By Madeline Sattler, News Staff
Two proved to be the magic number for the women’s hockey team this weekend. In two games, the Huskies picked up two wins on the road and had two players recognized by the Women’s Hockey East Association (WHEA).
“It’s always big to start off with a couple wins,” head coach Dave Flint said. “You don’t want to put yourself in a hole early.”
The Huskies shutout Colgate University on Friday night, 4-0, and topped Syracuse University 5-2 on Saturday afternoon, two teams which have never defeated the Red and Black.
Sophomore forward Kendall Coyne was named WHEA Player of the Week after a four-point performance. She recorded a goal and an assist in each game.
“[Coyne] brings it every game,” Flint said. “She deserved it and usually when they give her that award she’s earned it one way or another.”
Sophomore goalie Chloe Desjardins was also recognized as WHEA Co-Defensive Player of the Week. In two games, she saved 63 shots and recorded a 0.969 save percentage.
“I was excited [about my performance] because I have been working very hard,” Desjardins said. “That was [my] first shutout, but it’s the past and now let’s try to build from that.”
Desjardins earned her first career clean-slate against Colgate and the Huskies scored four goals to ensure the victory.
“The game was close for a while with Colgate and she kept us in it with a couple big saves,” Flint said of Desjardins. “She really stepped up and showed me that she’s going to be fine this year and she’s going to be solid.”
The first period was scoreless until late in the frame. With less than two minutes to play, Coyne passed the puck to senior forward Casey Pickett who was waiting behind the net. Pickett sent the puck across the goal to freshman forward Paige Savage who was waiting to bring it home.
Savage notched her first collegiate goal – a game winner – and the Huskies were ahead for good.
“All of our freshmen have goals and there are a lot of positive things to take out of the weekend,” Pickett said.
Freshman defender Jordan Hampton also scored her first goal of her Husky career midway through the second period off an assist from junior forward Katie MacSorely.
In the final minute of play, Colgate opted to pull sophomore goalie Susan Allen in favor of an extra attacker. Coyne and MacSorely were able to capitalize on the empty net and scored the Huskies’ third and fourth goals of the evening.
“I think we were all really happy,” Pickett said. “To get the shutout in [Desjardins’] first game is a huge deal.”
The Huskies picked up where they left off against Syracuse on Saturday to get their second victory in as many days.
Coyne got the scoring started just over three minutes into the game. Then, a minute and 13 seconds later, senior forward Brittany Esposito scored her first goal of the season off an assist from senior forward Rachel Llanes.
Two more goals would be added before the first buzzer. Halfway through the frame, Pickett netted her first of the season. Coyne took the puck down the ice and sent it across to where Pickett was waiting to redirect it into the net.
Llanes added the fourth goal of the period on a Northeastern power play for a 4-0 lead.
The second period was all Syracuse, who dominated the Huskies in shots 18-4.
“There were times where we looked really good and there were times we looked pretty bad, but that’s to be expected early on in the season,” Flint said. “We just need to learn to get a little more consistency for three periods of hockey.”
But Desjardins, who recorded 17 of her 34 saves in the second frame said she knew her role.
“We all have a different role, my role was to stop the puck,” Desjardins said. “I think I did my best to do my role.”
Syracuse got one goal in the frame by sophomore defender Kallie Goodnough.
Northeastern scored one final goal early in the third period, when freshman forward Tori Hickel notched her first collegiate goal. Sophomore Maggie DiMasi and Llanes got the assists. Llanes finished the day with a career-high three points.
The Orange managed to get one more puck past Desjardins on a shot by redshirt freshman Laurie Kingsbury.
“Overall, I was pleased that we got two wins,” Flint said.
The Huskies are sitting at 2-0 and have two home games this weekend against Union University on Friday at 7 p.m. and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday at 3 p.m.
