Your Northeastern Huskies welcomed Boston College to Historic Matthews Arena for the back half of their home and home series this weekend. Today’s matinee was the last chance for the Eagles to get one in the win column against the Huskies for this year’s regular season. Too bad BC let today’s game slip away as they got lit up by the Huskies with a 5-1 final that wasn’t as close of a game as that score indicates.
The Huskies clinched a bye and home ice for the Hockey East Quarterfinals with their win at Conte Forum yesterday afternoon. You’d think maybe there would be a let off perhaps? Maybe take their foot off the gas and work on some in-game adjustments and treat today’s game like a glorified scrimmage? Naaaah. The Huskies were dialed in and ready to go from the opening draw.
The pace was faster to open up than yesterday’s game and the Huskies were flying all over the sheet. Meg Carter set the physical tone early as her and Lily Yovetich were taking no prisoners in their own zone. Of course the forward group was The Nailgun Line when The Captain laid the boom to Gwyneth Philips‘ left with about 2mins played. I mean if you’re going to get down and dirty in the corners you bring a nailgun (or 3).
Speaking of the Great Wall of Gwyneth, she was dialed in from the start. Her lateral movements were cat-like today, as she was ahead of the shooter and anticipating the passes. The Huskies got on the board first when Mia (No Nickname) Langlois drew a trip in front of the NU bench putting the Huskies on an early power play.
The Matrix Peyton Anderson was denied at the right post by Grace Campbell but in the scrum that ensued behind the net, Katy Knoll dug the puck out and skated out of the pile with her head up the whole way. The Premier Power Forward in Women’s Hockey Today found Carter dropping down from the left point and laid it perfectly for her to walk into. Carter’s cannon shot went far-side over the glove (somehow that sounds familiar?) and the Huskies were on the board.
As the period progressed, the play opened up. There were no real set-ups in either zone but the pace had def picked up for both sides. The Mayor of Kingston was really pushing the pace (as she’s done the last few weeks) and got rewarded for her efforts. Skylar Irving gathered the puck in the RW corner and laid the puck back up top to Yovetich who put a wrister on net through traffic. Somehow through all the deflections and bounces, Irving was able to get a stick on it last and put NU up by a pair.
After Irving’s goal BC started taking liberties with their sticks and elbows. I mean if you’ve watched these games you know Stripes’ tendency to ref the score and not the actual game. Apparently BC knows that too. Jules Constantinople took a high crosscheck directly in front of the BC bench in direct view of 2 on-ice officials. No call: take a look at my surprised face.
After a long setup in the BC zone The OG Lily Brazis dropped the puck to Abbey Marohn walking down the RW wall and as Marohn drove behind the net she somehow spotted Tory Mariano up top creeping down the slot. Marohn’s feed landed perfectly for Mariano and the Huskies have officially slipped the chain. Notice Langlois and the Honey Badger Ella Blackmore both at the top of the blue paint. Let’s say it all together: Good things happen when you go to the net!
Mariano’s goal drove Campbell out of the BC net and Bailey Callaway came in for relief. Once play got under way, Brazis got called for a hook? Don’t know how that was a hook: in Saugus that’s a hug and on the ensuing BC power play, I’ll give you one guess who the best PK player was? That’s right Nicole, it was Philips. I mean you could make a 3hr film of her lights out saves from this season, but we’ll have to take what we can get in terms of highlights.
In the middle frame with the sides skating 4 apiece, Knoll got her cookie. Glad to see her Dad was here for this one. Irving and Knoll broke up the ice with Irving carrying the puck into the BC zone. From the LW circle, Irving laid the puck to Knoll in the slot and after her initial bid was turned away, Knoll stuck with the play and jammed it home at the left post.
The Eagles got one back with a 4:3 rush as Katie Pyne got lost in coverage and was left alone in front to drag around Philips and tuck the backhand. With Carter in the box for a trip, Constantinople took a shot into the upper body and fell on the puck. Somehow this was called handling the puck?, sending BC to a 2-woman advantage. Stay hot Stripes. NU killed off both penalties and The Hockey Gods evened out yesterday’s fluky goals with a BC shot straight off the pipe.
After the penalty, and with less than 2mins to play in the period, Allie Lalonde got her cookie. Marohn put a bouncing puck on net from the point that Taze Thompson got her blade on. Callaway made the save but coughed up a juicy rebound in the slot and Lalonde dragged the puck past the sprawled out netminder and tucked it home on the backhand with a BC defender draped all over her.
The score held until the final frame and as predictable as Death, Taxes and Gwyneth Philips being an absolute brick wall in net, the on-ice officiating crew started calling infractions. Were they calling all the extra-curricular slashes and hooks from the BC players? No. Were they calling the shots to the head and shoulders after every whistle? Nope. What did they call? They called Lily Shannon for the most 10-ply hook in the history of hockey. Way to take control of the game.
Not to be outdone, BC got even dirtier as time was winding down. A slew foot on Langlois after the whistle sent Annaka Mettler to the showers early as this was deemed a major and a game misconduct. While NU didn’t cash in on the power play, the more important part was that Langlois was back out there for game play and was good to go.
Neither side cashed in as the third wound down and the Huskies rode out the clock with the 4-goal lead and swept the regular season series with the BC Eagles.
Some observations from around the rink:
- Whoever held Abbey Marohn back when Mia Langlois got slew footed deserves some stick taps. Marohn had a full head of steam and bad intentions
- Love seeing Gwyneth Philips getting salty in her blue paint. Molly Jordan got a bit too close for Philips’ liking and Gwyn sat her down
- Katy Knoll chose violence today and was supremely effective as she not only lit up the scoresheet, but was dumping bodies all over the ice (cleanly of course)
- Mia Langlois had a great backcheck early in the 2nd and exchanged pleasantries with a BC player which sent them both to the box. Not a bad play when she takes one of BC’s top defenders with her.
- Peyton Anderson doesn’t just win OT games and score highlight goals, she also broke up an odd-woman rush early in the first when she busted back for 2 zones to help out on D
- Called it (almost): Skylar Irving went 1-1-2 today and I’m not the type of guy to say I told you so, but…….
The Huskies end their Hockey East regular season with a pair against Vermont next weekend at Historic Matthews Arena. Then? It’s on to the playoffs.
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