After struggling in the early stages of the contest, No. 5/4 Northeastern overcame an early deficit against Merrimack, scoring four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 victory over the Warriors.
Sophomore forward Stryker Zablocki led the Huskies offensively, recording her second career hat trick against Merrimack, while Northeastern found another gear in the third period to pull away.
Merrimack entered the matchup with a 5-6-0 record and an NPI ranking of 32, the second-lowest mark in Hockey East. Despite the difference in records and rankings, the Warriors gave Northeastern trouble early, dictating play through the neutral zone and limiting the Huskies’ ability to stretch the ice with long passes.
The Huskies eventually broke through with five minutes remaining in the opening frame. Junior forward Éloïse Caron drove into the offensive zone along the left side before sending a centering pass to Zablocki at the back post. Zablocki finished with a backhand shot past Merrimack goaltender Machala Musty to give Northeastern a 1-0 lead.
That advantage lasted just eight seconds.
With several Huskies caught deep in their offensive zone, Merrimack forced a turnover and quickly turned the puck down the other end of the ice on a 2-on-1. Junior forward Maegan Cronan sent a pass across the zone to sophomore forward Cameron Crawford, who fired a wrist shot past Northeastern goaltender Lisa Jönsson, finding the space between her shoulder and chest to tie the game at one.
Despite winning 80 percent of the faceoffs in the first period, Northeastern struggled to turn its advantage at the dot into control of the game.
Merrimack carried that momentum into the second period, taking the lead just 26 seconds after the opening faceoff. The Warriors pinned Northeastern in its defensive zone, preventing the Huskies from clearing the puck. Junior forward Madison Vittands, working behind the net, sent a pass into the crease that found the stick of senior forward McKenzie Cerrato. Cerrato lifted the puck over Jönsson’s left shoulder to put Merrimack ahead 2-1.
The Huskies responded midway through the period. With 12 minutes remaining in the period, a bouncing puck in the offensive zone found freshman forward Adéla Pánková, who sent a pass to fellow freshman Lilly McInerney in the slot. McInerney collected the puck and fired a wrist shot into the top-left corner, bringing Northeastern level at two.
With three minutes remaining in the period, Northeastern took its first lead since the opening frame. Sophomore defender Ella Lloyd sent a cross-ice pass from the blue line to Zablocki, who buried a one-timer from the goal line extended past Musty as the goaltender moved across the crease. The goal gave Zablocki her second of the afternoon and put the Huskies ahead 3-2.
Northeastern nearly extended its lead moments later when Caron found herself alone in the slot with the puck. After taking a moment to pick her spot, Caron fired a wrist shot that rang off both the crossbar and post, keeping the Huskies’ lead at one heading into the third period.
The Huskies began to take control in the final frame, outshooting Merrimack 16-5. Three minutes into the period, freshman forward Brooklyn O’Brien was sent to the penalty box for hooking, giving Northeastern its lone power-play opportunity of the afternoon. The Huskies generated several good looks, but could not convert.
Zablocki eventually provided the insurance with a highlight-reel finish midway through the period. Caron left the puck for Zablocki near the left faceoff circle, where she spun through a 360-degree turn before sending a backhand shot over Musty’s left shoulder. With two Merrimack defenders closing in, Zablocki completed the hat trick and extended Northeastern’s lead to 4-2.
The Huskies added one more goal with five minutes remaining. Senior forward Allie Lalonde found junior forward Morgan Jackson alone in front of the net, where Jackson shifted the puck from her backhand to forehand before slipping it past an outstretched Musty to make it 5-2.
After a slow start, Northeastern dominated the final frame, finishing with a 37-26 advantage in shots on goal. The Huskies will look to carry that same intensity into the second game of the series.
Northeastern returns to action Saturday Nov. 14th for another matchup with Merrimack. Mike Kaminsky, Armaan Vij, and Max Schwartzberg will have the call at 1 p.m. on WRBB Sports.
Armaan Vij is the Editor-in-Chief for WRBB Sports. He has covered Northeastern hockey, baseball, and rowing both on-air and in print for the past three years. Read all his articles here.