MANCHESTER, NH — It’s been just over six months since Northeastern’s memorable trip to the Frozen Four, and the stage is set for the Huskies to begin their next journey toward another deep postseason run. Before the regular season officially begins next Friday, the Huskies took the ice against the Saint Anselm Hawks in an exhibition matchup, giving both sides a chance to iron things out before the real thing.
For Northeastern, there was little to iron out offensively.
The Huskies scored less than a minute into the contest and never let up, cruising to a 5-1 victory behind 67 shots on goal and 101 total shots.
Just 42 seconds into the opening period, senior forward Allie Lalonde opened the scoring on a centering pass from behind the net from junior forward Morgan Jackson, giving Northeastern an early 1-0 lead.
The Huskies continued to control the game and earned their first power play following a tripping call against Saint Anselm junior Jada Kosowan. Sophomore forward Emy McDermid made the Hawks pay, scoring on an almost identical play to the first goal as Northeastern extended its lead to 2-0 just over four minutes into the period.
Saint Anselm struggled to slow down the Huskies’ attack, and another penalty gave Northeastern another opportunity with the extra skater. With just over three minutes remaining in the opening period, graduate forward Grace Sadura converted on a second chance opportunity to make it 3-0.
Sadura did not wait long to add another.
Just 39 seconds into the second period, Sadura deflected a shot from Lalonde into the bottom left corner for her second goal of the night, pushing Northeastern’s advantage to 4-0.
The early production from Sadura, Lalonde and Jackson gave the Huskies an encouraging first look at a top line that could play a significant role throughout the season.
“I think they complement each other really well,” said associate head coach Nick Carpenito. “You have Allie, who’s definitely the driver of that line with speed and playmaking abilities. Morgan Jackson, same thing, lots of speed and really good playmaking abilities, heavy shot.”
Carpenito also pointed to Sadura’s willingness to get to the net as a key part of the line’s chemistry.
“She’s always around the net,” Carpenito said. “She does a great job supporting off the puck. That’s going to be a dangerous line for us this year, so I’m excited about it.”
While Northeastern continued to generate chances, Saint Anselm struggled to create much offensively. The Hawks managed just seven shots on goal through the first two periods, compared to Northeastern’s 36.
Just under six minutes into the third period, Lalonde added her second goal of the game after carrying the puck from the neutral zone on an impressive solo effort, giving the Huskies a 5-0 lead.
Saint Anselm finally got on the board halfway through the third period following a holding penalty against Northeastern captain Kristina Allard. Freshman defender Bavneet Dhaliwal converted on the power play off an assist from senior forward Hailey Tullo to cut the deficit to 5-1.
Northeastern also used the exhibition to give each of its three goaltenders a full period in the crease. Junior Lisa Jönsson started the game and stopped both shots she faced in the first period, while sophomore Renna Trembecky took over in the second and turned aside all five shots she faced. Freshman Ava Scannell played the third period and made one save, allowing Saint Anselm’s lone goal of the night.
Saint Anselm rotated through its own three goaltenders, with sophomore Emma Brewer starting the first period, freshman Helen Zeaske taking the second and freshman Kalyssa Bayne finishing the game.
The exhibition also gave Northeastern’s group of freshman forwards their first opportunity to make an impression.
“We told all of our players, seniors as well, we don’t care if you make mistakes. The most important thing for us is we want to see a good quality effort,” Carpenito said.
He said the freshman group showed maturity throughout the game and competed hard in their first collegiate appearance.
For Saint Anselm, the exhibition marked the beginning of a season with significant roster turnover. Just eight of the Hawks’ 26 players returned from last season, with 12 freshmen on the current roster.
The Hawks are also preparing for a larger transition, with the school planning to move its entire athletic department, including women’s hockey, to Division III beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.
For Northeastern, the win provided an early look at a team replacing several key pieces from its Frozen Four run, and the Huskies will now have a week to build on the exhibition before opening the regular season next Friday.
Northeastern will kick off their regular season on Friday, on the road against RPI. Max Schwartzberg will be on the call, with puck drop set for 6 pm on WRBB Sports.
Armaan Vij is the Editor-in-Chief for WRBB Sports. He has covered Northeastern hockey, baseball, and rowing both on-air and in print for the past three years. Read all his articles here.