Coming off a weekend sweep and looking to its first Beanpot game in just one week, a Jan. 7 matchup against the Yale University Bulldogs (9-7-2, 5-6-1 Eastern College Athletic Conference) was a necessary challenge and confidence boost for No.15 Northeastern women’s hockey (13-6-1, 10-4-1 HE), ending in a hard-fought 4-3 score. 

After 11 points in the last three games with goals scattered across the lines, Northeastern’s depth in offense is its new winning factor.

“We can’t rely on our goaltender. … There are times they give up more than two or three goals and we have got to answer offensively, and we did that tonight,” said head coach Dave Flint post-game. 

Although it was Yale that got the initial shots off, the game turned in the Huskies’ favor when the Bulldogs’ senior forward Anna Bargman was called for body checking three minutes into the period, giving Northeastern a two-minute power play. In the crease, junior forward Jules Constantinople caught a sharp pass by senior forward Skylar Irving and proceeded to notch the puck to senior goaltender Pia Dukaric’s upper right for a 1-0 score, starting the game off soundly for the Huskies, who have a 10-1 record when they score first. 

“We were running one of our plays and I just decided to dive down and I saw that no one was picking me up in front, so I decided to screen the goalie and it was a beautiful shot by Skirvy [Skylar Irving], but I was just able to get my stick on it,” Constantinople said of the first goal. 

Power play goals have not always been the team’s strong suit, but as its offensive efforts have improved, so has its conversion percentage. After starting the season hovering around 9%, the team is now at a more favorable 11.6% after the Jan. 7 game, placing 37th in the NCAA for the statistic. 

“Now we’ve got [sophomore forward Allie Lalonde] back, so she’s on one of the power play units. We try to simplify things for them. We’ve been practicing it probably more than we typically do, just so we can get everybody on the same page,” Flint said.

Yale’s freshman forward Cami Bell was able to challenge freshman goaltender Lisa Jönsson throughout the night, scoring all three of Yale’s goals and keeping the Bulldogs competitive. Two minutes after Constantinople’s goal, Bell stormed down the ice for a one-on-one with Jönsson. After she leveled up with the esteemed goaltender, feet from the crease, the puck shot to Jönsson’s left. Jönsson was a split-second too late, landing on her side with the puck already in the net. 

The Huskies have tended to have low-scoring first periods, saving the goals for the third, but the team’s offensive efforts have been on display all game long since coming back from New Year’s break. Ten minutes into the first period, freshman forward Éloïse Caron took a shot by the net that bounced off the pipe, which Constantinople grabbed from the right faceoff circle. She took the shot, the puck sailing straight to the net for a 2-1 scoreboard, giving Yale something to chase.

Northeastern finished off the first period with 17 shots to Yale’s six, dominating puck time for the 10 minutes after the goal. 

Going into the second period, it was Bell’s breakways that were the concern. Eight minutes into the period, Bell struck again, cradling the puck down the ice before she fired from the left faceoff circle to tie up the scoreboard once again. 

The game quickly turned more back-and-forth, with Bell’s second goal leaving the Huskies scrambling to find the net a third time. While Northeastern tried to regain its earlier stride, Yale got off nine shots, the Bulldogs staying in their offensive zone consistently for the first time in the night.

It was graduate student forward Jaden Bogden who broke up Yale’s shots at Jönsson, coming down center ice nine minutes into the third period with a pass to junior forward Lily Shannon at the crease, who nailed it in. The goal was challenged as potentially offside, but after two minutes of anticipation, it was Northeastern’s to keep, the board at 3-2 with 10 minutes to go. 

Freshman forward Morgan Jackson added to the one-point lead when she sent the puck to the crease. Caron was at the goal to escort the puck past the line despite crashing into the back of the netting as she went. The puck (and the skater) both safely in the back of the net, the game became 4-2 with five minutes to go.

They do call it a but in french.

📺 https://t.co/3NI4Y4xUFR pic.twitter.com/c0wE8yZcut

— Northeastern Women’s Hockey (@GoNUwhockey) January 8, 2025

Caron started her freshman season off strong, notching seven points in her first five games, but has been on and off the scoreboard since. Against Yale, she had her most successful game since the Oct. 4 season opener against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats; in both games she earned one goal and two assists. 

“She’s experienced that at points through the year, some ups and downs, but she stepped up tonight with a big game,” Flint said of Caron. “We need contributions from everybody to be successful — that’s what we’re getting right now.”

Bell wasn’t letting a two point difference stop her. A minute after Caron’s goal, the freshman earned a hat trick, the first in her collegiate career. Bell skated down the right side toward the goal, launching a shot that was blocked by Jönsson before skating around the net to finish the job in the crease, making the score a precarious 4-3 with four minutes to go.

Yale was ready to even the score in the final two minutes, pulling their goaltender and moving the game to their offensive zone. After five shots fired at Jönsson, Bogden escaped with the puck, looking from an empty-netter. The zone crowded quickly, though, and the team’s five shots were stopped by a Yale skater who hugged the net before Yale brought the puck back to its offensive zone. The last few seconds ticked by as Jönsson put on her best effort, eventually saving the Huskies from an unwelcome overtime. When the puck was thrown into the air with seconds to go, the Huskies erupted in a well-earned celebration. 

“We’re not just trying to rely on one person, we’re trying to rely on a lot of people, which is good for a team,” Constantinople said after Tuesday’s game. 

The third win of 2025 puts the Huskies in the perfect position headed into the upcoming Beanpot tournament. Northeastern will take on the Boston College Eagles (14-6-1, 11-4-1 HE) at Matthews Arena for the semifinal Jan. 14.