By Caroline Ingram, news staff
It was first-year Aerin’s Frankel’s first collegiate start between the pipes, but the youngster had no problem flashing the pads, stopping a total of 51 of the 52 shots she faced in a weekend series against the Merrimack Warriors. On Friday afternoon, the Huskies hosted the 4-7-1 Warriors at Matthews arena, where Frankel earned an outstanding shutout performance. Then on Saturday, Frankel turned away 32 shots as the Huskies and Warriors battled to a 1-1 tie.
After the two-game series, third-year forward Taytum Clairmont said Frankel’s impressive two games energized the rest of the team.
“Aerin’s performances gave the entire team a huge lift in confidence,” Clairmont said. “When you have great goaltenders on your team, it provides you with the confidence to be more offensive knowing that you can count on them to make those crucial saves when needed. Moreover, when our goalies make big saves, it inspires us to work harder to try to score to pay them back for their efforts.”
The Huskies were finally able to get off to a quick start, something they had struggled with in previous games against Providence and the University of New Hampshire. They scored just 2:47 into the first period, after first-year defenseman Skylar Fontaine picked off a Merrimack pass in the neutral zone. She then skated down the boards with the puck, firing a blind pass back to Clairmont whose backhand shot slipped by third-year Samantha Ridgewell in goal for the Warriors.
Clairmont said taking as many shots as possible was one of the key strategies the Huskies were focused on heading into the game.
“Coach Flint spoke with me a couple weeks ago and encouraged me to start using my skill and to shoot more in games,” she said. “As a result, I’ve used our practices to specifically work on the parts of my game where I feel I can best contribute to my team’s success.”
That focus paid off for the team, as Clairmont’s goal was all the team needed with Frankel’s strong play in net. Third-year defenseman Maddie Hartman also posted a score for NU with the clock ticking down to the final seconds of the second period. A loose puck was deflected off of first-year forward Brooke Hobson’s stick, and the awkward bounce put it in perfect position for Hartman’s wrister.
In both games, the Huskies were looking to post strong team defensive efforts, after a poor performance against Maine last week. Clairmont chipped in by blocking a team-high seven shots.
“Blocking shots is an important role for every player on the ice,” Clairmont said. “It’s about being a part of the team and helping in any way possible, and I see blocking shots as an important role in helping my team defend. You constantly hear NHL coaches talking about sacrificing the body to block shots — the more blocked shots, the less opportunities the other team has to score.”
In the Saturday game, Clairmont struck again in the second period to put the Huskies ahead 1-0. She battled in the neutral zone and caused a turnover by the Merrimack defender. She then blew past the defender, chipping the puck by alongside the boards and finishing off the effort by collecting and shoving home her own rebound, a high shot which flipped over Ridgewell.
Clairmont’s individual efforts showcase the general tenacity and grit of this Northeastern team, which has had their ups and downs thus far in the season. However, the Huskies are focusing on consistent, aggressive play to get themselves back on the winning side of things.
“Coach Flint also continues to talk about consistency and how he wants to us to bring consistency to every shift,” Clairmont said. “At this level, you can’t afford to take a period or shift off or the other team will quickly capitalize on it.”
A little over five minutes into the third period, Merrimack finally got one past Frankel with a rebound goal from sophomore forward Mikyla Grant-Mentis.
Although the Huskies were not able to pull ahead, they controlled Merrimack’s offensive pressures late in the game and headed back to campus content with the 1-1 tie. The team was hoping for two wins on the weekend, but Clairmont expressed their pleasure with at least turning things around from their losing skid.
“This weekend was huge for us to get the three points after the loss against Maine,” she said. “We would have certainly preferred four points, but we can build off those results and continue to go in the right direction.”
The Huskies now have an important revenge game coming up, facing Maine again this weekend. According to Clairmont, there is no doubt that the Huskies will be fired up and ready to avenge their 4-2 loss to the Black Bears a short time ago.
“I think we are certainly going to be ready for Maine this weekend,” she said. “Last week was tough in terms of traveling all the way up there. We took eight penalties in that game, which is almost the equivalent of playing short-handed for a full period. The team really wants to get back that loss we suffered against them.”
