Your Northeastern Huskies rolled into Woo-Town to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders at The Hart Center ahead of the first Nor’Easter of the year. Tonight, the only precipitation in Worcester were the goals pouring into the HC net as the Huskies steamrolled to a 6-1 victory.
The Huskies came out a touch slow as HC dominated zone time and puck possession to start the game. Sometimes teams come out flat, sometimes it’s not that team’s night and sometimes teams need a moment to rally around. You realize something is needed to galvanize the squad and get everyone awake and engaged. You never know what can make this happen, what it will take, how it happens; but you know it when you see it. Tonight it was the non-call on the elbow to the head of Mia Langlois by HC forward Millie Sirum. At the very least this play should have resulted in an interference minor, but in my eyes it was a major with a targeting misconduct attached. The officials on hand went to a monitor and must have been watching Office re-runs because I don’t know how anyone watched that play and ruled it as “inconsequential contact”. We’ll call that a puppy-poo call to keep it clean for the NCAA.
The Hockey Gods were not amused.
Once play was back underway, the Huskies were totally awake, pushing the pace and hunting the puck. The forecheck was aggressive, the gaps were tighter and the passes were tape to tape. Luckily Langlois didn’t miss a shift (although if I can give some free advice to Mia: next time maybe walk down the tunnel for a few minutes and see if that helps the call) and the rest of the Nailgun Line was completely en-freakin-gaged. Langlois got her first of the season when she finished off a sweet cross-crease feed from Ella Blackmore with Lily Brazis (the OG Nailgun) driving the net. Langlois to Blackmore then back to Langlois for the tap in past Brooke Loranger in the HC net.
Less than a minute later Peyton Anderson cashed in from the slot when she finished off a great feed from Allie Lalonde in the RW corner. Lalonde held off two HC defenders before putting the puck on Anderson’s blade in front of the net. You know The Matrix isn’t missing from that close right? I mean she’s not the leading goal scorer by chance.
That score held into the first intermission, but not too far into the middle frame. With less than a minute played in the 2nd, Anderson carried into the HC zone on the LW and found Peyton Compton on the opposite wing. The freshman notched her 2nd of the year when she went bar down far side over the blocker.
With just over 5 minutes played, and the Huskies on the power play, The Mayor of Kingston got in on the fun. Jules Constantinople put a clapper on net from the top of the RW circle and the puck bounced right to Skylar Irving at the bottom of the LW circle and as the caption says “Irving doesn’t miss from there”. Hmm. Who was the HC player in the box that led to the PPG that essentially put the game away? Oh yeah, it was Sirum who tried to decapitate Langlois in the first. The Hockey Gods always even it out, especially when the refs don’t.
Speaking of The Hockey Gods, they were def smiling on The Nailgun line tonight as they had the most chances generated by either team. And they were cashing in. With just over 7 mins left to play, Brazis drove the RW and laid the puck perfectly over to the trailing Langlois walking down the slot. Langlois had a little drag snap of the puck before beating Loranger over the blocker to make the score 5-0 in favor of the Huskies.
The play was ragged and chippy in the 2nd with the teams combining for 8 penalties (sounds like Stripes wanted some attention). HC got on the board when a rebound found Reghan Chadwick in the high slot and she put the puck through a thicket of skates and sticks past Gwyneth Philips to put HC on the board. I could barely see the puck on the replays, so I’m sure Philips had her issues with this tumbling muffin. Philips was the only Husky to show up on time as she was excellent again (stop me if you’ve heard that before). She was making crucial saves at huge moments to keep the momentum going for NU. Her biggest save (in my opinion) was right after Anderson put NU up by 2 as she snuffed out a HC bid that could have swung the game back around to HC. The clip below was not that save, but the goalies and D don’t get much shine on the intra-webs so I have to take what I can get.
In the third, Avery Anderson secured the 6-pack as she got the first of her career as a Husky when she finished off a Holly Abela backhand feed in the slot. Lily Yovetich walked the line at the top of the RW and put the puck on net. Yovo’s shot got blocked and the puck bounded to Abela who dished that sweet backhand to Anderson for the finish. It must be in the genes as Avery made like Peyton and stuffed that one home.
That score held until the final horn as the Huskies remain perfect on this young new year. Your heroes head back to Boston with a slate of practices in their near future before heading up to Maine for a pair against the Black Bears next weekend. We talked NU Hockey on the most recent podcast with old friend Coach Carp and you can find that episode here.
Some observations from the couch:
- Love to see Irving playing the body with less than 30 seconds to go in this one. Be the bully.
- Lily Shannon was playing some hockey tonight. She just missed one as she gloved the puck down and put it off the post.
- Molly Griffin with a great hustle defensive play in the first as she busted back to get in position to steal the puck with a stick lift and deny a 2:1 bid with HC still in the game.
- Philips was looking pretty sweet rocking that C in the absence of Meg Carter.
- This was the 3rd time this year that the Huskies hung 6 on an opponent.
- Abela I see you: with around 3 minutes to play in the third the sophomore hustled up ice to beat out an icing call and keep the play alive. That type of play is appreciated and sets the tone for the whole team. Nice work.
- Constantinople had the clapper working tonight. Love to see those bombs from the top of the zone loosening up the opposing defense and tenderizing the goalie.
- In the 2nd when the refs wanted screen time, somehow Irving got called for a trip? on the play that saw Abbey Marohn get boarded. After killing off the the penalty, NU was right back on the kill as Lalonde got called for
a great defensive playawesome hustle play sweet stick lifthooking in what was clearly a make-up call. Great hustle from Lalonde. - Another game, another stand out defensive play from Marohn again thwarting a 1:1 deep in the NU zone. She’s not just out there eating pucks, she plays solid D too.
- And lastly let’s give some love to Paige Taborski who came in relief of Philips with about 7mins to play. Taborski wasn’t just back there looking good, she was playing. Coming in cold after sitting on the bench for a few hours, she was called upon almost immediately to make a few saves. Nice job.
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