After scoring only one goal in his previous 11 games, Aidan McDonough didn’t just break his slump last weekend, he obliterated it.
Northeastern University forward McDonough (Milton, Mass.) scored twice on Friday night against New Hampshire, then potted three more against the Wildcats on Saturday, including the game-winner with 3:57 left in the third period. The five-goal outburst earned him Hockey East co-Player of the Week honors with Boston College’s Matt Boldy.
Thanks to big contributions from McDonough and other top players, Northeastern wrapped up a pair of much-needed wins after back-to-back losses at home to UConn and Boston College.
Even when the puck wasn’t going in for McDonough, he was getting chances, said coach Jim Madigan.
“Goal scorers like to get into that rhythm of scoring. He was getting some good looks and they weren’t going in. He didn’t have puck luck and when you don’t have puck luck, you start thinking a little bit too much and you’re maybe not moving your feet as much, which is what you need to do. (Last) weekend he was heavier on pucks, he was on his toes and he was in that attack mode.’’
A seventh-round selection of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL draft, McDonough had 11 goals and scored on 18.6 percent of his shots as a freshman last season. He is currently tied for the team lead with Zach Solow with eight goals and is scoring on 19 percent of his shots.
“I definitely expect a lot out of myself and I think the team does and the coaches do, as well. I’ve had to go through (scoring slumps) a little bit before in my career, times where you don’t get the right bounces and you’re trying to do all you can to contribute and it just doesn’t go for you,’’ McDonough said.
The Huskies ran into COVID trouble before coming back and losing to UConn and BC. After those games they were able to get into a normal practice routine, and it made a difference.
“It was really good to get a full week of practice under our belts. I only skated once or twice before playing against BC and same thing against UConn because we played a couple of days later. So it was really good to get a full week of practice as a team and for myself personally.
“It was good to break through and get some puck luck and some bounces. I was getting chances and I was doing a lot of the right things and sometimes when that happens, it’s just a matter of time before you hopefully get those bounces and they start to fall like they did this weekend,’’ McDonough said.
It was a team effort for Northeastern against UNH, with its best players delivering strong performances. In addition to McDonough’s five goals and an assist, Jordan Harris had five assists; Solow had 2-2-4; Michael Kesselring scored three goals; and Grant Jozefek had three assists.
“Solow and Jozefek have been good all year long, 200-foot guys. They contribute offensively but they play the game the right way. They set the example for the rest of the group, particularly the forwards. McDonough was really good this weekend offensively, and we need him to be there. I thought Matty DeMellis also had a really good weekend,’’ said Madigan.
“As Solow and Jozefek are to our forwards, Harris is to our defensemen. All three of those guys have been very consistent and very good for the whole season. Jordan defends hard, he defends quick. He moves pucks quickly. He’s really good in his own zone and he’s really good in transition. He second in our league in scoring for defensemen. He contributes offensively, makes good plays. He sets the bar for our defensemen.’’
Road warriors
Playing at raucous Alfond Arena, Maine historically has had one of the biggest home-ice advantages in college hockey.
But not this season.
After going 13-1-2 at Alfond in 2019-20, the Black Bears will not get the opportunity to play even one home game in 2020-21 unless Maine’s governor lifts or revises an executive order that limits indoor gatherings to 50 people of fewer.
It’s a tough way for Eduards Tralmaks to close out his fine four-year career as a Black Bear, if this is, in fact, the end.
Even going on the road has been difficult for Maine, which is 2-7-1 as it heads to Boston College for two games this weekend, after not playing since Jan. 23 because of COVID.
“It’s just not great traveling. Sometimes we travel on the same day, like to UNH. It’s really tiring,’’ said Tralmaks, a native of Latvia.
Of course, it beats not playing at all. “Even though we don’t have home-ice advantage, we’re still happy and glad to play because some teams don’t have the opportunity,’’ he said.
Going without a game for three weeks was just the latest test for the Black Bears.
“It’s been challenging. Not only for us, for the whole world. Thankfully we get to see teammates pretty often and focus on some other things like schoolwork that helps us get through it. We still practice, which is a good thing, but it is really tough. It just means those games mean much more, so we’re looking forward to any game we can squeeze in and we’ll play it like it’s our last game,’’ he said.
Tralmaks came to North America eight years ago to play U16’s for the Boston Bandits. He climbed the ladder and won a USHL championship with the Chicago Steel before enrolling at Maine.
Black Bears associate head coach Ben Guite has been “a huge contributer to my success, especially last year,’’ said Tralmaks, who is 6-4, 210 pounds.
“If we look through the years of me developing as a player and finding my spot, Ben told me, if I want to be a great player, make my dreams come true, I should get in front of the net and use my size to score goals. Big thanks to him. He showed me the way,’’ Tralmaks said.
An NHL free agent, Tralmaks has attended summer development camps with Vancouver, Ottawa and Pittsburgh. He might have turned pro a year ago, but for the sudden end to the season.
“I didn’t really know what to do. I did have a good season. We had a great team last year. I think it came down to (last season) being cut short and not having playoffs. At that point, nobody knew what was going to happen. I thought the safest bet and the best bet for me would be to come back and finish school, and that’s what I did,’’ said Tralmaks, who will graduate this spring with a business management degree.
All signs point to Tralmaks turning pro after this season, but he says he’s “not 100 percent yet.’’
“It’s likely but at the same time, as you know, we have another year of eligibility (because of COVID). It’s really unlikely, but there’s still a chance that I might be going a fifth year.
“I love it. I love playing college hockey. There’s something about the atmosphere and all the teammates and everything that’s going on that makes me really want to come back. At the same time, if I want to be a professional hockey player and make my career good and go for my goals’’ the time might be right to turn pro, Tralmaks said.
Fawcett finds his fit
Quinnipiac’s Matt Fawcett is one of the smallest players in college hockey at 5-6, 148 pounds, but he doesn’t play like it.
The sophomore winger was named the ECAC Player of the Week after a four-point weekend on the road against Colgate.
He scored a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie on Friday, then chipped in with two assists in a 9-0 win on Saturday. He has 3-3-6 in his last four games.
Fawcett (Lincoln, R.I.) went pointless in 11 games as a freshman last season, a year after losing the better part of a season in the British Columbia Hockey League when he was injured and underwent surgery.
After being looked to for scoring during his time at the Winchendon School and with Powell River of the BCHL, he’s carving out a bottom-six niche this season.
“It feels good to finally get in a groove and get in the lineup more often than in the previous little bit, for sure,’’ he said.
“Getting comfortable definitely helps, but also understanding our systems and getting used to those and the style that we play here at Quinnipiac and adjusting to that. Training with our strength coach, Brijesh Patel, definitely helps and having a good summer, getting stronger and faster has been a factor.’’
