BOSTON – Junior defender Rylie Jones’ first collegiate goal headlined Northeastern’s third period heroics as the Huskies scored three unanswered from a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers Saturday afternoon.
Coming off the heels of a 3-2 come-from-behind win in the season opener the night prior, where Northeastern was forced to overcome two separate one-goal deficits, the Huskies found themselves in a similar situation when junior defender Emma Pickering opened the scoring in the first period. Locating a puck at the left-side point, Pickering rifled a wrist shot through traffic and beyond sophomore goaltender Lisa Jönsson’s righthand side.
Pickering’s goal was the lone highlight in a first period characterized by extended periods of play without a whistle. Supplemented by RIT’s physical brand of play and senior goaltender Sophia Bellina commanding her goal crease, Northeastern’s speedy offensive corps struggled to transition into the offensive zone and were held to a select set of fruitless netfront chances.
By the time the first period concluded, RIT held on to a 1-0 lead, relying on six blocked shots to compete against Northeastern’s 10-7 shot advantage in the opening frame.
“RIT kind of clogs that area up, but you got to battle through that,” head coach Dave Flint said. “I felt like [in the] first and second period, we had some chances and we just weren’t capitalizing in front of the net, so I told them ‘Bear down in front and try to capitalize.’”
In the middle 20 minutes, Northeastern’s offensive pressure continued, but to no avail. Perhaps the home side’s biggest signs of improvement showed themselves in the penalty kill unit, whose clearances managed to circumvent RIT’s strong hold on the blue line with greater success as the period evolved. Saturday marked the first time the Huskies found themselves on the penalty kill, and they managed to keep an RIT power play that entered the contest successful in seven-of-13 power plays at bay.
Both teams struggled to manufacture any clear-cut chances during the second period, especially with Northeastern’s defensive unit holding RIT to six shots, many of which came from the perimeter. The Huskies managed to stuff a handful of chances against Bellina from the doorstep, with senior Lily Shannon ringing the iron on one effort, but the score remained 1-0 after 40 minutes of play.
After scoring 45 of its 89 goals in 2024/25 during the third period, Northeastern continued the trend of saving its best play for last with a resurgent final frame.
Less than two minutes into the period, junior forward Ella Blackmore pickpocketed freshman defender Tilli Keranen, forcing Bellina into a kick save before neatly depositing the rebound. The goal marked Blackmore’s first of the season and the eleventh of her collegiate career.
Northeastern found the go-ahead goal – and eventual game winner – less than five minutes later.
Just one night after netting her first collegiate goal, freshman defender Ella Lloyd continued to make her presence felt when her aggressive forechecking produced a loose puck in the corner. Senior forward Holly Abela then threaded a pass into the high slot, where Jones corralled the puck and flung it top shelf in one swift motion.
“I’m so thankful to be able to do it here in Matthews,” Jones said. “I just kind of blacked out, but my teammates set me up – the puck was on my stick and I was just lucky to find the back of the net.”
Jones was quick to credit the team, with particular emphasis on her new defensive partner, who has recorded two points in her first two collegiate games.
“She’s great – she has acclimated perfectly. She’s awesome to play with: she’s super offensive, she’s great at communicating on the ice, so I’m so happy to be her partner.”
With the clock winding down, Northeastern added an insurance goal when Shannon sent a sprawling poke check to sophomore forward Morgan Jackson. Jackson steered the drifting puck into an empty RIT cage, cementing the Huskies’ 3-1 victory and her own place atop the Huskies’ points tally.
Even with some uneven play, Northeastern exits the opening weekend with a two-game sweep, marking just the fourth time in the last ten seasons the Huskies kick off the season with a 2-0 start.
“It feels really good to get two wins under our belt going into our league, so we’re excited to play Providence and now we have a little bit of chemistry starting to build,” Jones said.
The Huskies return to action Friday, with a home matchup against Providence. Puck drop is set for 1:30 PM, with a broadcast on Sports+.
Chase Alexander is a writer and broadcaster with WRBB Sports. Check out his personal portfolio here and feel free to follow him on Linkedin and X (Twitter).