Box Score

Kendall Coyne and Maggie DiMasi scored for Northeastern, but two Boston University goals in the final six minutes gave the Terriers their first win over the Huskies this season, in a 3-2 decision today at Agganis Arena.

Senior Florence Schelling made 36 saves in her fifth defeat. DiMasi had a hand in both Northeastern goals, with an assist on Coyne's strike. The loss ends a four-game unbeaten streak for NU, and drops the Huskies back into second place in Hockey East, with No. 4 Boston College leading them via season series tiebreaker.

Energy was low on both sides in the opening minutes as Northeastern gradually gained a presence in the Terriers zone. Seven minutes in, NU's starting forward line of Coyne, junior Brittany Esposito and junior tri-captain Casey Pickett all caught sight of goal in rapid succession, but were denied by BU's Kerrin Sperry.

The Huskies kept the pressure on, with hard forechecking from graduate tri-captain Dani Rylan and sophomore Claire Santostefano creating solid chances, but BU ended up with the best chances of the opening minutes. First, Marie-Philip Poulin teed up Isabel Menard and point blank, getting the save of the period out of Schellig. Later, Poulin broke free from a pinched-in NU defense, but her backhand effort went high of Schelling's net, and still the teams searched for an opening goal.

The Terriers then applied some token pressure as Schelling was called to deny a few efforts from distance, but BU earned a real chance at the lead when freshman Ann Doherty went to the box for bodychecking as she tried to dig the puck out of the corner. Northeastern's penalty kill, ranked second in the nation, looked to have the Terriers at bay, but Santostefano tripped Louise Warren in the neutral zone to give BU 24 second of five-on-three time.

Schelling did well to deny wrist shots from Poulin and Wakefield as Doherty returned to the fray, and from there the Northeastern kill held strong to bring the sides to even strength with two minutes to play in the period.

The Huskies would then earn their turn on the power play when sophomore Maggie DiMasi, amidst an end-to-end run out of defense, gained a stride on Tara Watchorn and drew a bodychecking minor at 19:02. Sperry made a fine save on freshman Ann Doherty's shot, and Northeastern was content to take a man advantage into the locker room after an active first period in which they led the shots battle, 15-14.

Northeastern would mortgage the remainder of the power play straightaway when Coyne went off for roughing at :42. The Huskies nearly paid for it in short order as well, as Watchorn's slap shot from the right point had Schelling beat, but it caromed off the inside of her right post and skittered along the goal line to safety.

The Huskies earned a reprieve once the sides were back at even strength when Wakefield bodychecked sophomore Katie MacSorley at 3:55, but again Northeastern would bungle the chance. The best chance went to the Terriers when Poulin and Warren broke in two-on-one, but Pickett got a stick on Warren's initial pass and, after a second effort set up Warren in front, the BU sophomore couldn't get a stick on a one-timer. With 1:01 still left on the advantage, Coyne made another trip to the box for tripping, as the teams skated four a side.

Nine minutes into the middle frame, Northeastern received its best chance of the game. Doherty rattled a pass around the left side boards behind the net for Coyne, who fired into the slot for Pickett; her initial shot was blocked, but she found the puck amidst the traffic and placed one over Sperry's right shoulder that clanged off the post.

Rylan's two minutes for cross-checking appeared to offer BU the next chance at 15:50, but an immediate sucker punch from the Huskies turned the tables. Off the ensuing faceoff, sophomore Maggie DiMasi sent it along the right-side half-board for Pickett, who used their carom perfectly to play in Coyne, who had broken into space behind the BU defense. Coyne swooped in on Sperry from the right wing, and deking across to her forehand side, lofted one coolly over the goaltender's outstretched glove to give Northeastern an unlikely 1-0 lead at 16:02.

The goal was Coyne's 22nd of the year and her second shorthanded. The Palos Heights, Ill. native has scored in all but two games this season, and only Boston College has kept her off the scoresheet. She continues to lead Hockey East in points, both in conference play and across all competitions.

The play was something of a twofer for Northeastern, as Kaleigh Fratkin took a hooking minor while harassing Coyne's streak toward goal. The Huskies could not convert on the resulting power play, however, and what remained of the second period petered out with no full chances for either side.

Wakefield gained space in the slot just after the intermission, but an instinctive glove save from Schelling kept the Terriers off the board.

The Swiss international, however, could do nothing about BU's equalizer at 4:27. Kathryn Miller's shot came in rather innocuously from the right point, but Jill Cardella's wicked deflection in front beat Schelling and tied the game with just over 15 minutes to play.

BU then had a chance to further its momentum when junior Kelly Wallace took a roughing minor on Wakefield at 6:14, but again the Huskies responded with an immediate shorthanded chance. This time it was Coyne playing in Pickett, but Sperry kept things on level terms with a kick save to her right. The Huskies had two more solid chances on the power play, but a two-on-one with Coyne and Pickett was broken up, and Esposito's later chance was stoned by Sperry.

Shots were even at 25 apiece midway through the final period when freshman Lucie Povova drew a bodychecking minor on Shannon Stoneburgh to give the sputtering Husky power play another chance. This time, though the shorthanded side once again received the best chance, the power play finally came through. Freshman Colleen Murphy's misplay gave Wakefield a clean breakaway on Schelling, but her wrist shot flew far too high; on Northeastern's ensuing rush up ice, a delayed penalty to Watchorn put the Huskies up six-on-four momentarily. Soon after, DiMasi's slapper from straight on at the blue line flew past a screened Sperry to give Northeastern a 2-1 lead. The goal was Povova's seventh on the season and her first since she scored the Huskies' lone goal in the 1-1 tie at Boston College on Jan. 17th.

The lead would be momentary, however, as the Huskies surrendered another equalizer just seconds after the Watchorn penalty expired. Working in quick combination, Wakefield and Holze found junior transfer Isabel Menard, whose wrister beat Schelling clean to level things once again at 14:05.

With 1:49 to play, BU's comeback was complete. After a scrum in front of net that sent Schelling to the ice, Wakefield jammed the puck over the line to give the Terriers the win. A bouncing puck gave Sperry some trouble with just seconds to play, but the hope was short-lived as the Terriers secured their first victory over Northeastern in their last four attempts.

Northeastern will have two days to recover and turn its sights to the 34th Women's Beanpot, which begins Tuesday night at BU's Walter Brown Arena. The Huskies take on Boston College at 5 p.m. in the first semifinal matchup.