Story by Samuel Kirshman
Photos by Ethan Wayne
BOSTON – Despite their dominance in the offensive zone, the Huskies only put up three goals over a struggling Holy Cross team en route to a 3-1 victory. Passing was the name of the game today, neither team’s was particularly strong, but Northeastern was able to complete a few more key ones than their opponent, which gave them the advantage in this contest. They peppered the net with 42 shots, and dominated puck time for most of the game.
Seemingly reverting to the form they showed against BU and Providence two weeks ago, the Huskies looked sluggish offensively in the first period against a notably weaker opponent in Holy Cross. Though outshooting Holy Cross 14-4 and dominating in the faceoff circle, they would end the period down 1-0. The lone goal came from a broken play in which Millie Sirum was able to scoop up the puck for a 1-on-1 showdown with Northeastern goaltender Aerin Frankel, which the former was able to win, low on the glove side. This goal broke a 56-0 scoring run the Huskies had had against Holy Cross since November 30, 2018.
The shock of the first period was quickly absorbed when the Huskies were able to put home a goal just sixty seconds into the second. With the help of the power play, Skylar Fontaine ripped a shot from the top of the point which was deflected in by the reigning Hockey East player of the week, Maureen Murphy, to tie the game. Murphy has been on a tear of late, and tonight she showed no signs of slowing down. Her play was physical, aggressive, and fast, and this goal was the first of two she was eventually able to put home. The rest of the period didn’t have a result on the scoreboard, mostly as a result of lots of transitional play. However, the Huskies did whiff on a couple of great chances near the end of the period, but Holy Cross goaltender Jada Brenon was continuing to play her best.
The third period was as tense as could be. Both clubs showed offensive improvement in the period, but Northeastern was the only team that could quantify that effort here. The Huskies scored their second, and game-winning, goal on a rebound that was swept in by Katy Knoll. Lauren MacInnis took the original shot, which deflected off the chest of Crusader Jada Brenon, kicked off a skate or two, which Katy Knoll swiftly took care of, and sending the puck in the crease behind Brenon. From there on, the Huskies took control of the puck, simply playing keep away to drown out the clock. Maureen Murphy would tally one more goal in the late minutes, an empty netter, as she scored the puck three quarters of the way down the ice.
The Huskies dominated offensively, shooting far more than Holy Cross, despite the low tally on the scoreboard. Holy Cross’s offense showed notable improvement in the third period, and for a program struggling as much as they are, this game can be considered a serious improvement. The Huskies look forward to taking on Boston College Friday Oct. 29, at 6pm.