BOSTON - Facing a two-goal third period deficit, the Northeastern women's ice hockey team tied the score 4-4 with 2:09 left in regulation before the Boston Blades scored two late goals to defeat the Huskies on Sunday afternoon at Matthews Arena, 6-4. NU received goals from four different scorers, including freshmen Paige Savage and Tori Hickel, while Chloe Desjardins made 15 saves in goal in 40 minutes of action.
Northeastern held a slight 29-28 edge in shots for the game, and was 0-for-4 on the power play. The Blades went 1-for-3 on the man advantage and won the battle in the faceoff circle, 30-26. Karen Thatcher had a hat trick for the Blades while Meghan Duggan added four assists.
The Blades put pressure on the Huskies early in the first period, peppering Desjardins with shots and netting the game's first goal less than two minutes into the frame. Jess Koizumi put Boston up 1-0 just 90 seconds into the frame when she beat Desjardins on a shot from atop the crease off a feed from Kelly Steadman.
Northeastern would battle back, however, and answer with a goal from freshman Paige Savage on a tip from in front of the cage. Kendall Coyne started the play by controlling the puck below the goal and finding Ann Doherty at the blue line. Doherty then skated towards the middle of the zone and let a shot go that Savage redirected past Mackrell for the score.
Boston regained its one-goal edge with 5:31 left in the frame as Steadman took a feed from Kate Buesser in the slot and fired a shot past Desjardins for the score.
The Huskies came out in the second period and outshot Boston 12-7 as both teams traded goals during the middle stanza. The Blades made it a 3-1 game with 6:17 left in the period as Thatcher netted a power play tally. Meghan Duggan began the play with a pass up to Gigi Marvin stationed at the blue line. Marvin then took a stride towards the goal and fired a low shot that Thatcher redirected past Desjardins for the score.
NU cut the deficit back to one-goal in the final minute of the period on a goal from Casey Pickett during a two-on-one with Savage. Savage through the initial shot on goal, and Pickett was there to finish the play with a hard shot past Mackrell.
The third period saw the teams go toe-to-toe, trading scoring chances and goals throughout the final 20 minutes. Thatcher gave the Blades a two-goal cushion 1:02 into the period with her second of the afternoon off a feed from Kelli Stack before the Huskies answered less than four minutes later when Siena Falino banged home a loose puck in front of the goal to make it 4-2 Blades with 14:46 to play.
Northeastern continued to pressure the puck, and netted the equalizer with 2:09 left in regulation on a goal from Tori Hickel. Katie MacSorley collected the puck in the neutral, and lightly chipped it off the boards and into the Blades end, where Hickel promptly gathered the puck and fired it past Lauren Patterson to tie the game at four apiece.
Boston would respond with 1:04 left in the game as Thatcher completed the hat trick off a feed from Marvin and Duggan, and Kate Buesser netted an empty net tally with 20 seconds left to ice the game.
Northeastern begins the regular season on the road next weekend against Colgate on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.