BOSTON — The No. 5 Northeastern Huskies were on a winning streak going into tonight’s matchup against the No. 14 Holy Cross Crusaders after sweeping a series against No. 7 UConn last weekend. The Crusaders, however, proved to be a formidable opponent, building a 2-0 lead that the Huskies had to crawl back from to take out a 2-2 tie and a shootout victory Thursday night at Walter Brown Arena.
After winning their last game with just 15 seconds remaining, the Huskies were eager to get on the board early against the Crusaders. Instead, the first period showcased a defensive battle between the two teams.
The Huskies controlled the pace early, testing the Crusaders’ senior goalie, Brooke Loranger, with quality chances. Freshman defender Ella Lloyd and senior forward Lily Brazis both created scoring opportunities, but the Crusaders’ goaltender stood tall between the pipes.
Net-front presence proved to be the Huskies’ biggest challenge: shots from the blue line were fired, but there was no one to capitalize on the rebounds.
“I think we have to be better when we get our chances,” said Northeastern assistant head coach Lindsay Berman. “They don’t come very many in a row. I think that’s a big piece, bearing down in front of the net.”
The Huskies got one of those chances with 21 seconds remaining in the opening period, when Holy Cross forward Anna Billa was called for interference, putting the Huskies on the man advantage. However, Northeastern couldn’t break through before the buzzer, and the first period ended with both teams looking to get on the board.
The second period opened up with a promise for the Huskies, as they had the remaining 1:39 of a power play to start the frame. But the Crusaders, had no intentions of breaking, holding onto the nation’s leading penalty kill at 88.6% and the Huskies couldn’t capitalize with the extra skater, keeping the game scoreless.
Midway through the period, the Huskies faced a scare as sophomore defender Tristan Thompson caught an edge, flying hard into the boards, leaving the ice, and forcing the Huskies to shuffle their defensive unit.
The Huskies then faced even more of a challenge when graduate student and assistant captain Jaden Bogden was called for indirect contact to the head, putting the Crusaders on the power play. They generated some good looks, but Northeastern sophomore goalie, Lisa Jönsson stood firm.
After both teams put up a physical battle for control for most of the period, the Crusaders broke through with five minutes remaining, when senior Lane Lewis scored off the rebound of junior Lulu Rourke’s stick, ripping the puck past Jönsson and into the top right of the net for a 1-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the Crusaders to double that lead.
Just 30 seconds later, junior Reghan Chadwick, with help from freshman Brooklyn Deck and sophomore Kenzee Hope, flew by the Huskies’ defense from the left circle, snipping a shot over Jönsson’s left shoulder to make it 2-0.
“The first [goal], I thought we were just a little soft coming out of the corner,” Berman said. “The second one, I thought we made a pretty bad step, but also the bounce landed right on their stick.”
The Huskies headed into the locker room down two goals, facing their biggest test of the night.
The third period opened with new energy from the Huskies, determined to erase the deficit. Just one minute in, Chadwick was called for slashing, giving Northeastern a chance to come back.
That would soon be negated as Huskies sophomore forward Eloise Caron took a minor for boarding, creating a 4-on-4 that produced no goals.
With over seven minutes remaining, the Huskies finally broke through. Senior Kristina Allard, fresh out of the penalty box after serving a minor penalty for hooking, fired a shot from above the circle to beat Loranger through the legs and narrow the deficit to 2-1.
“I just walked down, saw my shot, and shot right above the pad, and I was hoping for a rebound, but I got the goal, and I was pretty excited about it,” Allard said.
Momentum had shifted in the Huskies’ favor, and with time winding down, they pulled Jönsson for an extra attacker.
And it paid off. With 31 seconds left in the game, Huskies senior defender Jules Constantinople was in the right spot at the right time, in front of the net, to tie the game on a shot from junior Rylie Jones.
All tied up at 2-2, the game headed into overtime.
Both teams continued to fight hard as they traded chances in the 3-on-3, but neither could slot in the winner. With both goaltenders refusing to break, the game remained tied after the five extra minutes, meaning it would be decided in a shootout.
The shootout battle mirrored the fight in overtime, with both goalies standing strong after five goalless rounds.
In the sixth round, Allard stepped up and beat Loranger, putting the Huskies one step closer to victory. With the win in Jönsson’s hands, she was able to make the save and seal the shootout win for the Huskies.
“I am just gonna go up there with a smile on my face, and just enjoy the moment cause why not?” Allard said of her shootout approach. “And it ended up being great.”
It was not a smooth game for the Huskies, but their ability to battle back showed why they sit at the top of the Hockey East standings.
Northeastern and Holy Cross will meet again on Saturday at 6 pm at the Hart Center Rink in Worcester for the second game of the series.
Isabelle Chardavoyne is a sophomore journalism and communication major at Northeastern University and a sports writer for WRBB. You can find more of her work here.