BOSTON -- The Northeastern women's hockey team opens its 2013-14 Hockey East slate this weekend with a home-and-home series against Providence College. The Huskies will host the Friars at Matthews Arena on Friday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Schneider Arena for a Saturday matinee at 3:05 p.m.
Last time out
The Huskies dropped both games in their two-game series at No. 5 Cornell last weekend, 6-2 and 3-0 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and halted their winning streak at three games.
The Big Red got off to a fast start in Saturday's series-opener, opening up a 3-0 lead before the first period was 10 minutes old. Northeastern responded with back-to-back goals from seniors
Sonia St. Martin and
Katie MacSorley to cut the lead to 3-2, but Cornell scored three unanswered tallies, including a pair of power play goals, to preserve the 6-2 win. Freshman netminder
Sarah Foss made her first-ever collegiate appearance in relief of senior
Chloe Desjardins, stopping 16 shots in just under 47 minutes of ice time.
Cornell earned the weekend sweep with a 3-0 shutout Sunday afternoon, scoring in each period to complement Lauren Siebodnick's 23-save performance between the pipes. Desjardins turned away 26 shots in the losing effort, including 12 in the first period alone.
Scouting Providence
The Providence College Friars open their 2013-14 Hockey East schedule against Northeastern eager to build upon their 15-16-5 showing in 2012-13.
PC accumulated an 8-10-3 Hockey East record last season, earning a postseason matchup with No. 4 University of New Hampshire in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinals. The Friars battled back from 3-0 and 4-2 to deficits to stun the Wildcats 5-4 in overtime before falling to eventual-champion Boston University 4-0 in the semifinals.
The Friars started the 2013-14 season with a 3-3-0 mark, splitting each of their first three series with Union, Mercyhurst and Syracuse. Senior Corinne Buie has paced PC's offensive attack thus far with six points (3-3-6), tied for seventh in Hockey East, while freshman Cassidy Carels sits fourth in rookie scoring with four points (3-1-4). The Friars are currently tied for fourth in the conference in both scoring offense (2.33 goals per game) and scoring defense (3.17), while their power play ranks fourth in Hockey East (4-for-39, 10.3 percent) and their penalty kill is currently sixth (32-for-40, 80 percent).
On the defensive side of the ice, sophomore netminder Sarah Bryant has maintained her starting job after finishing the 2012-13 season with 25 starts, two shutouts, a 3.15 goals against average and .882 save percentage. In five games this season, Bryant has saved 109-of-121 shots -- good for a 2.75 goals percentage and .901 save percentage -- and backstopped each of the Friars' three victories.
Each of the three meetings between Providence and Northeastern last season resulted in a victory for the Huskies, including an 8-7 shootout on Jan. 20, 2013, the highest-scoring game in Hockey East history. The two teams also met for a pair of games on the final weekend of the regular season; Northeastern won the first 5-1 and edged out a 4-3 victory on Senior Day behind points from each of its four seniors.
Old streaks die hard
Prior to last weekend's sweep, the Huskies had not lost back-to-back games on the road in nearly two seasons. The last time NU was bested in consecutive contests away from Matthews Arena dates all the way back to 2011, when the Huskies lost at Boston College on Nov. 18, 4-1, before dropping a 4-3 overtime decision at Dartmouth on Nov. 26. Sunday's 3-0 loss also marked the first time an opponent had kept Northeastern off the scoreboard since Jan. 3, 2013, when the Huskies lost 6-0 at St. Lawrence -- a span of 23 games.
Foss faces first foe
Freshman netminder
Sarah Foss made her first career collegiate appearance Saturday at Cornell, relieving senior
Chloe Desjardins midway through the first period. In 46:44 of ice time, Foss turned away 16 shots, including nine in the second period alone, and conceded three goals to the Big Red, two of which came on the power play.
Skating shorthanded no tall order
Senior
Katie MacSorley brought the Huskies to within a goal of Cornell with a shorthanded goal Saturday, marking the fourth tally Northeastern has scored this season while on the penalty kill. Redshirt-senior
Kelly Wallace and junior
Chelsey Goldberg (2) buried shorties against Union and RIT, respectively, making Northeastern one of only two teams in Division I (along with Boston College) with four shorthanded goals this season.
Face-off fiends
After losing the faceoff battle in their first two games of the season, Northeastern has owned the faceoff dot in four consecutive games, winning the majority of draws against Union, RPI and in both contests with Cornell. The Huskies won at least 24 draws in each of those instances, including a season-high 34 faceoffs in Saturday's loss at Cornell.
Spreading the wealth
Senior assistant captain
Sonia St. Martin and junior
Lucie Povova earned their first points of the season Saturday at Cornell, upping the total skaters on Northeastern's roster with at least one point to 15. Only eight Huskies have not yet registered a point -- three of whom are goaltenders.
Huskies hot in Hockey East openers
The Huskies are 3-4-4 all-time in their first Hockey East game of the season, including a 2-1-2 mark since 2008-09 and 2-1-1 clip under current head coach
Dave Flint. Prior to last season's WHEA-opening loss to then-No. 3 Boston University, Northeastern had not lost its first conference game since Oct. 27, 2007, a 5-3 defeat to Connecticut.
