By Kathryn Uggerholt, News Correspondent
With three losses behind them, the No. 10 Northeastern Huskies were looking to reverse a losing streak against No. 7 Boston University Terriers yesterday night at Matthews Arena. That’s just what they got when they blanked the team from Commonwealth Avenue 2-0. The 32-save effort from senior goalie Florence Schelling earned her a nation leading fifth shut out of the season.
“Compete for 60 minutes. Once we do that we will be more successful,” were the words from freshman forward Kendall Coyne Monday, and that is exactly what she and her team did in yesterday’s matchup.
Shots were even through the first period, and only the Huskies made it on the scoresheet. Working off a play from senior tri-captain Casey Pickett, Coyne beat the Terriers’ goaltender to make it 1-0 at the 11-minute mark.
Both teams played hard in the middle frame and the Huskies had plenty of chances, but could not capitalize on them and they entered the final period with the score remaining 1-0.
Coyne made it 2-0 in the third period at 11:30 when she received a pass from sophomore defender Maggie Brennolt and scored. Her 11th goal of the season tied the team leader Pickett for most goals.
That second goal would cap the scoring for both teams and Schelling got her 15th career shutout in the 2-0 victory.
Just two days after Thanksgiving, the Huskies were looking to bounce back from two losses the weekend prior.
A strong third period would not be enough, however, and a 4-3 overtime loss to Dartmouth College would bring Northeastern’s losing streak to three games.
Northeastern opened up the scoring less than two minutes into the game with a goal from the team’s leading goal scorer Casey Pickett.
The junior tri-captain took a pass from junior forward Brittany Esposito and lit the lamp at 1:26.
The game saw only four penalties called through the 60 minutes of play, two for each team, and it was the first one that worked against the Huskies.
Freshman forward Lucie Povova took an interference penalty less than a minute in. Dartmouth converted on the power play to get a puck past Schelling (25 saves) to tie the game. A lapse in the Husky penalty kill was rare as the team was second in the country, with the squad killing off 90.9 percent of the penalties it took.
“They moved the puck really quickly and we got out of our PK system,” Coyne said of the power play goal.
Despite having the edge in shots, Northeastern could not find the back of the net in the middle frame.
Dartmouth got the go ahead goal at 12:16 and took the lead with them into the final period.
With about 19 minutes of play left, Dartmouth extended their lead to make it 3-1. Northeastern refused to go down without a fight despite the goal deficit.
Coyne made it a one-goal game at 6:11 with the help of senior tri-captain Stephanie Gavronsky and Esposito.
Coyne made it a two-goal game when she scored with just over two minutes to go in the game, tying things up. Pickett and Esposito assisted on the goal to make it multi-point games for themselves as well.
“They were just nice passes,” Coyne said describing her pair of goals. “For one, Esposito shot it and the puck was just sitting there and I poked it in the net.”
The weekend prior, the Huskies were handed their first two losses in Hockey East.
In the second of two matchups, the Huskies fell 4-1 to the Boston College Eagles. Sophomore forward Katie MacSorley provided the only goal and Schelling made 35 saves.
The Eagles had the edge in shots over the Huskies 13-9 in the opening period, but only the Huskies would put the puck in the net. At 12:57, Blake Bolden of Boston College took an interference penalty that Northeastern took full advantage of.
Just 42 seconds later, MacSorley beat the Eagles goaltender for her fifth of the season with help from freshman defenseman Colleen Murphy and Coyne.
That would be it for Husky offense in the matchup and the Eagles would go on to score four unanswered goals.
To start off the series against Boston College, the team from Chesnut Hill dropped the Huskies 3-1 for their first loss at home this season.
Both teams battled hard early which resulted in a body checking penalty to Murphy at 5:16 and then a tripping penalty to Dru Burns of Boston College 44 seconds later. The Eagles found opportunity in the 4-on-4 play when they scored at 6:29 to take the lead.
Northeastern came back to tie it not long after at 8:02 with a goal from Povova on the power play. Junior center Rachel Llanes and freshman defenseman Ann Doherty had assists on the goal.
Povova’s goal would be all the Huskies could get past goaltender Corinne Boyles despite getting 40 shots on goal.
Boston College went on to get a goal late in the middle frame and then early in the third from which Northeastern could not recover. Schelling made 33 saves in the loss.
The Huskies look to end their losing skid in a home-and-home series against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats this weekend. The puck drops at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Whittmore Center in Durham, NH.
