BOSTON — Head coach Brett Riley had some uncertainty about to what to expect in the LIU men's ice hockey team's season opener on Saturday night. After all, nearly half of the players Riley dressed against the nation's ninth-ranked team were newcomers to the program.

Riley now has plenty of confidence in his team, which is in only its third season in existence.

After Northeastern right winger Riley Hughes picked up a cross-checking penalty in a scrum at the conclusion of the season period, Adam Goodsir scored a power-play goal for the Sharks 49 seconds into the third period to even the score.

LIU ultimately fell to No. 9 Northeastern, 3-2 in overtime, in both teams' openers at Matthews Arena.

Vinny Borgesi tallied the game-winner during 3-on-3 play in the extra period.

"There are no moral victories," Riley said. "We expect a relentless effort, really good attitude and a commitment to playing the right way. And we saw that. To come on the road against a top-10 team and be right there — it was settled in a 3-on-3 overtime decision — is definitely something to build off of. We've got work to do, but it's a good starting point."

Goodsir, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward, arrived on Long Island after a four-year undergraduate career at Michigan State during which he tallied six goals in 131 games.

Of the 21 players LIU dressed on Saturday night, 10 were newcomers to the program.

"Adam came here for an opportunity like this, to kind of be a centerpiece," Riley said. "He's doing just that."

Like Goodsir, Nolan Welsh similarly scored quickly to open a period. Welsh, a junior, scored 13 seconds into the second period against Huskies goaltender Devon Levi, the National Rookie of the Year last season, to even the score at 1.

Vinnie Purpura made 43 saves for the Sharks, including a point-blank stop on Cam Lund in the final minute of regulation. 

Levi was one of a dozen Northeastern players who have been drafted by NHL clubs who dressed for Saturday's game.

LIU returns to action next weekend with games at Stonehill and No. 7 Quinnipiac.