Your Northeastern Huskies faced off against the Boston College Eagles in the Beanpot finale at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill tonight. Just about 24 hours prior the NU Men’s team got it done in OT vs. Harvard and the question buzzing around the rink pre-game was: Could we see complete Boston college hockey supremacy and domination emanating from Huntington Ave? Spoiler Alert: Yes, yes we can.
The game started off even enough, with both squads feeling each other out and neither offense getting much set up in the other’s zone. With this being the 4th contest this season between the teams, it was no surprise that they skated even for the beginning of the period. Lots of layers on defense and good gaps made zone entries difficult for both squads. The line getting the most offensive zone time was Lily Shannon with Taze Thompson and The Mayor of Kingston herself, Skylar Irving riding on her wings. They were dogged on the forecheck and kept BC hemmed in for long stretches.
It was no surprise then, that the skating legs of Irving got the Huskies on the board first. With about 8 minutes played Alina Mueller was held behind the BC net. I mean Sidney Fess was hanging onto Mueller as if she was a life vest and the BC ship had hit an iceberg. On the ensuing PP, Irving dropped down the right wing wall and gave the stop-n-go/shake-n-bake move to 3 different BC defenders (freezing each of them) as she circled behind the net and found Megan Carter at the LW dot. Captain Canada walked into this one and put a shot on net that Mia Brown deflected up and over Abigail Levy’s shoulder far-side top shelf. Once again Brown was doing the dirty work in front of the net, Carter with the snipe and the whole sequence initiated by Irving’s skating. Great play all around.
The teams rode out the clock in the first period with no change in score as NU seemed to grab momentum after the go-ahead goal. It certainly helped that the NU Doghouse was in full effect making Conte sound like a home game for the Huskies. The Huskies were playing smart hockey, no gambling and were playing strong on the puck and along the wall. The Hockey Gods definitely approved.
In the second BC came out with some jump (I mean, you had to have expected as much considering they were getting booed in their own barn). BC got some pressure to open the period, but the Huskies answered back in the form of Gwyneth Phillips. I mean look at the clip below. Unbelievable. Phillips saw what Devon Levi did last night and said “hold my refreshing sport drink” (is what she probably said). She was an absolute brick wall back there.
Just before the midway point, Maureen Murphy put the Huskies up by a pair as she got a stick on Jules Constantinople’s drive from the left point. Mueller circled the BC zone with the puck and laid it across to Constantinople at the opposite point. Constantinople walked down the wing and let loose a back foot drag snap that Murphy re-directed up over Levy’s blocker. I love that you have a freshman D out there with the beaver slap to her Grad Student Captain calling demanding the puck on offense. This team is special, I’m telling you.
Once the Huskies were up by a pair, the ice definitely tilted towards the BC net as the Huskies set up shop a number of times in the opposite end. On defense, BC was kept to the perimeter and seemed content to plug away at Phillips from outside. Wild strategy to continue to take penalties and shoot from outside, but who am I to question a coaching staff? The 2 goal lead held for the period as the Huskies were 20mins away from Beanpot glory.
The third was more of what we’ve come to expect from the competition and unfortunately, the on-ice officials. BC started to take liberties that the officials were unable, unwilling and uninterested in calling. Why oh why do you insist on officiating the scoreboard and not the game? As the NU Doghouse sagely pointed out with their chant: “I’m blind, I’m deaf: I want to be a ref”. I mean Chloe Aurard got crosschecked to the ice in the back (and kept her cool, nice work by the way) about 4 feet from one of the refs who was staring directly at the infraction. It reminded me of a beer league ref who just wants to get back home.
Welcome to the Beanpot Final!
The play was even again as time wound down in the final frame as BC really threw everything they had at the Huskies (including crosschecks, slew foots and slashes). With less than 2mins to play and the BC net empty (with the extra attacker on for the Eagles), the Huskies had some trouble clearing their zone and paid for it. After a lengthy offensive possession, Hannah Bilka got BC on the board as she converted a rebound from the high slot. That was all she wrote as the Huskies buckled down and rode it to the final horn.
So that’s another Beanpot for the Huskies making it now 18 and their first since 2020 (and their first W over BC since 2013) Up next is a pair vs. the BU Terriers culminating in the last game of the regular season at Historic Matthews Arena on Saturday.
It’s a good week to be a Husky #HowlinHuskies
Some observations from around the rink:
- Lily Yovetich sold out on the backcheck in the closing minutes of the second period. That play doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, but the coaches and players all see that.
- There was a play in the 2nd period where Alina Mueller laid a chest high sauce pass across the ice to Chloe Aurard in the neutral zone. I’m talking wing to wing on her backhand, dropping the puck into Aurard’s triangle while she was skating full tilt. Aurard gathered the puck in stride and drove the net but didn’t score. The level of skill on display during that sequence was next level by both players. Truly remarkable.
- Katy Knoll froze the puck deep in the BC zone by pinning it (and an unlucky BC defender) to the kick plate while the Huskies got a full change while maintaining possession. The Most Dominant Power Forward in Women’s Hockey Today can do the dirty work too.
- Great effort by the Huskies at the end of the game as they were all laying out for blocks (not just Abbey Marohn – who did it all game).
- Outstanding goalie of the tourney was Gwyneth Phillips (yeah? you think?) Maybe next year have the other teams shoot something smaller (like BB’s) so they have a chance?
- MVP of the tourney was Maureen Murphy who went 3-1-4pts in 2GP with the GWG in tonight’s tilt. Murph went out of her way to heap praise on her teammates in the post game press conference mentioning how many of her teammates could have easily been MVP and giving much love to the D corp. That’s how you lead Murph.
- Great awareness by The Captain as she was slapping her stick on her way to a late face-off directly in front of the Dog Pound. Just getting the fans fired up . She also bee-lined with the Beanpot Trophy to raise it in front of the same fans. Like I said after I spoke with her, as good a player as she is, she’s even a better person. If you haven ‘t listened to my interview with Alina, you can find it here.
- Nice touch by the coaching staff and Mueller (who was in on the surprise) to have old friend Skylar Fontaine read the starting lineup. Fresh off winning some hardware overseas, (and little bro lighting up the TD Garden), it was great to see the double deuces back in the mix.
You can read more about Brownie down below or follow him on Twitter @Abrow28
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