The UConn women’s hockey team came into the weekend ranked No. 10 in the country, with a 6-4 record and sitting atop the Hockey East standings with a 5-0 record in conference play.
The matchup between UConn and Northeastern was a rematch of last year’s Hockey East Tournament Championship, where Connecticut took the crown, winning 1-0 in overtime.
The Huskies welcomed the unranked Northeastern Huskies to the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn. on Friday, Nov. 8.
Both teams had early opportunities to get on the board, as they both found themselves in a power play in the first period, but neither were able to make anything come of it as both goalies refused to let the puck get past them.
The game continued to be scoreless through the second period, but Northeastern was doing everything right. UConn struggled to get shots off and by the end of the second period, the Huskies had only had nine shots while Northeastern had 26.
Northeastern struck in the third period as junior forward Lily Shannon took a shot that found the back of the net, her third goal of the season and giving her Huskies a one goal lead late in the matchup.
As the game went on, the stellar freshman Lisa Jonsson continued to shut down the net, not letting the puck get past her, as Northeastern would take the first of the double header, winning 1-0.
Connecticut would need a quick turnaround, as they would travel to Boston the next day to face off against Northeastern again.
Unlike the night before, the scoring started early, as a UConn turnover led to a Skylar Irving goal, giving Northeastern a 1-0 lead in the middle of the first period. While Connecticut was unable to find the net in the first period, the Huskies outshot Northeastern 15-6, drastically different than the night prior.
The second period didn’t see much, as no goals were scored, but UConn continued to push offensively and get off 23 shots to Northeastern’s 11.
While Connecticut continued to push in the third period, Jonsson shut down the net for the Huskies again, making 13 saves in the third and final period as Northeastern won 1-0 for the second night in a row.
Jonsson finished the matchup with 37 saves and shutout UConn in back-to-back games, the first time that has happened this season.
Dropping to 6-6 on the season and 5-2 in conference play, the Connecticut Huskies look to bounce back next weekend when they travel to North Andover, Mass. and then back home to take on Merrimack in a Hockey East double header.