Back for their last season opener in the historic Matthews Arena, the Huskies pulled off a 3-2 win over the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers. It was a close game fronted by Northeastern’s youthful yet dominating offense and RIT’s standout defense and penalty kill. A chirpy game made for a compelling battle between these two gritty teams.
Momentum shifts played a huge factor in this game for both teams. Shortly after puck drop, just under three minutes into the game, the Tigers got themselves on the board. A strong offensive effort paid off through a rush resulting in a five-hole goal by junior forward Addie Alvarez. This determined play style allowed RIT to grab the momentum that pressured Northeastern early in this game. The Huskies found themselves held back in their defensive zone through the opening minutes of the game, but caught a break with their first power play of the 2025-26 season.
Although they were unable to capitalize, a well-timed media pause reinvigorated Northeastern. After breaking out of their own end, a strong offensive possession allowed the Huskies to pick up their first tally of the season off the stick of sophomore Morgan Jackson, assisted by both of her linemates, Éloïse Caron and Allie Lalonde. After some grueling possession work behind the opposing goal, Caron dealt a fiery centering feed to Jackson. Set up perfectly, Jackson ripped a one-timer past the Tigers’ defense setting off the buzzer. Throughout the night, a strong second line would prove to be a vital part of the Huskies offense.
“We got some good chemistry going and we’re just going to keep it up moving forward,” said Jackson, the recipient of the second star of the game.
Later in the first period, the Tigers took back the lead. With some quick speed, captain Jaiden Fahrny broke through Northeastern’s control to set up the Tigers for their second goal of the night. Fahrny’s cross-ice pass attempt went awry, but landed onto the stick of sophomore Ireland Stein, who punched it past an unsuspecting Lisa Jönsson. The Tigers took this 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Although dominating in shots on goal, Northeastern needed to regroup and show more signs of discipline by scoping out better offensive lanes and keeping passes clean in their defensive zone. They needed to return to play more focused if they wanted to score a much needed point. That is exactly what the Huskies did, tying the game via freshman Ella Lloyd’s first career collegiate goal. Lalonde won a faceoff in Northeastern’s offensive zone, feeding the puck straight to Lloyd, who snuck in a strong shot past the glove of RIT goaltender Sophia Bellina.
“It’s great to see our freshmen contributing early,” said Northeastern head coach Dave Flint after the game. “We’ve got some freshmen that are going pretty good right now.”
A poorly executed rush with a sloppy offsides call headlined Northeastern’s second unsuccessful attempt on the power play, leading to weaker back-and-forth action that carried the game toward the third period. However, with shots totaling 27 to 8 in favor of Northeastern up to that point, they were due for a breakout.
While on their third power play of the game, skilled puckhandler Caron was able to tap in a loose puck at the open back door. More exceptional play from the second line put the Huskies up 3-2 in the late stages of the game. Even with RIT pulling their goalie in the last minute, the Northeastern’s defense and command closed out the game, locking down the win to cap off a historic night.
The Tigers’ defense, with an impressive 23 blocked shots, fell short to the commanding 38 shots on target by the Huskies. Even if it didn’t come without some doubts, Northeastern will be pleased to kick off what promises to be a historic season with the most important thing: a win.
Northeastern returns to Matthews on Saturday to face RIT once more. Zeno Minotti, Amelia Ballingall, and Chase Alexander will be on the call, with puck drop set for 2 pm on Sports+.
Michael Kaminsky is a sophomore at Northeastern entering his first year with WRBB. He is thrilled to be joining the broadcast team, and is eager to cover many games across Northeastern’s various athletic programs.