Freshman forward Kendall Coyne has had at least a point in every game to start the season, and both goaltenders have seen playing time.
“I think that last year’s success gave our team a little bit of confidence,” Coach Dave Flint said following Saturday afternoon’s win. “We went into this year and knew what we were capable of.”
On Saturday afternoon, senior goalie Florence Schelling turned aside 30 shots. Eight different skaters notched points in the 3-1 win against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.
“We’ve been overall so much of a better team than we’ve been in the past few years,” Schelling said. “You can see from the shots I got on goal that it’s not so much anymore.”
Neither team managed to find the back of the net in the opening frame but the second period was much more active offensively. Quinnipiac was held to three shots in the first period but came out strong and recorded 14 in the second. Forward Kelly Babstock buried her own rebound to make it 1-0 in favor of the visitors at 15:30.
The goal created the first Husky deficit of the season – which lasted for just over 3 minutes. Coyne evened the score at 18:32 with a backhand wrist shot after receiving a pass from junior forward Brittany Esposito. Junior forward Casey Pickett started the play and got the secondary assist.
Flint called Coyne “phenomenal” and said her averaging over a point a game is a dynamic element in their offense.
Forty-nine seconds later, the Huskies took the lead when junior forward Rachel Llanes fired a shot home past freshman Chelsea Laden (32 saves). Freshman forward Lucie Povova went hard on the forecheck to set up the play and got the assist. Six minutes into the third period junior forward Kelly Wallace added to the lead with her first goal of the season. The goal was Wallace’s first in over a year, as she missed last season due to injury.
With the third goal, the Bobcats pulled Laden and put in Victoria Vigilanti who saved all six shots that she faced in the remainder of the game. Neither team would score again to give Northeastern the 3-1 win.
A goal came from each of the lines, which was something Flint was pleased about.
“We spread it out today and everybody contributed,” he said. “Defensively everybody was solid and Florence was good in net,” he said.
Four wins in a row to start the season is something to boast, especially in Hockey East and as teams set standards.
“At the beginning we don’t play teams in Hockey East,” Schelling said. “If we’re having a good start against all the other teams outside Hockey East, within Hockey East there is a competition like, ‘Wow, they beat them and them so how good are they actually?’”
The weekend started with a 2-1 edging of the Union Dutchwomen with freshman Chloe Desjardins getting her first collegiate start and win with 23 saves as well as tri-captain and WHEA Pure Hockey Player of the week Casey Pickett lighting the lamp twice.
“She did a great job,” Flint said of Desjardin’s first game. “She had to hold the fort at the end there and she did a great job. We are going to count on her this year.”
Northeastern outshot Union 31 to 9 through 40 minutes of play and the opposing goaltender Shenae Lundberg made 38 saves despite the loss.
A wrap around goal from Pickett at 11:25 of the second period was the only goal of the period. Senior tri-captain Stephanie Gravonsky and Claire Santostefano got the assists on the goal that put the Huskies up as they headed into the intermission.
Union did not give up in the final frame as they came out hard throwing pucks on net and testing Desjardins. At the 8:28 mark, Stefanie Thomson evened the score when the puck took an awkward bounce into the net.
Pickett came through in the clutch later in the period at 13:45 on the power play with the game winning goal. The Huskies already had five power play opportunities that they could not take advantage of, but when Coyne won the faceoff back to Pickett, she sent it into the back of the net with a slap shot. Pickett’s goal was her fifth in just three games.
The team, which has plenty of fresh faces, is a squad Flint thinks is stronger than the previous years with the freshmen playing an “integral” part in their early success.
Though Flint admits the amount of penalties the team takes is something that needs improvement, he says a goal for the season is to get better.
“Compete night in and night out, that’s what I want to get my team to do. Understand you show up every night and you compete and give your best effort,” he said.
An obvious goal, Flint hopes to lead his team to the Hockey East Championship and make it to the NCAAS. That goal was echoed by Schelling when she quickly expressed a goal to “hang a banner and win a championship.”
“This year is the year we could win a championship and win a tournament.”
