D1 insider: Primeau has Northeastern thinking Hockey East title

Cayden Primeau left Northeastern to sign with the Canadiens. (Dave Arnold/NEHJ)

The recipe to Northeastern’s success in last weekend’s Hockey East quarterfinal series sweep of Maine was rather simple.

“Opportunistic scoring and excellent goaltending won today and in the series,” Huskies head coach Jim Madigan said after his Huskies earned a second consecutive 2-1 victory over the Black Bears to advance to TD Garden and the league semifinals for the third time in four years.

While it took Reading, Mass., native Austin Goldstein’s first goal of the season to win Friday night’s game in overtime and two goals on only 17 shots the following night, the Huskies’ true most important player to date this postseason has been goaltender Cayden Primeau.

The sophomore from Voorhees, N.J., stopped 74 of the 76 shots he faced against the Black Bears, which is good for the second-best postseason save percentage (.974) in the country and tops in Hockey East. Only Notre Dame’s Cale Morris ranks higher nationally as he has allowed only one goal through three Big Ten playoff games.