The Massachusetts hockey team is heading into its second matchup with a Hockey East opponent this weekend, with one game against Northeastern on Friday night. Coming off of a two-game home-and-home series with Boston University, the Minutemen (4-2-1, 0-1-1 Hockey East) look to bring a more consistent look to their game this weekend.

After being ranked one spot ahead of UMass in last week’s USCHO poll, Northeastern (2-2, 0-2 HEA) fell out of the rankings after their weekend ended with two 4-1 losses to UNH and Merrimack. The Huskies started their season strong with a tie to No. 5 Quinnipiac and a win over Bentley, but just like the Minutemen, have struggled with consistency.

Northeastern is led in scoring by sophomore defenseman Vinny Borgesi and sophomore forward Cam Lund, each with a goal and five assists respectively.

The Huskies have dealt with injuries to impact players early on, as junior Justin Hryckowian and sophomores Jackson Dorrington and Hunter McDonald have each missed several games and could be out of the lineup on Friday.

Refocusing on UMass, the Minutemen struggled in the first game of their series with BU but bounced back with a strong performance on Saturday night at the Mullins Center.

“We were humbled on Friday night, didn’t feel right leaving the rink,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “Although we didn’t win the game on Saturday, it felt right leaving the rink. That’s what I care about. The kids played hard; [BU goalie Mathieu Caron] stood on his head. The kids came and they played hard, and they showed me a lot.”

Saturday night’s bounce back performance was led by three freshman who netted all three goals for the Minutemen. Jack Musa, Aydar Suniev and Dans Locmelis each lit the lamp on Saturday night and helped UMass earn a tie against a formidable BU team.

“The three of them combined are as good as any three freshmen forwards we’ve had in any recruiting class,” Carvel said. “They’re quickly finding their ways. They’re three players that I felt that were going to be impactful pretty early on, and I think they’ve shown that.”

Musa was recently named Hockey East Rookie of the Month, an award he has earned by leading the Minutemen in points with 10.

Locmelis’ goal was the first of his UMass career and gave the Minutemen a late lead on Saturday night. The freshman out of Latvia has made an impact on the ice in his first three games, despite missing the start of the season.

“He’s a tenacious player, and that’s how he scored his goal,” Carvel said. “He just chased down the puck, owned it, earned it, shot it, scored. That’s the kind of player I like to coach, that they earn it. He’s a talented player, but he doesn’t rely on talent, he relies on his tenacity. He’s a gritty player, competitive player, fearless player; really fun kid to coach.”

UMass’ depth has been on full display this year, a welcome sign after last year when it struggled to score goals consistently. Through just seven games, 15 players have at least one goal scored, and scoring isn’t just coming from the same players. All four lines and three defensive pairs have impacted the offense of the game in one way or another.

Even though scoring consistency has been present for the Minutemen, other aspects of the game have held UMass back from being as smooth all-around as it would like. Through seven games, the Minutemen are tied for seventh in the country in penalties taken and are averaging just over 13 minutes in the box per game.

Scott Morrow has stood out on the ice for UMass so far this season, as he received the second of two Hockey East monthly awards alongside Jack Musa as Defender of the Month. The junior has stepped his defensive game up this season after being somewhat one-dimensional in his first two season.

“[Morrow’s] come a long, long way,” Carvel said. “I’m very proud of him. He’s a kid that rode on talent for a long time and we challenged him to match that talent with being a solid teammate, playing to our identity and he’s done it all.”

“His game has, to me, been transformational. I thought this past weekend was the best he’s played for us. You didn’t see bad turnovers, you saw him use his body, his gaps were outstanding, made quick offensive plays with the puck, becoming more and more reliable defensively. He’s becoming a pro.”

Puck drop is slated for 7:30 on Friday night at the Mullins Center.

“I imagine it’s going to be just another Hockey East game,” Carvel said. “You better come ready to play, you better stay out of the penalty box and you better work hard.”

Matt Skillings can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @matt_skillings.