BOSTON - Behind a first period shorthanded goal from Claire Santostefano and 12 third period saves from freshman goaltender Sarah Foss, the Northeastern women's ice hockey team knocked off McGill in an exhibition game on Sunday afternoon at Matthews Arena, 1-0.
McGill held a 28-19 edge in shots during the game while blocking 19 NU shot attempts throughout the contest. Neither team could convert on several power play opportunities, with Northeastern going 0-of-5 and the Martlets 0-of-6. All three NU goaltenders saw action in the game, with junior Chloe Desjardins earning the start with 11 saves, while senior Kelsey O'Sullivan had five stops in the second period before giving way to Foss in the third.
The teams traded chances during an up-tempo and physical first period, with McGill holding a slight 11-10 advantage in shots, but a shorthanded tally midway through the frame gave the Huskies the lead through 20 minutes of play. The goal came with 9:59 to play in the frame from Katie MacSorley and Santostefano pulled off a give-and-go, with Santostefano finishing off a crisp pass from MacSorley on the left side for a 1-0 NU lead.
Northeastern's defense kept McGill off balance throughout the game, and limited the Martlets to just five second period shots. NU nearly took a two-goal lead early in the second when Hayley Scamurra rocketed a slap shot from the right side off the post.
With Foss into the game to start the third period, McGill brought heavy pressure on the NU defense with 12 shots on goal during the final 20 minutes. Foss, however, was up to the task, making save after save to preserve the Husky lead. With time winding down in regulation, Foss was forced to make back-to-back saves on Leslie Oles and Gabrielle Davidson.
The Martlets would pull goaltender Taylor Hough (18 saves) with 1:04 to play in regulation, but Northeastern weathered a late surge as time expired.
The Huskies kick off the regular season on Friday when Northeastern hosts Syracuse at 7 p.m. at Matthews Arena.