Box score

Three different goalscorers, including junior Brittany Esposito, and sterling goaltending from senior Florence Schelling powered Northeastern women's hockey to its sixth win in its first seven games, and a debut victory in Hockey East play, as the Huskies defeated the Maine Black Bears, 3-2, in Orono.

Freshman Kendall Coyne scored on a penalty shot to start a string of three unanswered Northeastern goals, and Schelling saw off a late Maine rally to secure the victory.

Northeastern grabbed the momentum off the game's opening faceoff when Maine's Danielle Ward hooked junior Brittany Esposito, giving the Huskies a power play just five seconds into the game. Coyne parlayed the man advantage into a two-on-one opportunity, but her backhand effort was stopped by junior Maine goaltender Brittany Ott.

Northeastern held a significant shots advantage through the early going and finally capitalized on their dominance through Coyne. After junior tri-captain Casey Pickett picked off a Maine pass in the Huskies' defensive zone, Coyne saw her opportunity and broke up ice. Pickett's lead pass was on the money, putting Coyne through on goal, and Maine defender Ashley Norum could do no more than bring Coyne down from behind for a penalty shot. Coyne calmly beat Ott through the five hole to put Northeastern in front, 1-0. The tally kept Coyne's season-opening point streak alive; she remains the only Husky to have scored in all seven games this year.

The Huskies earned another power play after a Tori Pasquariello slashing penalty, but the advantage was cut short by a Stephanie Gavronsky interference minor just a minute later. Maine's best chance in the period came with a minute to play, when Jennifer More found herself unmarked in the slot, but a kick save from Schelling kept the score at 1-0. Northeastern maintained its authority over the early going, however, ending the first period with a 17-4 lead on shots.

The Huskies began the second period by killing sophomore Maggie DiMasi's holding minor, and soon found themselves on the power play when Kayla Kaluzny bodychecked freshman Chelsey Goldberg. Esposito made the Black Bears pay for their sins; Coyne and Pickett worked the puck around the perimeter to the Edmonton, Alberta, native, who buried it low to Ott's left from the left hash to double Northeastern's advantage.

A poor pass from Maine's Brittany Huneke led to two-on-one rush with Esposito and sophomore Claire Santostefano, but Ott came up with a brilliant pad save to keep the game in sight for the Black Bears.

Schelling was tested far more extensively in the middle frame, stopping 13 Maine shots, including a point blank try from Ward, after her blocker save fluttered helplessly in front of net.

Northeastern effectively put the game to rest late in the second period on another power play goal. With Melissa Gagnon in the box for bodychecking, DiMasi and Esposito effortlessly zinged the puck around in front of Ott's goal, finally resulting in an open net for freshman Colleen Murphy, who netted the first goal of her career to give Northeastern a three-goal lead at the second intermission.

The Huskies gained a power play reprieve early in the third period after Coyne's tripping penalty negated a man advantage from Maine's minor for too many players on the ice. A Pasquariello bodycheck put Northeastern up four-on-three, but it was the Black Bears who created an odd man rush on Schelling's goal. The Swiss international was up to the task once again, however, denying Kaluzny's short-range attempt with an instinctive glove save.

The Black Bears finally pulled one back midway through the third, with Dawn Sullivan's wraparound tally ending Schelling's bid for a shutout. Maine appeared to have found some life then, creating numerous chances on the back of Sullivan's marker. But just as it looked as if the Black Bears might find an edge in the game, a Norum bodychecking penalty allowed the Huskies to once again control the tempo. Although the Huskies failed to make good on the power play chance, they heeled a run of play that had suddenly swung quickly in the Black Bears' favor.

Then, with Norum just out of the box, freshman Leanne Gallant pulled down Kaluzny as she was headed in on goal, and Maine again found new life. Ward's shot from the high slot was deflected on goal by Brittany Dougherty; Schelling was wise to it, but the rebound deflected right back to Dougherty, who buried her third of the season to halve the deficit with four minutes to play.

Maine pulled Ott for an extra attacker with 90 seconds left, but the Black Bears never seriously threatened Schelling for an equalizer in the waning seconds, and the Huskies escaped with a win in their Hockey East opener. Maine now has two points from three WHEA contests, their lone win coming against Connecticut on Oct. 21.

At 6-1-0, Northeastern is off to its best start since 2001-02. The Huskies will be back in action next Friday, Nov. 4, with a 7 p.m. tilt against Connecticut at Matthews Arena (7 p.m.). The two teams will then travel to Storrs to complete the home and home weekend series; Saturday's game begins at 4 p.m.