BOSTON – In a heated matchup Friday afternoon, No. 7 Northeastern extended its win streak to nine games with a victory over No. 4 Penn State. The Nittany Lions entered the game undefeated, fresh off a 16-game win streak, marking the first top-five team to visit Historic Matthews Arena since 2022.
The first period began relatively evenly, with the Huskies holding their ground for the first ten minutes. Senior defender Jules Constantinople garnered a hooking penalty just under 13 minutes into the frame, turning the tide to favor the Nittany Lions, even with Northeastern’s top-notch penalty kill standing strong; the unit ranks first in the country across all eligible teams with a 95.5% kill clip.
Northeastern sophomore goaltender Lia Jönsson was put under pressure, making 16 saves throughout the first 20 minutes of play. The barrage put on her by Penn State helped build her confidence as time ticked on.
“Getting a lot of shots in the first period is a great way to get into the game,” Jönsson said. “I felt like I had momentum there.”
With 24 seconds left in the period and Penn State having dominated offensively for the majority of the trailing minutes, graduate student forward Jaden Bogden scored on a three-on-one assisted by freshman Stryker Zablocki and senior captain Lily Shannon. The Huskies’ top offensive line connected on what was the first shot on goal the team had generated all afternoon.
Northeastern fought throughout the first period, struggling to create space and get shots on goal, although the scoreboard after the buzzer didn’t accurately reflect these difficulties.
“[It was] probably the worst game we’ve played all year,” said Northeastern head coach Dave Flint. “I told the team, ‘Hey, listen, play the game. Let’s regroup here.’”
Regroup, they did.
Despite their shortcomings offensively in the first period, the second marked a different style of play. With Jönsson looking strong behind them, Northeastern began to dominate.
Freshman defender Alessia Baechler scored her first career NCAA goal just over 13 minutes into the period with a wrist shot from the point, the chance generated by the aggressive forecheck from freshman forward Emy McDermid and senior forward Lily Brazis.
And just three minutes after Baechler’s goal, Shannon followed suit, snapping in her 11th goal of the season following a delayed Penn State penalty, with Bogden McDermid each tallying their second points of the game off assists on Shannon’s score.
The game took a turn for the uncertain in the third period. With 17 minutes left in regulation play, sophomore forward Grace Outwater scored the Nittany Lions’ first goal with a snapshot directly off a faceoff, an aspect of the game Penn State securely held over the Huskies; the Nittany Lions won 60% of all faceoffs taken.
Graduate student forward Mya Vaslet scored just four minutes later in a skirmish in front of Jönsson’s net, and all of a sudden, Northeastern’s lead had decreased to one.
“They don’t go away,” said Flint. “They just keep coming at you, keep pressing.”
The final minutes of the game were filled with tension as the Huskies tried to box out the Nittany Lions’ feverish attempts at sustaining their 16-game win streak. Jönsson stood on her head, making five spectacular saves in the final 10 minutes, with several other Penn State shots barely missing wide or blocked by Northeastern bodies just in front of the goal.
“My strategy is not to think,” said Jönsson.
The 2024-25 Hockey East All-Rookie selection kept her cool throughout the entire game, but in particular, the final minutes of the matchup were a strong display of instinct and level-headedness.
After minutes of building tension, the buzzer finally sounded, the Huskies immediately rushing to congratulate their goaltender. In a prove-it game against the undefeated Nittany Lions, Northeastern did just that with their 3-2 victory, extending their win streak to nine.
“This is a really good opportunity for us to make a difference and show people on a national stage that we can beat top five teams,” Flint said.
Northeastern climbs to fifth in the NCAA Percentage Index, the first time since 2018 that the team has ranked that high. The Huskies will look to maintain their monumental season in the second game of the weekend series against Penn State following a hard-fought battle Friday.
The Huskies return to action Saturday, Nov. 29 with a rematch against Penn State. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. at the Dorothy Talbot Rink in Gloucester, Mass., with Daisy Roberts on the call LIVE on WRBB Sports+.
Eleanor Johnson is an aspiring writer and broadcaster for WRBB Sports.