NORTHEASTERN SCORES FINAL THREE GOALS TO EARN 4-3 WIN AT CLARKSON
Freshman forward Paige Savage nets game-winner and adds three assists for Huskies

Freshman forward Paige Savage had a goal and three assists for the Huskies

POTSDAM, N.Y. - The Northeastern women's ice hockey team (11-6-2) erased a two-goal third period deficit and received four points from Paige Savage to knock off No. 2/2 Clarkson (15-5-0) on Friday afternoon at Cheel Arena. NU scored the final three goals of the game to hand the Golden Knights only their second loss at home this season.

Savage finished the game with one goal and three assists, including the game-winner with 6:09 left in regulation, while Jordan Hampton (one goal, one assist) and Kelly Wallace (one goal, one assist) also recorded multi-point games. Chloe Desjardins made 22 saves in goal for NU while Erica Howe had 33 stops for Clarkson.

Trailing 3-1 with 17:08 left in regulation, the Huskies potted three goals in 10:18 and killed off a late penalty to defeat CU for the second straight season. Northeastern outshot Clarkson 37-25 for the game and was 0-of-1 on the power play. The Golden Knights went 1-of-4 on the man advantage and won 36-of-58 draws.

The first period was all Northeastern as the Huskies went on the attack from the opening puck drop, outshooting Clarkson 12-5 and dictating the pace of play. Savage, who had three shots in the opening frame, nearly put NU up early with a wrist shot from atop the left faceoff circle that deflected off the glove of Howe and barely past the right post.

The line of Kendall Coyne, Rachel Llanes and Casey Pickett sustained pressure in the Clarkson zone for the majority of their time on ice in the first, generating a combined four shots on goal and creating havoc in front of the Golden Knight cage.

Lucie Povova almost put Northeastern up 1-0 with six minutes left in the stanza when she was left alone in the slot, and let off a wrister that rang off the crossbar and into the corner. At the other end of the ice, Desjardins and the NU defense kept Clarkson at bay, forcing shots from the sides of the zone and limiting rebound opportunities.

The second period saw back and forth action between the teams with three goals being scored in seven minutes, two from the Golden Knights, to give Clarkson a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. CU would go up 1-0 midway through the stanza when Danielle Skirrow netted her 10th of the season with the Golden Knights on the power play. Brittany Styner began the play be taking a feed from Carly Mercer and firing a shot on goal that was saved by Desjardins, but Skirrow quickly gathered the rebound and knocked it home for the score.

NU would answer less than three minutes later when Wallace finished off crisp passing by the Huskies to level the score at one with 6:50 left in the frame. After Tori Hickel sent the puck below the goal line to Savage behind the net, Savage spotted Wallace cutting towards the cage. Savage then sent a pass under the stick of a defender, where Wallace one-timed it past Howe for her sixth goal of the season.

Clarkson would retake the lead with 2:52 left in the period as Mercer scored her ninth of the year on a breakaway. Daniella Matteucci tried to hit Mercer with a direct pass coming out of the defensive zone, but the puck ricocheted off the stick of a Husky defender, slowing the puck up enough for Mercer to stay onside. Mercer then collected the disk, went in alone and sent a shot off the left post and in for the score.

CU extended its lead to 3-1 early in the third period as Styner sent a pass across the zone to Vanessa Gagnon, who beat Desjardins to the left.

Northeastern began the comeback from there as the Huskies cut it to 3-2 on a mirror play to NU's first goal of the game as Savage controlled the puck behind the net, spotted Hampton creeping in from the blue line to hammer it past Howe for her second goal of the season.

Savage would pick up her third assist of the afternoon as Northeastern tied it up on a goal from Brittany Esposito. Savage held the puck on the right side of the zone, and hit Esposito standing alone at the left post. Savage then fired a hard pass down to the senior forward, who maintained poise and roofed it over a sprawling Howe.

NU took its first lead of the weekend with less than seven minutes left in regulation as Savage scored her fourth of the season on a deflection. After taking a pass from Hampton, Maggie DiMasi lined up a shot from the blue line that Savage was able to get a stick on and redirect past Howe.

The Husky defense would take over from there as they were forced to kill off a penalty for the final 1:31 of the contest during a 6-on-4 when the Golden Knights pulled Howe in favor of the extra skater. NU, however, weathered the storm to collect its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

Northeastern will be back in action on Wednesday as NU returns to Matthews Arena to host No. 5/5 Boston College at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on WBIN-TV (B).