Dawg Wagon?

Welcome back Northeastern fans! In the “last – first game” at Historic Matthews Arena, the Huskies welcomed in the Concordia Stingers for an exhibition tilt Saturday afternoon. The friends from North of the Border were fresh off a shootout loss vs. BU the night before, but this was the first go for Northeastern and you could see it in the pace and energy even during warmups. 

After some anthem miscues (hey it’s preseason for everybody) the game got underway with a palpable buzz in Matthews. Look, there’s a lot of history in the game of hockey and there are some classic old barns out there, but they are all playing for silver when it comes to a place to watch a game. The history, the feel of the building, the sight lines and how close you are to the ice is unmatched. The building has its’ own personality that is not replicated. To add to the atmosphere, the NU Pep Band was in full mid-season form and the Doghouse (as it always is) was loud and boisterous. 

Since this was an exhibition game, this is going to be more of a reactionary piece and my own personal observations about this year’s roster, especially the freshmen class that I paid special attention to. We’ll work from the net out in this format and give some shine to each positional group.

Let’s dive in shall we?

Goaltenders:
Lisa Jönsson – Paige Taborski – Renna Trembecky

Jönsson started the game and saw the most SOG. The Big Cat picked right up where she left off last season. Never out of position and she looked so cool and comfortable back there. There were a couple of flurries in the early going but she tracked the puck well and didn’t seem like she was scrambling at all.

Taborski came in for the middle frame and had the easiest day out of the 3 netminders facing only 6 shots but I’d say that the Stingers had their best chances against Taborski. The 5^th year player had a good feel for the situation and froze the puck when it seemed the momentum was turning. Otherwise, she was on top of her crease and ready for whatever came at her.

In the 3^rd it was the rookie between the pipes as Trembecky saw her first NCAA action. Very quick with her lateral movements and anticipating the play, she looked very sharp to this admittedly untrained eye. I think she will play a perfect complement to Jönsson in the years moving forward with their differences in style and stature. Maybe Big Cat and Little Cat? What do you call a group of cats? Holy smokes it’s called a “clowder”! The Clowder Sisters?  New England Cat Clowder? I’ll work on this and get back to you. 

Defense:
Kristina Allard – Jules Constantinople – Rylie Jones – Tuva Kandell – Ella Lloyd – Lexi Mara – Alessia Baechler 

Right out of the gate, let me say that the duo of Constantinople and Baechler is going to be a true top pair. Maybe it’s the way they read off each other, maybe it’s their times in their respective country’s development camps/rosters but holy shnikes! This was the best I’ve seen Constantinople play in her 4-year career. Leading the outlets, directing coverage and chipping in on offense all while maintaining her “friendly demeanor” on the ice. And Baechler lived up to all the hype. She was very composed with the puck in and out of traffic and closed her gaps in a blink.

Lloyd also looked very comfortable in all aspects of the game and maybe I’m making things up, but it sure looked to me as if she baited the Stingers into making a few low percentage plays by opening up a large gap and then closing as the puck arrived. Either she’s got great hockey IQ and the ability to use it or I’m a scouting genius: Actually, both are probably true.  

Jones (Letterkenny) looked super fluid and seems to be fully back. It was also great to see her add a bit of physicality to her game along the boards. Kandell looked like she’s added even more offensive touch to her game from last season (and notched the first goal of the last season at Matthews – nice one) and made her presence felt in all zones. Mara showed off her ability to jump into the offensive play (and most importantly to still be able to get back) and was the unfortunate recipient of a late whistle for unceremoniously dumping a Stinger on their back. Personally I loved it, but I’m sure she’ll learn to not respond to opponent’s tomfoolery. And last but not least was the alternate captain. Allard showed she’s still got the ability to wheel the ice like she’s not even trying and showed some extra tenacity along the boards. A lot of different styles out there for the D and a nice amount of depth. 
_{Redshirt sophomore Tristan Thompson did not dress for this game.} 

Forwards

Lily Shannon – Jaden Bogden – Holly Abela – Lily Brazis – Mia Langlois – Ella Blackmore – Ellie Mabardy – Allie Lalonde – Morgan Jackson – Éloïse Caron – Stryker Zablocki – Emy McDermid – Molly MacCurtain 

Let’s start with the youngsters. Coming into this season, Zablocki was tabbed “the next superstar of the NCAA” no pressure right? Well, it’s only 1 game but I’d say she had a pretty good debut? Two late goals and she never looked out of place. I saw a few flashes of speed from her and I’m sure that will become more prevalent as she gets used to the college game. MacCurtain showed a lot of hustle throughout the game; she was great in traffic and a demon along the boards (she was also perfect at the dot – not a big deal)  There’s a lot of fight in that small Dawg. And then, to the player that placed herself very firmly on Brownie’s Players to Watch List: McDermid. I don’t think I saw #14 glide at all. Everything she did was full-tilt. She didn’t cede an inch out there, she fought every shift and made something happen every time she was on the ice. 

Jackson played as we’ve come to expect of her: fearless and smart. She was everywhere on the ice and initiated a number of sequences by going hard to the net and into the dirty areas. Her hard work was rewarded with 2 apples on the day. Her linemate late in the game, Caron showed some flashes of her ridiculous hands/puck control. She didn’t cash in, but if they handed out points for WOW plays, she’d be all over the scoresheet. 

Mabardy was all around the puck in all phases of the game. The more ice time she gets the more she impacts the game. Lalonde looked great anchoring the 2^nd line. She moved the puck well and took advantage of the space she was given. A really solid game from the #2 pivot. Finally, the Honey Badger. Blackmore showed some big offensive flashes in this one. Peyton Anderson broke out offensively in her junior year and went on to become a next level player, could this be Blackmore’s year to follow that same path? 

Shannon set the tone early in this one with her hustle, not giving up on any puck and getting in every face that she encountered. I’d call that a typical Shan-game. And her running mate Bogden was right there alongside for all of it. Bogden looked like she added another gear to her skating, and how great is it to get another year of Bogs? MF Holly Abela did what she does, mistake free hockey; she just goes and goes. And Abela made the smartest play I’ve seen in a while on Constantinople’s goal.  She slowed down as she crossed the goalmouth and had a perfect moving screen on the Concordia goalie to allow Constantinople’s shuffle board shot to find home. 

“Million Dollar’s Worth of Game” Langlois had herself a complete game. She blocked shots early, showed offensive touch throughout and was hustling on the backcheck late with the game firmly in hand. Which leaves us with the Nailgun, Brazis. She played her normal in-your-face, hustle style of play; but with an added twist. I’m not sure if she did some shopping at the Hockeytown pro shop, but it looks like the OG got herself a bit of speed in the off-season. Imagine the poor defenders that get Nailgunned at an even faster rate this year? Yikes.
_{Junior Peyton Compton did not dress for this game}

If you’ve read these blogs before (thank you), you know that I’m not prone to hyperbole, but I’ll say this: this Husky team is something else. Deep, talented, gritty and with a significant number of highly skilled offensive players on both ends of the ice. Oh yeah, they’re still playing in front of some of the best goaltending in the NCAA. Is that good?

Imagine capping off the final season at Historic Matthews Arena with a run? 

Keep your head on a swivel for upcoming podcasts: The Concordia HC Julie Chu sat down with us prior to the game and NU’s own Lindsay Berman is joining us for a season preview.

_{You can follow BTG on all socials @BTGHockeyPod and if you want more from Brownie you can find him on:
IG: @a_brow28
Twitter: @abrow28.
Bluesky: @abrow28.bsky.social}