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Boston, Mass. -- When you're hot, you're hot. That saying certainly applies to Northeastern senior forward Braden Pimm right now who has six goals in his last five games during his five game point streak.
Pimm had another two goals, including the first of the game, on Saturday as his team upset UMass Lowell, 4-1, at a rainy Fenway Park. That was after the Fort St. John, British Columbia native had the game-tying goal with under a minute to go in regulation and then scored the overtime goal just 12 seconds in on Tuesday night at Providence.
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Pimm, who now has 14 goals on the season, was modest when asked about his recent hot play.
"When I'm playing with players like Kevin Roy and John Stevens, two very good players, it opens up ice for me. Everyone has their eyes on Kevin so he really opens up the ice for everyone else," said Pimm.
"I just try to stay positive and loose and go play my game," said Pimm.
Pimm's hot play recently and his entire body of work in his final season on Huntington Ave. can be traced back to last spring, according to his head coach.
"He dedicated himself, not in September, but in May. The strength and conditioning he followed through. When he came back he was a lot leaner and a lot stronger. He had a different haircut and a different approach to things. It's carried over academically, in the community and certainly on the ice," said Jim Madigan.
Pimm scored 10 goals and added 12 assists as a sophomore, but his production tailed off as a junior. He registered just six goals and 11 assists which made the Vernon Vipers (BCHL) product hungry for a special senior season.
"Last year was an off year for him. He made it a point this year that this was his senior year. Something happens when you go into your senior year. You want your senior year to be a year you always remember and you want your team to do well," said Madigan, a former player at Northeastern.
Pimm has become a more reliable player at both ends of the ice and his importance to the team hasn't just started recently with his increased goal production.
"He's been consistent right from day one. I know he's got more goals lately, but if you look he helps us win not just by offense, but he kills penalties. We use him in the last minutes of periods and games. He's an all-around player," said Madigan.
He's made such an impression on his coaching staff and teammates that he was named an assistant captain prior to the game on Saturday.
"We announced Braden Pimm as an assistant captain because of his leadership and everything he has done for this program and especially to this year for the leadership on and off the ice," said Madigan.
Pimm's leadership has helped the Huskies to a 13-6-3 record overall and a tie for second place in Hockey East. The new assistant captain credits that to the team's philosophy going into games.
"It comes down to our mentality. We go into games not getting too high or too low. We have that kind of quiet confidence where we know we have the opportunity to win if we stick to our game plan," explained Pimm.
Pimm and his teammates will get back to work next weekend with an unusual home series against Vermont. The first game will count as a conference tilt, but the second is counted as a nonconference game.
Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting, NHL Draft prospects and the AHL for SBNation. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.