By Caroline Ingram, news staff
The Huskies had a chance to close out Harvard Tuesday night to take third place in the women’s Beanpot tournament, but let their lead slip away in the final period, falling to the Crimson by a score of 4-3.
Harvard got on the board early, just 3:18 into the first period with a goal by first-year forward Keely Moy. Moy collected the puck from first-year forward Becca Gilmore and fired a shot past first-year NU goalie Aerin Frankel.
The Huskies have struggled to come strong right out of the gate in the first period, and still haven’t tallied the first goal in a game since Jan. 19 against UConn.
“It’s always important to start off fast and aggressive,” head coach Dave Flint said. “I didn’t like the first few minutes of the game there, but we got better as the period went on, and that was good to see.”
Just two minutes after the Harvard goal, third-year forward Tori Sullivan tied the score with a goal that proved to be a large momentum swing in the Huskies’ favor. The Huskies went up by two shortly after, when fourth-year forward McKenna Brand circled around the Harvard net, firing a wraparound shot that was initially denied by first-year Harvard goalie Becky Dutton. Fourth-year forward Denisa Krizova came crashing down on the net hard to put the loose puck away and give NU the one point advantage.
“I’ve spoken about how I have been needing more from my top line and how we need them to produce a bit more for us,” Flint said. “It was nice to see them contribute so heavily for us here tonight.”
Entering the second period, the Huskies held their advantage and generated a plethora of offensive opportunities. Almost eight minutes into the second, with Northeastern on the penalty kill, the lead was stretched to three as Sullivan entered the offensive zone solo and fired a high shot over the right shoulder of Dutton in net.
Less than three minutes later, Harvard answered back with a goal of their own, courtesy of second-year defenseman Ali Peper, who fired a shot from the point that beat Frankel low.
The Northeastern lead was completely erased early in the third period, as Harvard’s second-year forward Kat Hughes collected the puck from Gilmore and fired a shot, with Gilmore crashing the net and tipping the puck past Frankel.
“Goals like [Harvard’s third goal] happen because we aren’t picking up bodies in front of our own net,” said Flint. “That is usually something we pride ourselves at doing, but they got one past us here tonight that Frankel really had no chance on.”
With a little over 10 minutes to go in the third period, Harvard took the lead for the first time since their opening goal. Peper took a shot from the point that Frankel batted down, but the rebound was not cleared and Gilmore knocked it home to put the Crimson ahead 4-3.
Gilmore’s two quick goals within 2:01 of each other quickly erased the cushion the Huskies had been riding for most of the game. With under 10 minutes to go and needing a goal, NU pushed into desperation mode, but Dutton was up to the task in net.
Northeastern finished fourth in the women’s Beanpot tournament for the first time since 2015. It was a frustrating and disappointing loss for the Huskies, who dropped below .500 win percentage for the season. Flint felt that his team had all they needed to get the job done, but made the mistake of letting Harvard stick around.
“We had plenty of chances, but when it came down to the wire we weren’t able to produce,” Flint said. “It’s a tough loss for sure, knowing that we gave up a sizeable lead, but our players know that we’ve got to play for a full 60 minutes. Holding a lead in the second period doesn’t mean much.”
Northeastern faces off with Vermont on Friday at 7 p.m. at Matthews Arena for senior night.
