Over the weekend, the No. 15 UConn women’s hockey team had two crucial games versus Merrimack and No. 14 Northeastern. The Huskies came into the first meeting with Merrimack on a three-game win streak. During that three-game stretch, the Huskies outscored their opponents 7-2 and were looking to keep that level of dominance as they headed into this weekend.
On Friday at Toscano, the first period was off to a slow start for both squads, but it was a defensive battle between goalies. However, the second frame is where the Huskies got dangerous, as they notched their first goal via Sadie Hotels marking her first goal in her collegiate career. The Huskies also drew a power play late into the second that put the pressure on the Merrimack defense. With two seconds left in the period, Jada Habisch netted one to put the Huskies up by two heading into the third.
Although, Merrimack would not let the game finish with a shutout. Minutes left in the third period; Alex Ferguson notched a goal to push the Warriors’ goal deficit to one.
Nonetheless, Claire Murdoch put in the empty netter in the dying second to give UConn a win and, more importantly, a fourth straight win and season sweep against the Warriors.
On Saturday, the Huskies had another Hockey East clash on the docket against Northeastern. This matchup marked one of the best games of the weekend in the sport.
This was a back-and-forth contest, as the scoring did not get started until the second period. UConn led in shots in the first period; however, in the second, Northeastern led by a wide margin.
Going into the second, though, the tides turned as Northeastern struck first. Habisch would respond immediately for the Huskies as she put one through the net.
UConn took the lead for the first time in the third period on the power play with 14 minutes left on the clock, with a goal from Ava Rinker. Northeastern would respond just minutes later, as Lily Shannon tied it up.
The visitors would then continue with their hot play as they netted another to put the lead back in their favor. The Huskies were not done yet, however, as Habisch tied the game up on the power play with only a few minutes left to play in the third.
Both squads were knotted up 3-3, pushing the game into sudden death overtime. In the extra period, the Huskies got assessed for a five-minute major, which ended up not working out in their favor. They held off Northeastern but could not do it the whole period; with a minute left, Tuva Kandell netted home the game-winner for the visitors.
Next up, the Huskies will face Boston University on Feb. 7 in Boston at 6 p.m. The team’s record now stands at 17-9-2 on the season as they head into the final push of the regular season.