By Sara Shaker, News Correspondent
Senior forward Claire Santostefano helped the women’s hockey team sweep University of Connecticut in this weekend’s games, scoring three goals and bringing the team a 3-0 victory on Saturday and a 5-0 victory on Sunday.
Northeastern started the weekend off on the right foot with goals scored by Santostefano, freshman forward Hayley Scamurra and senior forward Katie MacSorley.
After a scoreless first period, Santostefano was finally able to break through in the second period at the 17:55 mark. After a shot from sophomore defenseman Tori Hickel, Santostefano scored off her rebound.
Scamurra came out in the third period, scoring a minute in on a power play. Eighteen seconds later, MacSorley kept the momentum going with a third goal, assisted by sophomore forward Paige Savage and Santostefano.
With a 3-0 win on Saturday, Northeastern clinched home-ice advantage in the Hockey East Quarterfinals. Sunday’s game was a similar story.
“I think the first six minutes we were a little bit slow and [UConn] had some energy,” Northeastern head coach Dave Flint said. “But once we got going and got settled in, I felt like it was a good team effort.”
After a slow start, Northeastern had several opportunities for goals in the first period. With under five minutes left in the period, UConn’s senior captain Erin Burns received a penalty for tripping. Scamurra capitalized on the power play, throwing a shot in front of the net, which bounced in off freshman forward Hayley Masters’ skate.
“I was screening in front and actually Scamurra wound up and took a shot. It just happened to go off my foot,” Masters said. “It wasn’t a glory goal, but [it] counts.”
Minutes later, Burns received another penalty for checking, and once again, Northeastern took advantage of the power play with another goal. Freshman forward Heather Mottau made a cross-ice pass to Savage on the right side of the net. Savage threw the puck across the net to MacSorley, who took a one timer, scoring her 15th goal of the season.
“That second power play goal was great. It was just quick puck movement,” Flint said. “It was great execution and we made it look easy.”
UConn started the second period off by firing shots on net, looking for a goal. Junior goaltender Chloe Desjardins and the Northeastern defensemen stood strong, blocking consecutive shots.
“I thought [Desjardins] was great. Solid again. She’s stopping the shots she’s supposed to,” Flint said. “When your goalie is playing well, your team plays with more confidence. I think that’s why we’ve been successful in this last month and a half.”
Moving the play from Northeastern’s zone to UConn’s, redshirt-senior forward Kelly Wallace passed the puck to Scamurra from behind the net. Scamurra then took a backhander that went over UConn’s goaltender, senior Sarah Moses.
Pushing Northeastern’s lead even further that period, Savage passed to MacSorley who was behind the net. Santostefano cut to the goal and MacSorley hit her with a pass. Santostefano took a one-timer, making the score 4-0 with under a minute left in the second period.
That was not Santostefano’s only shining moment during Sunday’s game. With under four minutes to go in the third period, Santostefano scored for a second time, off a pass from MacSorley, making the final score 5-0.
“Overall, it was a great weekend,” Masters said. “We got some big goals and we worked on our special teams, especially. I think it was a great confidence boost going into next weekend.”
The Huskies have their sights focused on closing out the season strong.
“We got to finish out next weekend, hopefully with two wins,” Flint said. “We can finish anywhere from [third] to fourth right now so it’s just important for us to stay focused and keep some momentum.”
Northeastern finishes the regular season this weekend against New Hampshire, on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Matthews Arena, and on Sunday, Feb. 23 at New Hampshire. Both games are at 2 p.m.
“Playoffs are do or die,” Masters said. “If you win, you go on, and if you lose, you don’t. So it’s just bringing it everyday, day in and day out, and putting forth our best effort every single shift.”
