Friday night at Bright, the Harvard Crimson lost 1-3 to the Northeastern
Huskies.  The score is a tad deceiving, as NU spent around 95% of this game
reacting and rarely produced anything like an attacking edge.

Both teams started the contest in respond mode.  Neither felt like pushing
the issue.  Eventually there was some meager effort at trying to play a
little ice hockey.  The only goal of the first period came when
Northeastern fresher Bekka Lass followed up her own slap shot, beat an
immobile HU defender and poked home the rebound.  Nice goal.  Lass and
fellow first-year linemate Lori DiGiacomo had been working some nice
breaks.  The play from Lass was perfect.

In the exceedingly droll second, the Huskies were happy to sit on their
minuscule lead.  They seemed to be waiting for some unknown event to
transpire.  Meanwhile, the home side was busy committing various forms of
intent to injure.  Naturally that brought us a power play goal for HU on a
retaliation penalty.  A Husky defender made the goal when she overplayed
the puck and gave HU the easy attempt.  Even with the score at 1-1,
Northeastern didn't turn it on.  However, in the dying seconds of the
period, NU regained the advantage with their own power play goal.  Senior
Julianne Socha (Brooke Whitney, Brooke White) got the final push after an
end-to-end rush culminated in a goalmouth scrum.

The final frame reminded me of poor pick-up hockey.  There was some intense
up and down action, but it was often spoiled by inept puck movement.
Northeastern put on a little pressure, but mostly sat on their lead.  The
Huskies did just enough to get by.  Finally towards the end of the match NU
collected their third tally when a puck came loose to fresher Lindsay Ball
(Michelle Lorion, DiGiacomo) in the near slot.  Ball buried her chance at
the far post.

Does Northeastern actually practice together?  They are an extremely loose
collection of individuals.  And I thought PC's passing reeked!  To their
credit, at times various Huskies showed some fairly good pace.  The
standings clearly show that NU is having a fine season.  Perhaps
counterplays are the way to go?  The Northeastern defense was anchored by
sophy goaltender Chanda Gunn.  The big standup netminder has great reflexes
and stoned numerous shooters.  Kim Greene demonstrated some fancy
puckhandling and passing with her skates when she was deprived of her
stick.  Perhaps she should join the North Carolina Women's footer team.
DiGiacomo hustles all over the ice.  She is a solid two-way forward.  Lass
was the other standout attacker.  She has the potential to be a very
elegant attacker.  Lass's movement off the puck is super.  Overall, not
exactly championship form.





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    good shooting
    rhun
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Women's College Ice Hockey from rhun:  http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~cwinters

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