After a successful two-win weekend to kick off their season against RIT, #13 ranked Northeastern turned their sights towards Hockey East play and the Providence Friars. They did not disappoint.
After a back and forth opening ten minutes to the game, Éloïse Caron broke the deadlock midway through the first period on a beautifully operated three-on-two rush with Morgan Jackson and Allie Lalonde, who both picked up assists on the play. That continued a great start to the season for the Huskies second line, who combined for seven points over the opening weekend.
Just a few minutes later freshman Stryker Zablocki doubled the Northeastern lead for her first collegiate goal. She found a rebound in front of the crease off of a Lily Shannon shot before chipping it over Providence netminder Hope Walinski.
“She was great today,” said Northeastern head coach Dave Flint of Zablocki. “She creates with her speed.
The goal was the first of the season for the new look first line of Zablocki, Shannon, and Jaden Bogden, who continue to build their chemistry and assert their dominance as the afternoon progressed.
“We’ve been practicing with each other all week so we’ve been building chemistry,” said Shannon. “In between shifts we’re talking and trying to figure out what things we can do better next shift and that really helps our game.”
After a first period in which Northeastern had a slight advantage in play over Providence, the second was complete control for the Huskies. They finished the frame with a 21-6 advantage in the shots department. And the home team would make it count, adding a third goal when Lily Shannon buried one from in tight off a feed from Zablocki.
Jules Constantinople made it four for the Huskies on a power play snipe, which continued a trend of a Northeastern defender scoring in each of their games this season.
“Our D is super offensive this year,” said Lily Shannon. “It’s not just the offense that has to score…we have the D coming on the rush helping us score too.”
Northeastern had a number of looks in the third period as well, but needed no goals to cruise to a 4-0 victory. They finished the game outshooting Providence 47-18. For Lisa Jönsson, it was about as routine of a shutout as they come.
“Offensively we were really good today,” said Flint. “I loved all of the stuff we were doing in the offensive zone, moving the puck well, making good decisions, getting to the front of the net. Things we always talk about but don’t always do.”
The game was a great statement for the Huskies, who lost all three of their regular season games to the Friars last year. They now improve to 3-0 overall on the season.
Northeastern returns to action Saturday afternoon with a 2pm matchup against Rensselaer. Max Schwartzberg, Kabir Singh, and Zeno Minotti will have the call for WRBB.
Zeno Minotti is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University studying Communications, Psychology, and Sociology. He is a writer and broadcaster for Northeastern hockey and baseball. Read all of his articles here and follow him on X here.