Ranked Northeastern sweeps women’s hockey at Home
The University of Maine women’s hockey team faced one of its toughest challenges of the season this weekend, hosting the nationally ranked Northeastern Huskies at Alfond Arena. Despite strong stretches of play and a late push in both games, the Black Bears were unable to secure a win, falling 3–1 on Friday and 2–1 on Saturday.
The Huskies set the tone early in Friday’s matchup. 35 seconds into the game, fourth-year forward Lily Shannon opened the scoring for the Huskies, burying a rebound created by first-year forward Stryker Zablocki and fifth-year forward Jaden Bogden to give Northeastern a quick 1–0 lead.
Maine tried to settle in, but another early setback shifted the momentum even further. About three minutes into the game, the Huskies capitalized on their first power-play opportunity, with second-year forward Morgan Jackson finishing a setup from fourth-year defender Jules Constantinople and Zablocki. The pair of quick goals put the Black Bears in a 2–0 hole before the first media timeout.
The second period was more balanced, with Maine tightening its defensive structure and generating more sustained possession in the offensive zone. However, both goaltenders held firm, turning away chances on either side.
In the third period, the Black Bears continued to push, but Northeastern’s defensive discipline made it challenging to generate clean looks. With just over two minutes remaining, the Huskies extended their lead when Shannon netted her second of the night, this time an empty-netter after Maine pulled its goaltender for the extra attacker.
Maine refused to leave the night scoreless. With two minutes remaining in the third period, third-year forward Mikayla Boarder broke through for the Black Bears, finishing a rebound off a shot from first-year defender Paige Fong, with first-year forward Ali Altiman picking up the secondary assist. The late goal cut the deficit to 3–1, but that’s as close as Maine would get before the final buzzer.
Saturday’s game unfolded very differently, with tighter defensive play, more physicality, and long stretches of even play. This time, it was Maine that struck first.
At 5:52 in the first period, first-year forward Isabelle Michaud put the Black Bears ahead, finishing a pass from third-year forward Lily Fetch after Maine forced a turnover in the offensive zone. The early goal energized the Alfond crowd and boosted Maine’s transition game, which kept Northeastern on its heels for much of the opening frame.
The second period, however, belonged to the Huskies. Northeastern began to take control of the puck, forcing Maine into longer defensive-zone shifts. The pressure paid off at 11:31, when Shannon scored her third goal of the weekend, this time unassisted, after jumping on a loose puck created by forechecking pressure.
Then, with just 17 seconds remaining in the second, Shannon struck again. A quick passing play from Zablocki and Constantinople set her up for a clean look in the slot, giving the Huskies their first lead of the night at 2–1. The late-period goal shifted momentum heading into the third.
In the final frame, Maine pushed hard for the equalizer. The Black Bears generated many quality chances, including a net-front scramble midway through the period and a point shot redirected just wide in the closing minutes. Second-year goal-tender Kiia Lahtinen prevented the Huskies from scoring in the remaining minutes.
Despite the sweep, Maine showed resilience when responding after slow starts, generating offense late and continuing to push through. The Black Bears will now look to regroup as they head on the road for a matchup against Harvard University next weekend, hoping to bounce back and regain momentum as the season continues.
