By Kimberly Peterson
After a devastating 2-1 overtime loss with just one second left to play on Saturday, Northeastern (2-4-1) came back on Sunday, dominating the University of Connecticut (3-5-0) en route to a 3-1 win, earning a split with the Hockey East foe.
“Playing UConn again after we lost was actually pretty easy because you get so pissed off and you just want to come back and beat them,” said NU senior Pamela Pachal.
The victory for NU proved two very important things about the Huskies this year. This is a team with some serious mettle and, most importantly, can produce points with a multitude of weapons, as NU was without Brooke White, one of the group’s top scorers.
Northeastern controlled Sunday’s game from the start, despite putting only 18 shots on goal. Senior Kim Greene started the scoring for NU when she was moved up from her usual position. At 18:02 of the first period, Greene took a quick shot and buried the puck into the back left corner of the net behind UConn’s Shannon Murphy.
“We are searching for someone who can score right now and as the coaching staff we are just looking for the right combo,” said Coach Joy Woog.
UConn quickly came back into the game as Connecticut’s Sara Mahoney tied it up on a close shot 32 seconds into the second period. NU would once again pull ahead on a one-timer off a rebound by freshman sniper Rebecca Paul at 9:33.
Greene would add insurance just 1:04 into the third period. NU’s defense took over from that point onward, as junior goalie Chanda Gunn made 31 saves in the game.
The Huskies’ intensity was able to bring them to victory as they suffered a 2-1 loss on Sunday that came after a hard fought and physical game against UConn. Both teams were evenly matched from the onset. Northeastern fought for their chances, but were only able to convert for one goal in the game.
Junior Michelle Lorion gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead on a slapshot that went over Murphy’s shoulder and under the cross bar at 3:41 in the second. NU’s lead would not last long, however, as Connecticut tied it up at 8:46 into the second period. A breakdown in the Huskies defense allowed Mahoney to skate in alone on Gunn. She faked out Northeastern’s top goalie for the game-tying goal.
“We felt that we had outplayed and out worked them the whole game. We have come out hard every single game, and not one of the last two or three games that we lost, did we deserve to lose,” said Pachal.
NU played their overtime much like the entire game, finding themselves out shooting their opponent and controlling the play. It was yet another break in NU’s defense that lead to Tiffany Owens’ game winning goal at 3:49.
“I think that a great characteristic of this team is its resiliency,” said Woog. “We worked hard. We always work hard. ”
The game not only ended the Huskies winless streak, but it also gave them their first ever Hockey East win, and brought them to 1-1-1 in the new conference.
The Huskies will once again play back to back games this weekend, traveling to Niagra University for the two game set. The teams have battled in the past and Woog doesn’t expect this weekend to be any different.
“They’re a team that is just going to muck and grind and I anticipate it to be a very physical weekend,” said Woog.