Starting off hot
With victories over Union and RPI on Oct. 11 and 12, the Huskies started with a 3-1-0 or better record in each of the last three seasons. (Northeastern started both 2012-13 and 2011-12 4-0-0.) After losing their season-opener to Syracuse on Oct. 4, the Red and Black rattled off three consecutive wins, which tied for the third-longest active streak in the NCAA.
Chloe in the clutch
Each of Northeastern's three wins have come by virtue of one-goal games, and junior netminder
Chloe Desjardins has played a huge part in keeping the Huskies in each of those games. She stopped at least 23 shots in each of her three victories, including a season-high 33 shots at RPI on Oct. 12. As a result, Northeastern won three consecutive one-goal games for the first time since Feb. 14-20, 2004.
Wallace on a roll
Redshirt-senior
Kelly Wallace scored a goal in each of Northeastern's wins over Union and RPI on Oct. 11 and 12, giving her a goal in three consecutive games, one game short of the longest streak of her career. With three goals, she is tied for sixth in Hockey East and 30th nationally in goals per game (0.50).
Game-winning Savage-ry
Sophomore
Paige Savage potted her second game-winner of the season Oct. 12 at RPI, tying her for the most game-clinching goals in the country. She also netted the deciding goal in Northeastern's 5-4 win over RIT on Oct. 5, marking the second consecutive season in which her first goal of the season was a game-winner.
First impressions
Two Northeastern rookies tallied their first points of the season on Oct. 12 at RPI.
Bella Sinsigalli and
Melissa Haganey each assisted on
Paige Savage's game-winning goal against the Engineers, making them the second and third Husky freshmen to find the scoresheet this season.
Turning defense into offense
Junior
Colleen Murphy turned in a two-point weekend Oct. 11-12, notching an assist against both Union and RPI to give her three total on the season and an assist in three consecutive games, one short of the longest streak of her career. The Cary, N.C., native is now tied for 31st nationally in points per game among defenseman (0.50).
O Captain, My Captain
Northeastern has chosen its leaders for the 2013-14 season. Senior
Maggie Brennolt was named the team's captain for the second straight season, while
Brittany Esposito and
Sonia St. Martin will serve as assistant captains.
"I am excited about our leadership group this season," said head coach
Dave Flint. "Each captain has their own leadership style, which I think will complement each other well."
"It is truly an honor to be named a captain of this team," Brennolt said. "We're looking forward to another great year and I'm excited that my teammates and our coaches are counting on me to provide leadership throughout the season."
"With our work ethic and talent, we are capable of being a great team and I am honored to be recognized as a leader by my coaches and teammates," Esposito said.
"It is such an honor to have the opportunity to lead such a hardworking and talented group of girls," St. Martin said. "There are so many great leaders on this team, on and off the ice, so I'm excited to get the season started."
Goldberg earns WHEA accolades
Junior forward
Chelsey Goldberg was named Hockey East Co-Player of the Week along with BC forward Haley Skarupa, the league announced Oct. 7. The Agoura Hills, Calif., native registered four points in the Huskies' opening weekend, including her first career goal and first-ever multi-point game.
Goldberg assisted on senior
Maggie Brennolt's goal Oct. 4 against Syracuse before tallying three points in Northeastern's 5-4 win over RIT on Oct. 5. She factored into each of NU's first three goals, scoring two, both shorthanded, and assisting on junior
Chelsiea Goll's tally midway through the second period. She finished the weekend with a +4 plus/minus rating, the best of any player in Hockey East.
Striking Gold(berg)
Through the first two weekends of the season, junior forward
Chelsey Goldberg has perched herself near the top of several statistical categories within Hockey East. The Agoura Hills, Calif., native is tied for first in short-handed goals (2), tied for 11th in points (2-2-4) and tied for second in shorthanded points (2).
Starting short
Junior forward
Chelsey Goldberg scored her first career goal shorthanded against RIT on Oct. 5, making her the first Husky since senior
Claire Santostefano (Oct. 16, 2010, vs. Robert Morris) to notch her first-ever score on the penalty kill.
Masters-ful
Freshman forward
Hayley Masters tallied an assist on senior
Maggie Brennolt's goal in Northeastern's 4-1 loss to Syracuse on Oct. 4, marking her first career collegiate point. She added an assist on sophomoreÂ
Paige Savage's game-winner Oct. 5, making her the first rookie to notch a helper in each of her first two games since
Kendall Coyne registered three assists in her first two games (Oct. 7-8, 2011).
Taking it outside
Northeastern is going back to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The Huskies will play crosstown rival Harvard on January 2, 2014 at 3:30 p.m.
"We are thrilled to be participating in Citi Frozen Fenway 2014 and returning to Fenway Park," said head coach
Dave Flint. "Our program had a fabulous experience in 2010, and we are very grateful to have another opportunity to compete in one of the nation's most historic venues."
The Huskies' first appearance at Fenway Park came on January 8, 2010 when Northeastern battled New Hampshire in the first-ever outdoor women's college hockey game as part of the Sun Life Frozen Fenway doubleheader.
The road ahead
Northeastern will next host crosstown rival Boston University in a rare Tuesday night game Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. The Huskies hit the road the following weekend to take on Maine at Alfond Arena on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. before returning to Matthews Arena to battle the University of New Hampshire on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
