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HYANNIS, Mass. – Goals from
Kendall Coyne and
Kelly Wallace, along with 23 saves from
Chloe Desjardins, were not enough as No. 4/4 Boston University scored twice in the first period and added three in the third to skate to a 5-2 win vs. No. 10/10 Northeastern in the Hockey East championship game on Sunday afternoon.
The loss snaps the Huskies' nine-game winning streak in the team's second-ever appearance in the conference title game, and drops them to 23-11-2 overall this season.
NU outshot the Terriers 37-28 for the game, including a 13-7 edge in the third period, and won 36-of-64 faceoffs. BU, meanwhile, was 1-of-1 on the power play while NU went 0-of-6.
Despite being outshot 13-8 in the opening frame, the Terriers netted two goals in the first period to hold a 2-0 edge through 20 minutes of play. The first came 4:06 into the contest when Isabel Menard notched her 15th goal of the season. After taking a pass from Kayla Tutino, Louise Warren skated out of the corner and spotted Menard alone in between the hashmarks. Warren then fed a pass down to Menard, who snapped a shot shortside for the score.
The Terriers went up by two eight minutes later when Sarah Lefort capitalized on a NU turnover off a faceoff in the neutral. Lefort stole the puck from a Husky defender, sped in and fired a shot over Desjardins' shoulder for her 21st goal of the season.
Northeastern was able to generate most of its shot opportunities from inside the faceoff dots during the first, and NU nearly cut into the lead in the final five minutes of the stanza when Coyne knocked down a BU clearing bid, resulting in a snap shot from
Rachel Llanes in the slot.
Both goaltenders were tested throughout the fast paced second period, with BU outshooting the Huskies 13-11, but a goal from Coyne 2:22 into the stanza brought the Huskies within one. After
Paige Savage had a shot blocked into the corner on the left side, Llanes sprinted towards the loose puck, poking it across to Coyne who buried it past a sprawling Sperry for her 37th goal of the season.
Desjardins came up big for Northeastern all period, making save after save to keep the game 2-1. Her biggest saves of the period came on back-to-back wristers from Marie-Philip Poulin midway through the stanza on shots from point blank range. At the other end, Sperry made 10 saves for the Terriers, including two during NU's three second period power plays.
The Huskies applied heavy pressure from the start of the third period, with the Savage, Wallace,
Brittany Esposito line nearly leveling the score at two with several shots on goal in the first two minutes of the frame.
Boston University went back up by two a minute after the Husky chance when Janelle Kohanchuk buried a pass from Poulin to the right of the net for her 21st goal of the season.
Following the goal, Northeastern continued to send shot after shot on goal, and almost made it a one-goal game when
Katie MacSorley and
Claire Santostefano had a two-on-one chance with 11:55 left in regulation, but MacSorley's shot rolled just wide.
The Huskies went back on the power play with 11:28 left in regulation, and NU mustered two shots on goal during the man advantage, but Sperry and the Terrier defense kept Northeastern at bay.
NU broke through with 8:40 left in the third period when Esposito wheeled through the slot and sent a backhand on goal that hit the post before Wallace got a stick on the rebound and sent it over the goal line to make it 3-2.
Boston University would respond, however, just 76 seconds later when she one-timed a pass from Lefort past Desjardins for her second of the afternoon and a 4-2 Terrier lead. BU would add a fifth goal on their first power play of the game with 4:58 left in regulation when Tutino netted her 15th of the season on a deflection from a shot at the point.
NU went back on the power play with 2:02 left in regulation, and pulled Desjardins for a six-on-four skating advantage, but could not claw any closer.
Game Notes:
• Northeastern is now 32-20-5 all-time against Boston University, and 4-6 all-time in the Hockey East tournament.
• Coyne extended her point streak to 16 games (21 goals, 16 assists), and has a goal in each of her last three games.
• Coyne was named to the All-Tournament team after posting two goals and an assist during the weekend.
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