By Matt Foster
Fans who watched the Huskies play the Providence Friars on Saturday saw two Husky squads, first witnessing the Dogs falling behind 3-0 to the reigning league champs, only to watch that same team stage a remarkable comeback to force overtime. While the Huskies eventually lost 5-4 in overtime, coach Laura Schuler thought her players looked good on the ice.
“I was very happy with this performance, to come back and tie it up and be successful was very important,” Schuler said. “I just had told them to focus on all the positive things that happened.”
The game began with anything but a positive outlook for Northeastern (4-18-1, 3-11-1 HE), falling behind 1-0 after freshman forward Katy Beach scored at 3:47 of the first frame. The Friars (13-7-3, 7-2-1 HE) would add to the lead 4:39 into the second when the Huskies were unable to clear the puck out of their zone, allowing PC sophomore forward Rachel Crissy to setup a play that resulted in fellow blue-liner senior Ashley Payton putting the Friars up 2-0. The Friars took a 3-0 edge 6:41 into the second period on junior defender Kristin Giliotti’s 13 goal of the season.
A 3-0 deficit to the No. 12-ranked team in the nation is language for a loss. However, the Huskies came roaring back towards the end of the middle frame. Junior forward Marie Desrosiers gave the Huskies their first goal, with 5:35 left to play in the period, off an assist from junior forward Crystal Rochon and sophomore forward Nikki Petrich. Despite the score, the Huskies began to feel the momentum on their side.
“I was thinking, ‘We’re losing again, great,'” Petrich said on the team’s 3-0 hole. “At that point we weren’t having a bad game. Coach just told us to keep going and get some shots on net.”
Petrich changed her mind at 17:18 into the second when Rochon scored her team-leading 13th goal of the season to bring the Huskies within one. The score would remain 3-2 until 13:54 into the third, when Providence padded its lead on senior forward Karen Thatcher’s power play goal.
Schuler then called a time-out, hoping to keep the minds of her players on the ice and off the deficit.
“I just let them know the momentum was turning our way, I wanted to make sure they knew who gets the puck,” Schuler said.
Schuler pulled senior goalie Marisa Hourihan, who collected 34 saves in the game, and the forward line responded by netting two goals within 19 seconds of each other. Petrich scored the first, her sixth of the season, with 46 seconds left in the final frame. The Huskies then got the puck back and sent a barrage of players into the Providence zone, tying the game at 4-4 off freshman forward Erin Reil’s first career goal.
“Scoring in such a short span is a huge step in getting the momentum back in the game,” Petrich said.
It was a short while until Providence stole the momentum, and the game, in overtime on Karen Thatcher’s goal just nine seconds into the extended frame. While the loss is the Huskies seventh in a row, and fifth by one goal, Schuler knows a win is coming soon.
“We’re playing so well right now, the wins will happen,” Schuler said. “Our top players can go up against any player in the league, and we also have two young freshman who are just playing phenomenal and coming into their own.”
