Northeastern women’s hockey started their season off strong on Friday night as they dismantled the Union College Dutchwomen, 5-0.

The Huskies (1-0) are coming off a 2018-19 season for the history books, as they finished with a 27-6-5 record and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The NU squad looked to continue their success against the Dutchwomen (0-4), who are coming off a miserable season in which they went 4-28-2. Union has not started strong this year, however, as they came into the matchup with an 0-3 record..

The game was very lopsided with the Huskies taking early control; every single goal scored occurred during the first period.

Union won the initial faceoff but lost control of the puck just a few seconds later.. NU took centerstage and star sophomore forward Alina Mueller slotted in her first goal of the season a mere 26 seconds into the game off a pass from junior defender Brooke Hobson.

Nearing the two minute mark, NU freshman forward Peyton Anderson was called for tripping, handing the Dutchwomen an early power play. It proved to be useless, however, as Union could not capitalize.

The Huskies found themselves on the scoreboard again come the seven minute mark, as a saved shot from Mueller resulted in a deflection to junior defender Skylar Fontaine, who tipped in the puck from close range to give NU a 2-0 lead.

Three minutes later, NU senior forward Matti Hartman fired in another shot for her first goal of the season and the Huskies’ third of the frame.

On the opposite side of the ice, Husky junior goaltender Aerin Frankel put on a show, racking up eight saves in the first period. She had 16 total on the night.

The Huskies continued their offensive rampage just after the 13 minute mark, as sophomore defender Gillian Foote, who assisted on Hartman’s goal earlier in the period, ripped in a shot from the blue line to increase the lead to 4-0.

Union had another power-play opportunity shortly after the Huskies fourth goal, as sophomore forward Chloe Aurard was called for tripping. However, the Dutchwomen were again unable to cash in on that opportunity.

The poor special teams play that plagued the Union squad all night proved to be their final downfall, as sophomore forward Maia Martinez was called for checking at the 14:32 mark, giving the Huskies a two-minute power play.

The Huskies converted as the clock struck 16:25, with junior forward Veronika Pettey scoring NU’s fifth unanswered goal of the first period.

The Union defense settled down once the second period started, holding the Huskies scoreless on nine attempted shots on goal. However, the NU defense held strong as well, with Frankel adding five more saves in the frame.

The Huskies offense was persistent in the third and final period, putting up 15 more shots on goal to total 44 on the night. But Union netminder Bella McKee limited the damage, as none of the 15 shots hit the back of the net.

Frankel continued her strong performance in the final period, adding three more saves in the third to pick up her first shutout of the season off a miserable offensive performance from the Dutchwomen, who were outshot 44-16 on the night. The Huskies took the game by a final score of 5-0.

NU looks to push forward in the season Friday at Syracuse University. The Orange are 0-2 on the season and finished with only 13 wins last year, though they made the NCAA Tournament after a strong conference tournament performance.