Box Score | Season Stats

HYANNIS, Mass. – The Northeastern women's hockey team battled to the very end, but ultimately had its season come to an end in a 3-2 loss to No. 2 seed Boston University in the WHEA Semifinals on Saturday at Kennedy Rink.

Redshirt senior Kelly Wallace (Libertyville, Ill.) and junior Colleen Murphy (Cary, N.C.) scored for the Huskies (19-14-2), who outshot Boston University (23-12-1) by a 44-32 count. Northeastern also had several close calls around the BU net that did not go its way, including a shot by redshirt senior Brittany Esposito (Edmonton, Alberta) that skittered along the goalline and stayed out with less than a minute left in regulation.

The Terriers scored twice on the power play and received goals from Sarah Lefort, Rebecca Russo and Maddie Elia. Boston University netminder Kerrin Sperry was magnificent, turning aside 42 shots, including 32 in the final two periods. Northeastern goaltender Chloe Desjardins (Saint-Prosper, Quebec) also shined with 29 stops in a losing effort.

Both teams produced chances in an action-filled opening period, but neither squad was able to break through. Northeastern went on the offensive first when freshman Hayley Masters (Shanty Bay, Ontario) weaved around two BU defenders and tested Sperry with a wrister from the left circle at the 18-minute mark. The Huskies then made another foray into the Terriers' zone on the left wing as Wallace snapped a shot into the glove of Sperry, who saw it cleanly from the high slot.

Lefort, who led all players with 11 shots, put Desjardins to the test with a pair of rocket shots from the left circle that were turned aside by the NU netminder.

The end-to-end action continued into the middle stages of the first frame as each team came within inches of scoring the first goal. Boston University's Samantha Sutherland beat Desjardins from the left wing, but her shot nicked off the pipe and went wide at the 7:30 mark. The Huskies then hit the post minutes later when junior Chelsey Goldberg (Agoura Hilla, Calif.) slipped a wrister by Sperry and off the right post from a tight angle.

Boston University finally broke through with the man advantage early in the second period. After a faceoff win in the NU zone, BU's Kaleigh Fratkin ripped a hard shot toward the net that Lefort was able to redirect by Desjardins to put the Terriers in front 5:57 into the frame.

Northeastern nearly found an equalizer minutes later when Masters threw a centering pass across the crease to senior Claire Santostefano (Wilmette, Ill), who was in prime scoring position. Santostefano reached out and tipped a shot on goal that appeared to find its way under the crossbar, but upon further review, the disc struck the underside of the bar and never crossed the line.

With its lead still in tact, the Terriers went back to work and quickly padded their advantage when Russo buried a rebound at the right of the net on the power play at the 8:38 mark.

Down but not out, Northeastern responded less than five minutes later after a tremendous play by freshman Heather Mottau (Milton, Mass.). The First-Team Hockey East All-Star picked off a pass outside the BU blueline and then blew by a Terrier defender on the right wing. Mottau then fired a shot that squibbed through the pads of Sperry, allowing Wallace to pounce on the loose puck and jam it into the open cage to cut the deficit in half with seven minutes to play in the second period.

With the momentum shifting in its favor, Northeastern appeared to be headed into the locker room in a 2-1 game after two. But another deflection off a point shot, this time by Elia in front, gave the Terriers a 3-1 cushion with just 1:06 remaining in the frame and forced NU to again climb out of a two-goal hole.

With 4:47 left in regulation, the Huskies again chiseled the BU lead to one. After a faceoff win by freshman Melissa Haganey (Franklin, Mass.), Masters threw a shot at the net that ricocheted to the stick of Murphy, who made no mistake from the right circle to make it 3-2.

Desjardins did her best to preserve the scoreline with a huge glove save on a Louise Warren shot from the right faceoff dot with 3:14 to play.

The Huskies continued to press for the equalizer and came very close in the final minute with Desjardins on the bench in favor of the extra attacker. Esposito found the puck on her stick at the left of the net with 30 seconds left, but her shot somehow stayed out as it trickled along the goalline amidst a forest of bodies in the crease.

Boston University was then able to kill the clock to advance to the WHEA Final and a matchup with top-seed Boston College on Sunday. 

Notes

• Wallace finished the season as the Huskies' leader in goals (19) and points (32).
• Wallace notched her sixth career goal in the WHEA Tournament.
• Haganey, Masters, Mottau and Murphy each recorded their first career postseason points.
• Northeastern fell to 2-1 all-time in the WHEA Semifinals.
• The Huskies made their third appearance in the WHEA Semifinals in the last four years.
• Esposito, MacSorley and Masters each had seven shots on goal for NU.