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| Photo Courtesy of Kevin Ahearn Photography |
The Huskies started out the season on a sour note, falling to Syracuse 4-1. Overall, the team looked nervous, and even scared at some points; they weren’t connecting on passes, didn’t shoot as much as they could, and scrambled in their defensive zone. Maggie Brennolt was the lone scorer for the Huskies, with the goal coming off of a slapshot from the top of the circles. Execution was the main reason the Huskies couldn’t find the back of the net; they had plenty of chances but they had trouble finishing. Chloe Desjardins had the start in net, but she didn’t play up to her potential. Desjardins is an aggressive and agile goalie who likes to come out of the net to play the puck. On Friday night, she was all over the place. One of the big mistakes was passing the puck up the boards to the stick of an incoming Syracuse defensemen. Those types of mistakes are alright when playing a team like the Orange, but teams such as BC and BU will capitalize on all of these mistakes.
A brand new system of playing with three defensemen and only two forwards, was also a factor in the loss to Syracuse. The system overall is a great idea for this team with so many strong defensemen. In this system, the forwards will have many more passing outlets, as well as the ability to crash the net. The system also gives the defense more of a role in the offense. With the loss of Kendall Coyne, Casey Pickett, and Rachel Llanes, it’s important for this team to find the scoring touch from all the players on the ice.
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| Photo Courtesy of Kevin Ahearn Photography |
Even though this system caused some confusion during Friday’s game, the team looked in their element during Saturday afternoon’s game vs. RIT. Right from the start, passes were crisper, and communication was much improved, especially in the defensive zone. The Huskies scored their first goal on the penalty kill, with Chelsey Goldberg taking the first shot of the game on Ali Binnington and putting the puck in the back of the net. She would go on to score another shorthanded goal later on in the game. Although the Huskies looked like much more of a team in Saturday’s game, they let RIT stay in the game for much too long. Desjardins got her second start of the year, and unfortunately did not play up to her potential. RIT’s first goal came off of a breakaway by Jess Paton as her penalty expired, and took a great shot to Desjardins glove side for the goal to tie the game. Although the Huskies defense should have gotten back to cover Paton as she got out of the box, Desjardins should easily be able to save a breakaway. Throughout the game, Desjardins made some good saves, but didn’t communicate enough with her teammates, and was, again, a little too aggressive around her crease.
The whole weekend, the Huskies were plagued by penalties. After the Orange had made it 3-1 in the third period, the Huskies started to take penalties out of frustration. If they want to be competitive in the league, they need to stay out of the box for the rest of the season.
To see the Northeastern recap and highlights from the Syracuse game, click here. To see the Northeastern recap and highlights from the RIT game, click here.
