The goal was scored by junior forward Jimmy Russo. But it was a defenseman’s pass to sophomore forward Joe Vitale that got the play started. Vitale skated through the neutral zone and made a pass to sophomore forward Ryan Ginand. Ginand took control of the puck and brought the defenders away from the goal, where Russo waited alone for Ginand’s pass, which he put into the net 1:01 into overtime.

“Vitale chipped it to Ryan and the defense just forgot about me,” Russo said. “I came down the middle wide open and Ryan made the perfect pass and all I had to do was hit the open net.”

Russo’s overtime goal gave the Huskies the 2-1 win and the weekend sweep of UMass-Lowell, earning him The Northeastern News Player of the Week honors. With the sweep over UML and the weekend sweep of Merrimack Dec. 1-2, Northeastern has two weekend sweeps in a season for the first time since 1999-00, when NU swept Maine and Massachusetts.

Russo may have been the hero, but until his fourth shot of the game found the goal, he wasn’t happy with the game he was playing.

“I wasn’t playing my best at the time,” he said. “I just wasn’t getting a lot of chances going. The other team was playing really hard and it was tough to get a rhythm going. No one was getting a lot of chances and it was a frustrating game all around.”

Russo managed just one shot in Friday’s 6-2 win over UML and three shots in regulation Saturday.

“Saturday night they were one of the fastest teams we’ve played,” he said. “As a team we didn’t show up, all of us for the whole game. There were spurts of good hockey and we flirted with bad hockey a lot too.”

With four goals and seven assists this season, the Weymouth native has made his points count. He notched the game-tying goals against Vermont Jan. 12 and assisted the game-tying goal against Boston College Jan. 5. For his first goal of the season, Russo collected a rebound and scored the go-ahead goal against then-No. 6 Michigan in the Huskies 3-2 upset over the Wolverines Oct. 28.

“I have just been in those situations on the ice,” Russo said. “I have been lucky so far to come through in those opportunities and hopefully it doesn’t end. We have the Beanpot coming up – hopefully I have one more in me.”

When the Huskies take on Boston University in the first round of the Beanpot Feb. 5, Russo hopes he can come through with another big goal.

“I just like to pick my spots,” he said.

– Erika Carrubba, News Staff