CHESTNUT HILL – Coming off of a rough conference loss, the Northeastern Huskies looked to bounce back in their weekend series opener against the Boston College Eagles. Improvements needed to be made and the team certainly adjusted. Thanks to poised team synergy and a noticeably explosive attitude, alongside a monstrous night from junior Allie Lalonde — marked by her first career hat trick — the Huskies took down their conference rivals 3-1.
The first period was characterized by the strong suit of each team, led by conference-recognized stars. Northeastern’s offense was in full effect. With a strong effort spearheaded by Hockey East Player of the Month, senior captain Lily Shannon, and Hockey East Rookie of the Month, Stryker Zablocki, who combined for 12 of Northeastern’s 40 shots, most of the first period was spent in the Huskies’ offensive zone. However, they had a big test against the Boston College defense, backed by Hockey East Goalie of the Month, senior Grace Campbell.
The nationally top-ranked Northeastern penalty kill unit also came back into full effect during the first period. After two unfortunate goals surrendered on Tuesday contributed to an overall weak showing, the Huskies showed why penalty killing is an integral part of their game.
“[Tuesday] was just one of those games,” said Northeastern head coach Dave Flint. “They did a really good job shutting down BC… Effort was better, execution was better… happy with the win.”
Tensions were high and both teams were prepared for what looked to be a dogfight. As the game progressed, a true Hockey East showdown was brewing in what seemed like an unstoppable force versus an immovable object. That would all change in the second period when Lalonde would emerge as the difference maker of the night.
After sophomore Éloïse Caron gained control of the puck behind Campbell’s net, a sneaky centering pass found its way to Lalonde, who beat the goaltender with a perfectly placed feed from near the crease.
Five minutes later, Lalonde would get another exceptional opportunity on a poor pass that led to an Eagles turnover in their own zone. Lalonde scooped up the puck and beat Campbell through the five-hole to put the Huskies up 2-0.
Although the Huskies’ energy was high after two quick goals, Boston College had a response incoming. After barely another minute of play, freshman Maxim Tremblay put BC on the board with a snapshot goal past Northeastern sophomore netminder Lisa Jönsson, who hadn’t seen much action up until that moment. After racing to beat out two Husky defenders, the driving Tremblay whizzed the puck into the top corner over Jönsson’s glove making it a 2-1 game.
Nearing the 12-minute mark in the third period, Lalonde put the icing on the cake with her third goal of the night, earning her first career hat trick and padding Northeastern’s lead once more. However, she wasn’t the only one with a trio of points; sophomore Morgan Jackson assisted all three goals, highlighting the chemistry of the second line.
“It was definitely electric for me, first hat trick in my NCAA career,” Lalonde explained after the win. “I can’t thank my team enough for helping and getting the puck up the ice fast… good team effort.”
With this much-needed and well-deserved victory, the Huskies’ overall record improves to 10-1-0 in conference play and 14-4-0 overall. With momentum restored and confidence surging, Northeastern now looks to close out their semester of games with another statement performance.
The Huskies will look to keep rolling in Saturday’s home rematch, where they seek the weekend sweep in their Senior Night and Matthews Arena finale. Catch the Matthews Arena finale for Northeastern women’s hockey on Saturday, December 6th at 1:30 p.m. Daisy Roberts, Amelia Ballingall, and Daniel Ku will have the call on WRBB Sports+.
Michael Kaminsky is a sophomore at Northeastern in his first year with WRBB. He is thrilled to be a part of the broadcast team, and is eager to cover many games across Northeastern’s various athletic programs.