Friday Night …. Tie?

The Northeastern Huskies traveled to M&T Bank Arena tonight to take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the first half of a 2-game tilt. It took 65 minutes before the Bobcats got the shootout win, but this game was as advertised between 2 of the top 10 teams in the nation.

In net for the visiting Dawgs was the Big Cat Lisa Jönsson (1-0 with a perfect 1.000%SV) facing off against Casey Clausen (3-0 with a .929%SV). Stepping aside from the net minders on the ice tonight, these are a couple of impressive goalie rooms. QU has one of the best goalies in the country on the injured list in Felicia Frank, and freshman Natalia Dilbone is waiting in the wings (4x state champ in high school – not a big deal). NU has long been known in the Greater Boston area as Goalie U and with Renna Trembecky (who maybe we see for the matinee tomorrow?) and Ava Scannell (2x state tourney champ – again, not a big deal) rounding out an excellent Huskies room. An embarrassment of riches for both squads one could say.

What it must look like for both teams during shooting drills

The game opened up fast and with chances at both ends, but it was NU that got on the board first. Allie Lalonde put the Huskies on the board when she finished off a feed from Morgan Jackson from the LW corner. Ella Lloyd bumped the puck down the LW to Jackson who dished it immediately to Lalonde driving the net. Lalonde tucked it 5-hole for the early lead.

That lead held for about 4mins before Makayla Watson tied the game up from an impossible (but I guess in reality she proved it wasn’t impossible?) angle. Alex Law found Watson through some traffic from behind the NU net and Watson dropped down the slot and showed off her edge work before tucking one short side over Jönsson’s glove from the bottom of the LW circle. Just a filthy snipe.

The period ended with a tie score and while both teams had chances, I’d give the edge in possession to the Bobcats for the opening frame. Neither team had long setups in each other’s zone as the first was mostly played in transition and in the neutral zone.

Early in the 2nd, friend of the pod Kahlen Lamarche put the Bobcats ahead again. I mean it’s what Lamarche does, she scores goals. I will say that she’s expanded her on-ice responsibilities too, as she was an absolute monster on the PK tonight. Deep in the Huskies zone, Lamarche forced a turnover and then dog-walked a Husky defender before outwaiting Jönsson and tossing the backhand home over the NU goalie. Patience and silky mitts is a tough combo to beat.

Just in case you haven’t had a chance to see the Lamarche interview

Quinnipiac carried the one goal lead in the 3rd, and this game was living up to the hype coming in.

The teams were trading chances early in the third but as I mentioned earlier, these goalies. I believe there were at least 4 odd player rushes in the opening 5mins but neither side could solve the other’s ‘tendy.

But it was the medalist who tied this game up. Ivana Wey buried a Stryker Zablocki rebound to even this game at 2 and it was a sequence that should be shown to youth hockey players everywhere. Wey got the puck to Grace Sadura heading into the QU zone and drove the net. Sadura got the puck to Zablocki on the LW and she put a steamer on net. The puck dropped off Clausen’s pads and Wey tucked it home for the equalizer.

Agreed, not too shabby for your first NCAA Geno.

That score held through the end of regulation and through the 3v3 overtime period. It was an entertaining extra 5 as NU was the aggressor landing 4 SOG to none for QU who seemed content to counterpunch. Either way we head to the shootout.

Quinnipiac went first

Aynsley D’Ottavio – 🚨and that’s your winner

Neither goalie let another one past them in the shootout and the sides head out of the rink ready to get back at it in about 16 hours. Kinda glad this one went to a shootout, it should set up a nice tilt tomorrow when I’ll be in the house for my first hockey of the season. Shout out to Alessia Baechler for her shootout attempt. It didn’t get home but if it did it would’ve been an ESPN highlight.

Some observations from the couch:

• Alex Law was flying all over the ice tonight. The BU transfer looks very comfortable swapping her Terrier for a Bobcat. She was involved all 200ft and a monster at the dot tonight.
• I want to talk about a couple of former Bulldogs that have become Huskies. Grad Student Grace Sadura and Junior Kamdyn Davis. Sadura had a big eat to the body in the first. She was obviously in some discomfort and what did she do? She put the pain in her hip pocket and finished the shift and had a chance at the other end. That’s hockey tough. And Davis? Oh boy she’s got some snarl to her game! Physical in her own end and jumping up into the play on the offensive end. A couple of great additions.
• Aynsley D’Ottavio needs an iso camera on her during the game. Yes, she is offensively gifted (the shootout wasn’t in her top 3 of moves tonight) and the points always get the ink, but she’s an absolute beast on defense. All night she was making plays against the Huskies’ top 6 and was easily the best defender on either team.

And lastly, the podcast is coming back just in time for NCAA hockey as new episodes will be dropping next week! And you want interviews? Don’t worry, we have them lined up so please like, share and subscribe. And as we always say, please tell 100 of your closest friends.

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