STORRS, CT — Facing a thinned lineup and one of the toughest road environments in the conference, Northeastern found a way to win once again. Behind timely goals, a steady performance from goaltender Lisa Jönsson, and an overtime bounce earned through pressure, Northeastern edged UConn 3-2 in overtime, completing a season sweep for the second straight year.
The win didn’t come easily. Injuries forced Northeastern to lean on depth players in elevated roles, while UConn entered the night intent on flipping the script after two losses earlier in the series. Instead, the matchup followed a familiar pattern: tight margins, heavy physicality, and a finish that required patience.
UConn struck first early in the opening period. Just four minutes into the game, junior forward Ashley Allard capitalized on net-front chaos, finishing a rebound after sustained pressure in the offensive zone to give the home side a 1-0 lead. Northeastern struggled initially to clear bodies from the slot, and UConn made the early advantage count.
The response came on special teams. With just under nine minutes remaining in the first period, Northeastern drew its lone power play of the night, and the equalizer was clinical.
Junior forward Allie Lalonde worked the puck across the zone and found fellow junior Rylie Jones in space at the top of the circle. Jones didn’t hesitate, ripping a perfectly placed shot over UConn goaltender Tia Chan’s glove and into the top-right corner to tie the game at one apiece.
Just as the period appeared headed for intermission deadlocked, another breakdown proved costly. With 34 seconds left, a failed zone exit from Northeastern left sophomore forward Claire Murdoch alone in transition.
Murdoch walked in uncontested and slipped a five-hole finish past Jönsson, restoring UConn’s lead at 2-1 heading into the break.
Despite UConn controlling time of possession in the second period, Northeastern found its legs through the neutral zone and began generating odd-man looks off quick transitions.
That pressure paid off with just over three minutes left in the period when Lalonde again drove the play, weaving through traffic before setting up a two-on-one rush. Her centering feed found freshman forward Stryker Zablocki on the back door, and Zablocki buried the chance to knot the game at two.
From there, chances came in waves at both ends. Jönsson was sharp through traffic, swallowing rebounds and controlling play around her crease, while Chan answered with several key saves to keep the game level. As the minutes wore on, the physical toll of the back-and-forth became evident, particularly for a Northeastern lineup already stretched thin.
The third period belonged largely to UConn, but Northeastern bent without breaking. Defensive coverage tightened, sticks stayed in lanes, and Jönsson turned aside a flurry of late chances to force overtime.
Overtime delivered the drama. Just one minute into the extra session, a turnover in the UConn offensive zone sent Northeastern sophomore Morgan Jackson and senior Lily Shannon racing the other way on a two-on-one.
Jackson’s initial backhand was stopped by Chan, but as UConn defenseman Meghane Duchesne-Chalifoux charged back, contact at the net caused the rebound to deflect across the goal line, ending the game in chaotic fashion and sealing the 3-2 Northeastern win.
Associate Head Coach Nick Carpenito pointed to resilience as the defining trait of the night.
“I’m so proud of our group,” Carpenito said. “We’re shorthanded, it’s on national TV, it’s a really great team we have tremendous respect for, and we battled all the way to the end. Everybody’s willing to step up and contribute in any way they can.”
That willingness was evident throughout the lineup. Players not typically asked to carry major minutes did just that, holding structure late and surviving long defensive-zone sequences. The reward, Carpenito noted, goes beyond one result.
“It gives players who don’t always have big roles a lot of confidence,” he said. “When we hopefully get healthy, we’re going to be able to rely on them more in big games like the playoffs next week.”
Shannon echoed that sentiment with a broader reflection on what the win represented beyond just the final score. With the rivalry’s recent history and the challenge of playing at UConn still fresh, she pointed to the group’s mindset and emotional edge as the difference.
“There’s something about this building,” Shannon said. “We lost the Hockey East championship here my sophomore year, so that’s always in the back of our minds. But UConn is one of our favorite teams to play. They’re physical, they’re really good, and it’s always close. To beat them all three times this year says a lot about our resilience.”
UConn outshot Northeastern 37-23 and controlled long stretches in the third, but Northeastern’s efficiency and defensive commitment offset the disparity.
More importantly, the result reinforced a trend. For the second consecutive season, Northeastern swept the season series against UConn, doing so three times on the road. With the postseason looming and health still a question mark, the win offered both a statement and a spark.
Northeastern returns to action Saturday for the final game of the regular season against Providence. Puck drop is set for 4 p.m., with Armaan Vij and Daisy Roberts on the call for WRBB Sports.
Armaan Vij is a third-year student at Northeastern University and a broadcaster and writer for WRBB Sports. He has covered Northeastern hockey, baseball, and rowing both on-air and in print for the past two years. Read all his articles here.