Your Northeastern Huskies welcomed in the UConn (other) Huskies this afternoon to Historic Matthews Arena for the back end of a home and home series. Last night NU got it done with a 1-0 shutout by Lisa Jönsson so they decided to run it back and do the same today.
NU took the ice in some absolutely gorgeous tarps. Gray and white military camo with the red and black stripes on the sleeves was a vibe! Look good, feel good, play good. I mean you welcome in a ranked opponent on Military Appreciation Night and it’s Homecoming?? What did you think would happen? I mean look at those unis…
The two squads basically picked up where they left off last night. The pace was quick up and down the sheet and everyone was hunting the puck and responsible on the backchecks. Everything was mistake free… until it wasn’t. A UConn defender lost her edge deep in her zone and Skylar Irving was there to make UConn pay. The Mayor of Kingston gathered the puck at the top of the RW circle and swooped inside towards the slot dragging the puck into her feet to work the UConn player into a screen on Tia Chan in the UConn net. A quick snap drag and that puck was upstairs – over the shoulder – under the bar – keep the change. And Skirvs always comes with the elite celly’s, what an absolute beauty.
Great stat on the broadcast courtesy of Gigi Marvin: Northeastern is 52-4-1 when Irving registers a point in the game. I guess now 53-4-1?
That score held until intermission and it was setting up to be another goalie duel for the rest of the way. UConn came out firing in the middle stanza and Jönsson had one of her best saves just 30 seconds into game play.
For those scoring at home, that’s a right pad save followed up by another right pad save as Jönsson moved with the puck handler laterally left to right. She is so smooth and fluid side to side, and oh yeah, she’s only a freshman. I read somewhere that Jönsson is Swedish for brick wall but I can’t confirm that.
Just like last night, neither team could dent the twine for the rest of the way and the sides retired for the 2nd intermission knotted at gooses. This was cooking up to be a wild final 20 minutes.
The sides traded chances throughout the final frame, but neither made it onto the scoreboard. So, that’s just another ho-hum 1 goal shutout against a ranked opponent for Jönsson. Per reports that’s the first back-to-back shutouts since the Great Wall of Gwyneth did the same to LIU last season. Pretty good company to keep for the young netminder. And the legacy of Goaltender U lives on.
Some observations from the couch:
- Mia Langlois had a great game today. The no-nickname New Hampshire kid had a great steal in the first that drew a penalty putting NU on the PP early. Then, she also had a great eat in the 2nd to send her and Ellie Mabardy away (Mabardy also had a great block off the legs in this sequence) on a 2:1. They didn’t score, but love the grit they both showed.
- Low key great play by Taze Thompson late in the game as UConn was pressing and she just got the blade of her stick on a pass to a UConn attacker down low on the left side. The Captain got enough of the puck to poke it away and clear it out of the zone. Not saying it saved a goal, but it was certainly a timely play at a crucial spot in the game. I’m not sure it was a good enough of a play to get her out of the burrito she owes Lily Shannon, but that’s up to #2 to make the decision.
- Éloïse Caron came as close as you can get to an ENG but the clock ran out on her. Based on what I’ve seen from her in terms of her on-ice persona, I’m surprised she didn’t stick that puck home after the final horn. That was great restraint shown by the freshman.
- Jules Constantinople has spent the entire weekend with her hair on fire and I love that for her. Must be something about playing these CT teams. And yeah, I saw that old school hip check she laid on the far wall midway through the 3rd, very Ray Bourqu-esque.
- One more look at Skirvs’ goal
And lastly, I’d be remiss to not point out the quality of the TV product that Northeastern puts out on ESPN+. All of Hockey East (and especially you Providence) should be taking notes as you’re all playing for 2nd place. The camera keeps the puck in the frame (you’d think that would be a no-brainer but not so much), with no jerky movements. The camera work is smooth and tracks the puck properly. The announcers microphones are actually on, so you can, you know HEAR them. I know it’s crazy, keep the puck in the frame and be able to hear the announcers, but you wouldn’t believe the middle school AV teams that roll out for some of the away games. I typically don’t see NU on TV (humble brag – I get to sit with Todd), but what a pleasant surprise to see people taking some pride in their jobs and trying to put out a good product. These athletes work as hard as their male counterparts and deserve the same level of professionalism from the audio and video crews. Families have given a lot to help get their kids to this level and they should have a professional competent TV package to watch them on. Ok, that’s it rant over.
The Huskies welcome in the Maine Black Bears next weekend for a pair at Matthews.
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