Northeastern women’s hockey (28-7-1, 21-2-1 HE) took down the Hockey East sixth-seeded University of Vermont Catamounts (16-17-5, 9-11-4 HE) in a 3-1 game dominated by the Huskies March 3.
The Huskies already likely have a spot in the NCAA tournament — they’re fifth in the nation, according to the NCAA Percentage Index. They continued their quest for a tenth-consecutive appearance in the Hockey East championship, coming out victorious after leading the game in shots 32-21 and faceoffs 32-16.
Senior defender Jules Constantinople, who has been an offensive force for the Huskies all season, earned her seventh goal of the season with a rip on the blue line less than four minutes into the game. It set the Huskies up right, and they effortlessly took possession against the team they have beaten their past four matchups.
With five minutes remaining in the first period, sophomore forward Morgan Jackson took advantage of an unfortunate pass from Vermont in its defensive zone, shooting from the slot for a 2-0 scoreboard.
The second period was goalless, but four penalties on Vermont and two on Northeastern gave the Huskies 14 shots on goal to the Catamount’s three. The Huskies led in faceoffs 24 to 13, maintaining strong possession throughout the game, while Vermont struggled to complete passes and move into the offensive zone.
Three minutes into the final period, senior forward Lily Shannon fought for the puck in the slot before passing it to sophomore forward Éloïse Caron, who took an improbable goal from the left to the roof of the net. It was not only her second game back after being injured for the final games of the regular season but her second goal since rejoining the lineup.
Graduate student forward Jaden Bogden was back to fill in a classic first line with Caron and Shannon. Along with Caron, Bogden and junior forward Peyton Compton were among those back from late season injuries. Senior forward Holly Abela remained off the line up.
The time Northeastern spent shorthanded was good training for a team that will need to rely on its depth going into the late weeks of post season hockey. Players like senior forward Mia Langlois and freshman forward Emy McDermid were able to step up in big moments to help out the team to maintain its outstanding record, only falling in two conference games. While its top six have been very consistent, games where those spots weren’t filled went nearly as well, showing promise for the young team.
With two minutes left to play, Vermont’s junior defender Natalie Zarcone shot from just above the left faceoff circle 30 seconds after Vermont exchanged an empty net for a sixth attacker. Vermont took five more shots, ending the game in a scramble by the net before the Huskies walked off victorious.
Sophomore goaltender Lisa Jönsson came through with a few big saves, taking 20 saves to redshirt junior goaltender Ellie Simmons’ 29 saves.
Northeastern will take on the University of Connecticut Huskies (26-8-2, 17-6-1 HE) at 3:30 p.m. March 7 at Toscano Family Ice Forum.
While Northeastern has won every game against UConn in the last two seasons, UConn beat Northeastern when it won the Hockey East Championship in 2024. Neither team has won the tournament since, despite Northeastern playing in the championship game last year. The game will likely be a goalie battle given Jönsson and graduate student goaltender Tia Chan, as they are some of the best goalies in the league.
