After splitting their opening-weekend series against No. 11 Penn State, Northeastern looked to reset down in Long Island with a matchup against the Sharks, a team the Huskies’ had a clear talent edge over on paper.
Though LIU hung tight with Northeastern and kept both games close, the Huskies came away with shutout victories in both contests — winning Friday’s game 6-0, and the rematch on Saturday 2-0, with both scores coming in the third period.
Here are recaps from each of Northeastern’s two wins this weekend:
Game 1 (Friday)
Freshman Allie Lalonde opened the scoring early in the first period of game one, poking home junior Skylar Irving’s centering pass from the back doorstep of the goal. The opening score was Lalonde’s first collegiate goal and first as a Husky.
The first period continued to go Northeastern’s way, as they pinned the Sharks in their own end for the majority of the frame. Freshman Peyton Compton got in on the action with under thirty seconds on the clock, skating from behind the Long Island net up to the high slot, and sniping the puck home to double the Northeastern lead.
Merely five minutes into the second period, and the Huskies offense struck again. This time it was fifth-year Peyton Anderson who buried Irving’s centering pass from the backdoor, making it a 3-0 game.
The entire time the offense was rolling, senior goaltender Gwyneth Phillips was holding down the fort. The Sharks offense didn’t exactly challenge her in Game 1, but they did enough to make her break a sweat, as she saved all 17 shots sent her way.
Sophomore Kristina Allard, who missed a significant portion of last season due to injury, also scored her first Northeastern goal when she joined the attack from the blueline as the fourth skater forward. A juicy rebound fell right at her stick, and she tapped the puck into the open net, making it a 4-0 game.
The scoring party was not over yet, as the Huskies found themselves on the powerplay late in the third period. Anderson slid into a dangerous area of the ice, and tipped home Lalonde’s shot for her second score of the game.
The Huskies were not releasing any pressure, as seconds later, a devastating Allard wrist shot got by the LIU defense, giving the Huskies a 6-0 lead and convincing victory in the series opener.
Game 2 (Saturday)
After a comfortable win in Game 1, the Huskies seemed to be rolling. After scoring three goals in the final period of that first game, it seemed as if they would carry their momentum into Saturday
The Sharks, however, were not willing to roll over and submit to the Huskies. They opened up Game 2 with a newfound sharpness to their game, which clearly caught the red and black off guard. The Long Island defense was stout in the opening frame, limiting the Huskies to only seven shots in the first twenty. The Sharks offense also managed to get unstuck, and tallied seven shots of their own on the cage of Phillips. The senior netminder stood tall, and stopped each of the shots she saw.
The second period was much the same, although Northeastern did manage to garner some offensive momentum, pouring 18 shots toward the Sharks goal. LIU’s junior goaltender Tindra Holm was more than solid, stopping all 10 she saw through the first two periods.
The momentum seemed to shift the Sharks way when midway through the third period, the Huskies took two penalties within a minute. Down two skaters, the Sharks were presented with their best scoring opportunity all weekend. However, graduate student Katy Knoll had other things on her mind. She recovered the puck in the neutral zone, and using her sublime speed she skated into the attacking zone, and beat Holm’s glove side to give Northeastern the 1-0 lead.
Knoll’s shorthanded effort was followed up a minute later by junior Taze Thompson. Thompson positioned herself in the slot, and was able to tip a ranged effort from senior Lily Yovetich into the back of the net, doubling the Northeastern lead.
Phillips and the Huskies defense was able to hold on for the final four minutes, and completed the weekend without allowing a goal. The Northeastern offense was able to match the defense’s effort, and they would come away with a pair of wins on the weekend.
This weekend, the Huskies will return to Boston for a home-and-home series against the Boston University Terriers to open Hockey East play. Daisy Roberts, Emma Sullivan, and Khalin Kapoor will have the call of Friday’s series opener live on WRBB Sports at 6pm.