BOSTON, Mass. - The Huskies came into Tuesday's game looking to exact revenge on Quinnipiac after a tough, 4-3 loss to the Bobcats on Oct. 12, and they left the building with a 3-2 win in what was perhaps their best game of the season. Captain Nikki Petrich led the team with two goals and an assist, earning her 75th career point. Cassie Sperry also chipped in her sixth and seventh assists of the season to help lift the Huskies over Quinnipiac.
For the second time this season, the Huskies scored first. During an offensive push, Sperry grabbed the puck from Petrich in the right hand corner and zipped a a pass out in front of the net. The pass was redirected by Bielawski, with Quinnipiac goalie Jamie Miller making the initial save. Bielawski caught the rebound and put it past Miller to put the Huskies up 1-0. It marks the first goal of the season for Bielawski, and the sixth assist each for Sperry and Petrich. Petrich's assist marked her 75th career point.
Quinnipiac came right back with scoring chances but was thwarted by the goaltending of freshman Leah Sulyma, who stopped all six of the Bobcats' first-period shots. On one occasion, Sulyma found herself point-blank with Kristin Emerick after a breakaway but blocked the net, holding Quinnipiac at bay.
The Bobcats retaliated in the second period with Elyse Cole scoring her team-leading fourth goal of the season. The puck caught a hold of Antoinette Moldonado in front of the net and bounced clear, giving Cole a straight path to the net. Cole shot the puck into the high left corner of the goal over Sulyma's shoulder, tying the score 1-1.
The Husky defense toughened up from the on and played a clean, solid game with no penalties in the second frame, allowing the Huskies an opporunity to claim back the lead.
They did so at 12:55 when Petrich tallied the first of her two goals on the night, with Sperry and Chelsey Jones assisting on the play. Sperry's assist, her seventh of the season, gave the junior a new season-high.
The Bobcats tried to even things up but Northeastern's defense played tough, as did Sulyma who made a number of great saves, including a stick save on Janine Duffy on a breakaway.
The Huskies came into the third period with a 2-1 lead, which they held until the final minute and a half of regulation. Then at 18:17, Kallie Flor posted her third goal of the season, tying the game at two with just under two minutes left to play.
Not wanting to let the game slip away, the Huskies rallied and were able to grab the lead once and for all. With the Bobcats attacking the Huskies' defensive zone, assistant captain Brenna Frost was able to get a hold of the puck and cleared it up to Kristi Kehoe. Kehoe laid a perfect pass right to Petrich who put the finishing touches on the game for Northeastern by scoring her eighth goal of the season and giving the Huskies a 3-2 lead with under a minute left.
The team was able to hang on and picked up its second win of the season. Sulyma had another solid night in the net, making 22 saves overall.
The Huskies return to action on Saturday Dec. 1 when they host Vermont in a Hockey East showdown at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m.