Women's Ice Hockey Downs #RV Northeastern Friday
Links: Box Score
BOSTON, Mass. – After facing some of their toughest games during their inaugural season against Northeastern, the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team defeated the Huskies on the road in the teams' first matchup of the season, 3-2, to pick up a big win in Hockey East action.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, #RV Northeastern 2
Records: Merrimack (4-4-1, 2-1-0 HEA) | #RV Northeastern (6-3-1, 2-1-0 HEA)
Location: Matthews Arena | Boston, Mass.
How It Happened
- After facing some of their toughest games of their inaugural season against Northeastern, the Warriors came out as the stronger team in the opening period at the Huskies home rink on Friday afternoon. In the first five minutes of the game alone, Merrimack would outshoot the Huskies 6-2. They would go on to double up the shots in the first period of a Northeastern team receiving votes in both polls, with the Warriors being favored 16-8.
- One of Merrimack's 16 shots in the opening frame would find the back of the net, as sophomore Felila Manu (Anchorage, Alaska) fired a blast from the point that would get through traffic undeterred and fly by the left shoulder of the Huskies' goaltender to give Merrimack the 1-0 lead at 9:30 of the first. That one-goal lead would hold into the first intermission.
- As the game continued into the second, chances became less abundant for both teams in the first half of the frame. That spell would end at the 9:35 mark of the second on a goal initiated by a forced turnover from sophomore Allison Sexton (Stonewall, Manitoba). After Sexton's steal in Northeastern's end, sophomore Jessica Bonfe (Woodbury, Minn.) would find classmate Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.) in front of the net for the tip-in on a perfect pass for the 2-0 lead halfway through the game.
- Less than five minutes later, that lead would be extended to three goals on Merrimack's fourth power play opportunity of the game. After a hard shot on goal forced the Huskies' goaltender to make a pad save, sophomore Emily Volpe (Whitby, Ontario) crashed the net a put a juicy rebound up and over the goalie to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead heading to the final period.
- The early portions of the third period featured Merrimack and Northeastern exchanging penalties and special teams' opportunities, with neither side finding a wave of momentum. That would change at the 7:13 mark of the third as the Huskies would capitalize on a power play for their first of the game. After 90 stellar seconds from freshman goaltender Léa-Kristine Demers (Repentigny, Quebec) on the penalty kill, the Huskies would eventually strike as a shot from the point would ricochet off a Warrior defender and by Demers to make it 3-1.
- The Huskies would give the Warriors a scare as time wound down in the third as Merrimack would take a late penalty, and Northeastern would pull their goalie from the net for the 6-on-4 advantage. After some great defensive play in Merrimack's own end, the Huskies would eventually add their second with an extra attacker to put the score at 3-2, but with the goal coming with just 0:03 remaining it would be too little, too late.
Inside The Numbers
- Volpe and Manu's goals mark the first scores for them this season, while Sexton and freshman Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Brampton, Ontario) each tallied an assist in the game to improve their team-leading season totals to six.
- In Merrimack's three games with Northeastern last season, the Warriors scored a total of four goals. Northeastern did not score fewer than five in any of the games.
- Late in the game during Northeastern's 6-on-4 power play with their goalie pulled, the Warriors would shine in their defensive end as Merrimack would block seven of nine shots attempted during the two-minute power-play to maintain the lead.
- Goaltenders: W – Demers (4-4-0, 35 saves) | L – Bugalski (6-2-1, 28 saves)
- Power Plays: Merrimack (1-6) | Northeastern (1-4)
- SOG: MC – 31 | NU - 37
Up Next
The Warriors return to North Andover Saturday for their first Hockey East home game of the season when they host Providence for a 7:00 p.m. contest.
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