Last season, Northeastern swept its series against Boston College women’s hockey, winning all five games and allowing just one goal. This season, the Eagles fell short at their first chance to turn their luck against Northeastern around.
The two Boston rivals dropped the puck for the first time this season on Saturday, but not in their home city. The teams played at Dorothy Talbot Rink, a neutral site in Gloucester, Mass, to honor the city’s 400-year anniversary. Despite equalizing Northeastern’s one-goal lead in the second period, the Eagles (8–7–1, 8–3–1 Hockey East) couldn’t match the energy with another response, falling to Northeastern (9–8–0, 5–6–0) 3–1.
The Huskies used two third-period goals to secure their win.
In the first period, the Huskies were the first to take to the board at the 2:44 mark. Northeastern’s Peyton Anderson capitalized on assists from teammates Allie Lalonde and Rylie Jones to put the Huskies ahead 1–0.
The Eagles fought back to equalize the score but fell short when Annaka Mettler went to the penalty box for boarding almost halfway through the period. BC’s defense held firm to kill the power play, as the Huskies only fired four shots that couldn’t find their way past BC goaltender Grace Campbell.
Campbell finished the game with 26 saves.
The Huskies narrowly outshot BC 12–10 in the first period before the Eagles came back to outshoot Northeastern 12–7 in the second.
The Eagles had a recipe for success halfway through the second period. After another slow start with shots just shy of the goal, BC got just what it needed to get back onto the board with a two-man advantage. At the 9:31 mark, Northeastern’s officials sent Kristina Allard to the box for holding. Not even a minute later, Jules Constantinople followed her for tripping, giving BC the 5-on-3 advantage on the ice.
As Northeastern’s first penalty began to expire, Sidney Fess fired a shot from the rear of the attack zone, equalizing the score at 1–1. Jade Arnone and Sammy Smigliani recorded assists on the play.
The action picked up as the period closed when officials sent BC’s Caroline Goffredo to the box for interference. Seconds later, Northeastern’s Katy Knoll followed and Smiglini also went to the box, causing the third period to close with Northeastern on a 4-on-3 advantage.
The final period began with the Huskies on the power play, but they did not capitalize. Northeastern had another chance at the 3:12 mark but squandered that opportunity as well.
And while up to that point the Huskies had been on five power plays, they proved they didn’t need an advantage to add to the board with just under seven minutes left. At 6:54, Northeastern’s Taze Thompson capitalized on assists from Knoll and Allard to put the Huskies in the lead 2–1.
As the clock drained, so did the might of the Eagles. BC head coach Katie Crowley pulled Campbell from BC’s crease in a last-minute ditch for an extra player. With about 30 seconds remaining in the game, Skylar Irving scored unassisted from behind the net for an open goal to put BC down 3–1.
The period closed out with Arnone receiving a bench minor penalty for throwing equipment before Northeastern celebrated its victory on the ice.
