Your Northeastern Huskies welcomed the Yale Bulldogs to a rare (non-Beanpot) Tuesday night matchup here at Historic Matthews Arena. Tonight was also The Skating Strides Night to support the Ellie Fund: a non-profit that fights breast cancer and provides free services to ease the effects on cancer patients and their families. You can find their website here and please support them in any way you can. After a hard fought 60 (including a hold-your-breath final couple of minutes), the Huskies came away with the 4-3 victory.
The Huskies went with the same lineup as the last 2 games (if it ‘aint broke..) with Lisa Jönsson in net. That’s the same Jönsson who not only is leading the nation in GAA and Save Percentage, she’s also registered a shutout in half of her collegiate wins. I’m not sure, but is that good? At the other end of the sheet was Pia Duckaric in the cage for the Bulldogs.
The game opened up with a blistering pace as these 2 squads are fairly good mirrors of each other. They play the same style: a heavy forecheck mixed with speed and grit and they’ll make you pay for every mistake. They don’t match up too often, but when they do it’s must watch.
The Huskies got the first PP of the game when Anna Bargman was whistled for a bodycheck with about 3 mins played. The Huskies rolled out with their re-vamped PP unit featuring 4F and 1D on the top unit. It took about 30 seconds for Coach Carp’s plan to pay out. Taze Thompson carried the puck vertically up the RW before dropping to Éloïse Caron at the right point. Caron moved the puck over to Skylar Irving in the high slot and she put a heavy writer on net. Jules Constantinople had dropped down to the left post and she re-directed it past Dukaric for the opening goal. 1-0 Big ‘Dawgs over little dogs.
The lead was short-lived as Yale answered back almost immediately. A giveaway at the NU blue line sent Cami Bell away towards Jönsson. Bell had no one on her from the red line in and she had time to update her Twitter status, order Chipotle and consider a number of moves before beating Jönsson 5-hole. Tie game.
Just past midway, the Huskies pulled out in front again as Constantinople got her 2nd of the night. Caron’s shot rebounded directly to Constantinople walking down the left wing and Jules remember that she possesses a cannon and blasted one far side that Dukaric is still looking for. 2-1 Huskies and Jules is on hatty-watch. Amazing how it’s always against Yale for #41.
That score held until intermission and when the teams came out for the 2nd that pace was even more frenetic. Another turnover (this time in the neutral zone, so progress?) spelled disaster for the Huskies as Yale once again capitalized on the mistake. The puck tumbled to Bell down the LW and she unloaded the puck almost immediately on net surprising Jönsson. 2-2 and we are officially on double hatty-watch.
The teams took the 2-2 tie into the final frame, but the Huskies were tilting the ice towards the Yale zone. The Huskies were keeping Yale pinned in for long stretches and the Bulldogs were just chipping the puck out before chasing a different Husky back into their own end. That relentlessness paid off when Jaden Bogden corralled a loose puck in the neutral zone and broke into the Yale zone with Lily Shannon driving the net. Bogden waited and waited and waited and slid the puck to Shannon at the last (perfect) second for Shannon to punch it home for the lead.
Morgan Jackson showed off her hockey IQ and awareness with a brilliant play in her own end that led to the game winner. Yale was set up in the NU zone and Jackson jumped the pass and broke to the Yale net with Caron. Jackson held the puck until Dukalic committed and then laid it across to Caron who was hooked down prior to the pass arriving. Caron’s momentum (and backside) carried the puck and her into the net: good goal and it’s a 2 goal lead.
Yale answered back when a shot from the LW rebounded to (who else) Bell at the right post and she had the put away for the hat trick (her career first). Yale lost their timeout in a failed challenge on the Shannon goal so there was a lot of gesturing and yelling from the coaching staff, but they got Dukalic out with just over 2mins to play and then it was the scramble drill. The Huskies had chances with the empty net, but stick taps to the Yale players for sacrificing the body to get in front of everything the Huskies threw at the net. A long possession from Yale with the extra attacker couldn’t get it done in the Huskies end. The final horn blew with a 4-3 Husky victory in the books.
Some observations from around the rink:
- Shout out to Lily Yovetich and Caron for rocking the pink tape on their blades for the game. Way to support the cause.
- As good as Constantinople was on offense she was all over the Yale forwards on D too. Yovo, Constantinople and Tory Mariano played big physical minutes tonight.
- I’d love to be able to skate like Irving for 1 day. All gas – no brakes for The Mayor of Kingston. She was flying tonight and multiple times kept the puck in the Yale zone 1:5 as the rest of the Huskies could change up while keeping possession.
- Lily Brazis was mucking it up in front of the Yale net and playing physical all night. The OG Nailgun never fails to show up.
- Sneaky good move by the Yale coaching staff. They were pulling the trailing forward on the backcheck and holding the oncoming player on the ice going 4 on 5 in their own zone. Once the Husky defender moved into the offensive zone they’d slide the new forward out the offensive side of the bench and have her 10-15 feet behind the NU defender. High risk for high reward coaching.
- Kristina Allard was showing off her dance moves on the bench during a late media timeout. Leadership comes in many forms.
Bonus Jules
Bonus Shannon and you all get to hear from Lily too!
Up next for the Huskies is the first game of the Beanpot Tournament next Tuesday as they take on Boston College in the 2nd game at 7:30 here at Historic Matthews Arena. See you there!
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