By Gayle Simone
After being defeated by Harvard University in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament, Northeastern bounced back with a 4-0 shutout over club team Boston University Tuesday night at Matthews Arena.
Linda Desruisseaux, Jill Lizotte and Jen Bergeron had multiple points for the Huskies with a goal and an assist each. Chrissy Sands added the other goal. Freshman netminder Sarah Belliveau made 11 saves in her first appearance as a Husky.
This is the final Beanpot for the Terriers as a club team as they join the Hockey East next season for the first time as a Division I team.
The game was considered exhibition and had no effect on Northeastern’s standings overall or in Hockey East.
Before the Beanpot, the Huskies looked poised to beat Boston College Saturday as they entered the third period with a two-goal lead. Unfortunately, the Eagles battled back and NU settled for a 4-4 tie and just one point in HE.
Crystal Rochon put the Huskies on the board first at 1:57 of the opening frame. Getting a pass from Nikki Petrich in front of the net, Rochon lifted the puck past Alison Quandt for the 1-0 Husky lead.
The Eagles answered 50 seconds later when Deborah Spillane beat Marisa Hourihan glove side to tie the game, 1-1.
That ended the scoring until the second period when BC took their only lead of the game behind a Sarah Courtney goal at the 6:29 mark.
The Huskies tied the game a minute later when Rochon scored her second goal of the game from Petrich and Amy Goodney at 7:38.
Coach Laura Schuler has been working on special teams play for a good part of the second half of the season and the Huskies showed their coach they can score when given the opportunity.
Skating 5-on-3, Petrich scored two goals, a minute apart, to give the Huskies a 4-2 lead going into the third period. NU finished the game 3-for-4 on the power play.
“I was really happy with our power play; we started to move the puck really well,” Schuler said. “There were times when I thought they should have done something else but they ended up doing something that was even better. That’s the type of creativity that’s in them and I know they are good enough to play that way.”
The Eagles came out in the third and scored two unanswered goals to knot the game at four. Spillane and Courtney each scored a goal to force the scoreless overtime period.
Schuler noted there were two things that caused her team to give up the lead.
“We didn’t play well at all in the beginning of the second period. We were horrendous. But we were able to bounce back,” Schuler said.
“And then the third period we had three penalties to their one and that makes it more difficult to maintain a lead. When we play 5-on-5 against them, I think we are a better team.”
Hourihan made 35 saves while Quandt had 12 for the Eagles. The Huskies were outshot 39-16. Four players for the Huskies had multiple point games. Rochon and Petrich each had two goals and two assists while Lori DiGiacomo and Goodney had two assists a piece.
BC (3-8-3, 7-15-4 overall) currently sits in the fourth spot in the HE with nine points, while the Huskies (2-10-2, 3-20-3 overall) are in last with six.
The Huskies have the opportunity to leapfrog in the conference when they face fifth place University of Maine Saturday and Sunday at the Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine. The Eagles face-off against second place No. 10 Providence College this weekend with a home-and-home matchup.
Husky wins compiled with Eagle losses would put NU in front of both Maine and BC heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
“Our focus all along has been to get into the playoffs,” Schuler said. “It’s going to be a really big weekend. If we play the way we are capable of playing, then I have no doubt we will be successful.”
