Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

It’s been well documented that the Huskies’ 2015-16 campaign has been a tale of two seasons. Northeastern started out with a record of 1-11-2, but is now headed into the NCAA tournament unbeaten in 22 of its past 23 games.

For senior Dustin Darou, the season has mirrored this dramatic swing from one extreme to the other.

Darou, a 6-foot-1-inch defenseman, broke his tibia and dislocated his ankle at the Travis Roy Foundation’s charity Whiffle ball game over the summer—injuries he suffered sliding into the third base that put him out for six months.

This was not how Darou wanted his senior season to begin, missing the team’s first 19 games before returning on Jan. 8. But he focused on staying upbeat about his recovery and bringing a positive energy to the locker room during that early rough patch when he was sidelined and the team was struggling. “It was a tough time for everybody,” he said, “but I think we as a team knew where we could be.”

Where they could be was competing in the NCAA tournament. Now the Huskies are there, and playing their best hockey of the season.

Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University