The Northeastern women’s hockey team (18-11-1, 13-9-1 HE) lost to the University of Maine Black Bears (9-20-1, 8-14-1 HE) 2-0 Feb. 7 in a devastating blow to their status in Hockey East standings.

Despite Northeastern’s weekend sweep back in November 2024, the Huskies fell short in Maine during its third-to-last weekend of the season. Maine freshman goaltender Kiia Lahtinen turned away 33 shots for her first career shutout. 

The Huskies struggled to reach the net all evening, and after a tight first and second period, it was sophomore forward Lily Fetch who found the net after an assist from senior defender Jamie Grinder. Fetch shot from the left of the net, behind freshman goaltender Lisa Jönsson for a 1-0 scoreboard. 

Close to a shutout, Lahtinen wasn’t letting much slide for the Huskies and her defenders were on top of any shots that reached the crease. The Huskies took a total of 33 shots to the Black Bears’ 29 throughout the game, but couldn’t find the net, and its resolve died as the periods stretched on. 

The game was another notch in the Huskies’ dim record when playing from behind. With two minutes left in the game, Jönsson was pulled for an extra forward as the team desperately attempted to send the game into its third consecutive overtime of the season. 

With only 13 seconds left, Maine freshman forward Stephanie Jacob snuck away for a breakaway. Despite junior forward Jules Constantinople throwing herself in front of the puck on its way to the empty net, the Huskies’ faced yet another tough loss, with a final score of 2-0.

The Huskies’ regular season luck has slowed down considerably in Hockey East’s determining moments after their fiery Beanpot victory. The team will need to play a different game in its final four matchups in order to stay in the top three, which would open them up to a potential at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. 

Northeastern will face off in a double header against the Boston College Eagles (18-11-1, 14-8-1 HE) Feb. 14 at 2 p.m in Chestnut Hill. Its last Matthews Arena game will be at 2 p.m. the following day.