The Northeastern women’s hockey team (12-8-0, 7-6-0 HE) picked up the second half of the season right where it left off: with a 2-1 overtime win. After defeating Boston University in early December, the Huskies headed to New Haven, Connecticut, where they faced the No. 14/13 Yale Bulldogs (9-8-0, 7-5-0 ECAC) for a Jan. 2 smackdown.
After slipping off the national rankings earlier this season, Northeastern came back to hover just outside of the top 15 by the end of its 2023 schedule. Now with their fourth straight victory, and defeating a ranked opponent, this win might be just what the Huskies need to get back in the game.
Yale came into the Tuesday night matchup with a vendetta. Last season, Northeastern defeated the Bulldogs in the NCAA Regional Final, earning a highly-coveted ticket to the Frozen Four.
With a chip on their shoulder, Yale owned the competition with speed and pressure. They earned two-thirds of faceoffs, claiming initial control over the puck, and when the Huskies, rusty from a month-long holiday break, finally got possession, they struggled to connect on passes.
The Bulldogs didn’t back down the entire 60 minutes. They outshot the home team a whopping 46-19, but fifth-year goaltender Gwyneth Philips kept Northeastern alive.
Notching a season-high 45 saves, she only let one puck past, late in the first period.
Yale senior forward Kiersten Goode took the initial shot from the high slot, but the puck bounced off Philips’ pads and the masses closed in on the rebound. Sliding into the commotion on her knees, Goode had the final touch on the puck before it arced up and over Philips’ shoulder and into the back of the net.
Despite skating through the first two periods scoreless and with little possession, Northeastern found opportunities when it mattered.
Two minutes after Goode’s goal, sophomore forward Lily Brazis popped one over Yale junior netminder Pia Dukaric. Although the goal was rescinded for a Husky punching it down in the crease, it showed Northeastern wasn’t out of the game just yet.
Scoring has been a glaring issue for the Huskies all year, but when someone on the fourth line can step up and put one past a 2023 Goalie of the Year Finalist, it bodes well for the team’s progress.
Early in the third period, Northeastern finally punched a good goal through. It had been a clean game so far, with only one penalty across 40 minutes of play, but the Huskies had shown up since the start of the final frame, putting the Bulldogs on their toes. In an attempt to stop an offensive rush for Northeastern, Yale junior defender Olivia Muhn bodied Huskies sophomore forward Lily Shannon into the boards and Northeastern gained the extra attacker.
After losing the draw, the Huskies quickly turned over the puck and didn’t let go. They forced Dukaric to make a fast stop before cycling the puck around the zone.
It traveled across the blue line, from junior forward Skylar Irving to freshman defender Rylie Jones to sophomore defender Jules Constantinople. From the back of the right faceoff circle, Constantinople took a one-timer slapshot and her bullet whistled past Dukaric to put Northeastern on the board.
An absolute snipe from Connecticut’s finest. https://t.co/ZhLyR3B7Fl pic.twitter.com/9Oq0rnLNXu
— Northeastern Women’s Hockey (@GoNUwhockey) January 3, 2024
Although the cards were stacked against the Huskies, with the score knotted at 1-1, it was still anyone’s game.
By the end of regulation, neither team had managed to sneak ahead. With a sudden-death overtime round bearing down on her, Northeastern fifth-year forward Katy Knoll was locked in. Knoll showed off her skill from the beginning of overtime, darting around Yale defenders to attack the net single-handedly, but it wasn’t until the clock ticked down on the final two minutes that her game-winner found the back of the net.
Bulldogs sophomore forward Jordan Ray tripped up the darting skater in the left faceoff circle, but as she fell, Knoll gave the puck one final slap. It sailed over Dukaric’s leg, ending the game, and Northeastern’s bench went wild.
We believe they call this Katy Knoll doing Katy Knoll things! pic.twitter.com/3tM4Xh4od5
— Northeastern Women’s Hockey (@GoNUwhockey) January 3, 2024
The goal was Knoll’s third of the year, and while that’s far off her usual pace, two of them were game-winners, coming in when the Huskies needed it most. Irving assisted both of Northeastern’s scores against Yale, bringing the playmaker up to 19 points on the season.
The Huskies’ 2-1 victory is the first mark on their clean slate entering 2024, and it’s a strong start to their four-game road stint. The Huskies will return to conference play this weekend when they travel to Worcester for their third matchup this season against the College of the Holy Cross (5-11-2, 2-8-2 HE). The puck drops at the Hart Center Rink Friday at 6 p.m.
