Your Northeastern Huskies traveled to Chestnut Hill today to take on the BC Eagles in the back half of a home and home weekend series. Just like yesterday at the end of 60, the Huskies came out on top at Conte Forum handing another loss to BC and adding another shutout to Gwyneth Phillips record. Oh yeah, about that record… Phillips now leads all of D1 hockey with 12 wins on the season and her save percentage is tops in Hockey East. I’m not sure, is that good?
BC tried to replicate their play in the opening frame yesterday, and they did.. kind of. The Eagles were clogging the shooting lanes and making things tough for the Huskies to work through the neutral zone, but what’s that Thanos line from all those Avengers movies? I am inevitable. Yup, that’s the Huskies too except they have more rings.
The middle six for Northeastern really had the best chances in the first period. The line of Molly Griffin, Holly Abela and Lily Shannon (How about calling them the GAS line?…Hello? Anyone?) were really putting pressure on Abigail Levy and causing havoc down low. They were hunting the puck and worked the offensive cycle very effectively. Then to follow that up with the line of Skylar (Mayor of Kingston) Irving, Taze Thompson and Peyton Anderson kept that pressure dialed in down low. With Anderson clapping bombs to tenderize Levy, Irving just missed cashing in on the goal mouth and Thompson owned the walls in the BC end of the ice.
BC had some chances too, but Phillips was dialed in from the opening draw. Out on top of her crease with strong side to side movement, I don’t think BC would have gotten BB’s past her today. The teams retired for the first intermission at gooses, which had to be a dream scenario for the BC Eagles.
To open the 2nd, I know someone playing defense that owes Phillips a favor. Jules Constantinople laid the puck back to her partner Tory Mariano in the NU end. Only thing was that Mariano didn’t have a stick and the pass sent a BC forward in alone on Phillips. No problem (what she probably said after the save) as Phillips denied the bid and made a fan for life in Constantinople. The defense played outstanding today, they kept BC for the most on the perimeter and limited high danger chances. Maude Poulin-Labelle and Abbey Marohn were awesome in tandem again today both offensively and defensively. Taylor Guarino and Lily Yovetich were strong in their own end and once again Yovetich was absolutely eating pucks.
Late in the first Alina Müeller got the Huskies on the board when she converted a Chloé Aurard bomb for the first goal of the contest. Or was it? The goal was immediately waved off by the on-ice officials, but it sure looked good from my couch. Stick below the bar, puck off Müeller’s glove, no punching motion, good goal. But it went to a review, and a long one at that. Shout out to ESPN+ as they showed many different angles and an additional shoutout to my daughter who had called it good immediately. After the review, the call on the ice was reversed and The Captain got herself a GWG.
BC really poured it on after the review and Phillips made a few 10-bell saves to keep NU in the lead. I’m not sure who posts highlights on the NU Twitter machine, but lets get some shine on the D and on Phillips please. Give the people what they want and the people want to see some saves!!
In the 3rd exactly what happens to NU happened. They got up and their opponent goes low. Here comes the idiotic penalties and the Huskies get to work on their PP. First Anderson draws one but the Huskies couldn’t convert, tip of the cap to Levy as the Huskies had some great bids. Then right after the penalty, Aurard gets crossed behind her own net away from the puck and the Huskies were right back on the man-advantage. I just don’t get the mentality of taking penalties when you’re trying to get back into a game. I understand the frustration, but the BC coaching staff has to do some you know.. coaching.
Irving was a monster on these power plays but with nothing to show for it, she took out her frustration by skating her butt off on the backcheck. See BC, that’s how you channel energy when things aren’t going your way. Irving hauled ashes back into her zone and bodied a BC forward off the puck denying a great scoring chance for the Eagles.
Late in the period it was who else but The Premier Power Forward in Women’s Hockey Today that put the nail in the coffin. With the puck in the NU zone, Katy Knoll bumped it Marohn who was busting out of the zone. Once Marohn gathered the puck and broke down the RW wall, Knoll put her head down and drove the net. Marohn laid the puck over to Knoll who went forehand/backhand/shelf and just like that the Huskies were up by a pair.
As the clock wound down the Eagles were looking to get back into it and they did the most logical thing possible, they took another penalty. Right in front of the net, the captain with a punch to Knoll’s grill and the Huskies were back on the PP. At this point it looked as if the BC coaching staff had given up entirely as they didn’t pull Levy for the extra attacker with the puck in the Huskies end. It was such a bone-headed play that the ESPN+ play by play announcer commented that no one on the BC bench was even making eye contact with Levy. Ouch.
Game Notes:
- I think the Huskies may have found something with Lily Brazis, Kate Holmes and Mia Langlois as a line. They were generating chances and just wreaking havoc in the BC end for long stretches today.
- Aurard is the active leader in D-1 for both PPG and SHG. Clearly 5 on 5 hockey is too easy for her and she needs to be challenged more.
- Not a single Husky penalty this afternoon. Guess the ladies don’t want to make my idea of a Katy Knoll hat trick a thing.
- Irving and Yovetich paced the squad with 5 SOG each tonight. Anderson, I implore you to please unleash that cannon of yours a little more frequently.
- Thompson dominated at the dot again going 10-5 this afternoon.
- Congrats to Knoll for notching her team leading 12th goal and tying her career best. Again, I’m going to point out that she’s been on fire since coming on our podcast. I’m not saying it’s all due to that, I’m just doing the math here.
- By the way, the NU red sweaters are sick.
Up next for the Huskies is a trip to Providence College on Tue night. #HowlinHuskies
You can read more about Brownie in his bio down below or follow him on Twitter @Abrow28
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