doherty ......... Husky Tales ..... hockey wrap ... Passion for men's hockey has been re-piqued at Northeastern University. The Smith system, a study in discipline, patience, and passion, paid large dividends in the winter of 1994. Named for head coach Ben Smith, "the system" lugged the Huskies from seventh and eight place finishes in Hockey East the last two seasons to the upper echelon of division l's most competitive conference. In 1994, the Huskies posted a 19-13-7 record and earned the respect that the program demanded back in the late 1980's, when Northeastern won its fourth Beanpot Championship and second NCAA appearance of that decade. Fashioning a fourth place finish with consistent efforts at home and on the road, Smith and company secured a home ice berth in the first round of the HEA playoffs, in which they eliminated Providence in two straight games. "Mush," became the proclamation of the Huskies, who tied UNH in the HEA Championship consolation contest at Boston Garden to spark an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Anyone privy to a ticket or a television screen (SportsChannel) for the venue in East Lansing, Michigan on Saturday afternoon, March 26th, had all they could do to stifle that battle cry. The first round game against Lake Superior State-­ eventual NCAA Champions--was a celebration and a nightmare rolled into one. The Huskies proved they belonged in the NCAA Big Dance by outplaying LSSC, but dropped a controversial, 6- 5, overtime decision to the Lakers. Officials ruled that an apparent game-winning Northeastern goal never crossed the goal line, and, despite replay proof to the contrary, Dan Lupo's shot went forever unrecorded. Lake Superior State proceeded to defeat HEA arch-rival Boston University in the NCAA Finals. Alas, the Huskies had their best winter of men's hockey in six years, reaping team and individual honors. Centerman Mike Taylor and defenseman Francois Bouchard earned First Team All HEA honors, while 28-goal scorer J.F. Aube made the second team. Bouchard added All New England kudos to his mantle, while Tom O'Connor (co-captain along with senior classmate Taylor) won the New England Sportswriters Most Improved Player Award. Statistically, Taylor (11-36-46, 100 career assists) and sophomore winger Jordon Shields (15-19-44) led the team in scoring, while resuscitated junior goaltender Todd Reynolds backboned the team to 12 victories. Teamwise, the Huskies won the prestigious Len Ceglarski Award for Sportsmanship. Setting the pace for a return to next year's NCAA Tournament, Coach Smith, who will enter his fourth year at the Husky helm next year, announced the election of seniors Tom Parlon (Hyde Park),and Darryl MacNair (Timmins, ONT) to the 1994-95 captaincy. .