preparation is second to none. There’s a reason why he keeps getting better. He is fully vested in his development as a player. He’s an unbelievable kid. We are very, very fortunate to have Jordan Harris, for a lot of different reasons,’’ said Keefe.
One major way the game has changed since Keefe was logging power-play minutes for Providence College 20-plus years ago is the access coaching staffs have to video. That’s why Northeastern tries to change it up on the PP.
“We like to change things a lot, from game to game, day to day, and show different looks. Now we’ve got to continue to get better on it. Coaching staffs are very good,’’ said Keefe.
“The pre-scouting is so much more detailed now. You can’t just do the same thing. You’re making adjustments. That’s the big thing. You’ve got to be more prepared for different, subtle adjustments.
“Even in between periods now you have the ability to pull power-play clips and say, ‘This is where we can take advantage.’ Even five on five is that way now. Everything is ratcheted up because coaches have all gotten better through the years, their details and the ways they teach.’’
Blasi back on the bench
With Nate Leaman away from his Providence College team while he coaches the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship, the Friars coaching staff is getting a helping hand from new associate athletic director Rico Blasi.
Blasi joined associate head coach Ron Rolston, who is in charge in Leaman’s absence, and assistant coach Joel Beal on the bench for the second and third periods of Sunday’s 4-2 PC win at Lowell.
The longtime head coach at Miami University, Blasi needed a waiver from the NCAA before he could go on the ice for practice or go on the bench.
“Nate thought it might be helpful to Ron and Joel to have somebody push pucks at practice, so we went through our compliance officer (to get a waiver). Basically, for the next three or four weeks, whatever it is, I take on coaching duties until Nate comes back. Then I go back to my role as associate AD, as well,’’ Blasi said.
“I’ve been on the ice with the boys when they’re practicing so I got a feel for what they were like. They were great. The players were awesome. Ron and Joel asked me to come on the bench in the second period. I was just there to basically support them and give any advice I could give them. It was fun. It was good to be back on the bench. Obviously, we won, so that was good, too.’’
A lot of Blasi’s job as associate AD these days is dealing with scheduling and protocols, a stressful task.
“Every time my phone rings I get a little nervous. I felt good getting on the bus (on Sunday). That was my sign that we were going to play that day,’’ he said.
“I said to Ron and Joel (Tuesday) morning, ‘Hey, I want to thank you for inviting me on the bench.’ That was about as normal as it got for me (in quite awhile).’’
Good things ahead for Crookshank
New Hampshire junior Angus Crookshank jumped from 10 goals as a freshman to 16 as a sophomore, and coach Mike Souza believes the best is yet to come.
“We think he could be a guy that really breaks out onto the national stage this year,’’ Souza said on Tuesday.
“He scores two goals on Saturday (against Maine), but he probably had more chances on Friday, so we could be sitting here saying, ‘Hey, Angus had a good four- or five-goal weekend.’ That’s the type of player he is. You’re going to notice him.’’
Playing on the Wildcats’ top line with Jackson Pierson and Patrick Grasso, Crookshank is a go-to player for the Wildcats.
“We need him to score goals and be a threat for us. He knows that. The biggest thing for us with Angus is continually working on his play away from the puck. We want to round out his game, give him the best opportunity to help us, but then to move on and play at a higher level when he leaves here. He’s getting better at that all the time, understanding that maybe sometimes (with) less motion, you end up with the puck more.’’
Crookshank, drafted in the fifth round by the Ottawa Senators in 2018, is determined to be the best player he can be.
“I’ve said this a lot of times, he’s as hungry an athlete as I can imagine anyone can coach. He just wants to be a player so bad and he’s willing to do whatever he can. He represents our program so well all the time,’’ Souza said.
“I love the fact he’s an inquisitive guy. He’s always, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better?’ He’s not a guy that thinks he’s got it all figured out. He certainly knows he doesn’t. That’s why he’ll be successful, not only here but moving forward.’’
