Sunday afternoon at Matthews Arena the Northeastern Huskies pulled off a
big 3-2 overtime league win over the Princeton Tigers. It was a great
game by both teams. I found it to be the best game I have seen this
year. Each team attacked and defended wonderfully. A draw would have
suited the run of play, but both teams went for the victory.
In the first period, both teams went up and down the ice. Princeton was
using more direct up the gut stuff on Sunday and came very close to
scoring. However, the Huskies scored first when Catherine Cataldo (Dori
Hoagland) tucked the puck between the goalie's pads on a fine feed from
the corner. The Tigers came back when Kathy Issel (Mari Fukuda, Vicki
Urbas) went up the middle and put away her second shot. Princeton took a
1-2 lead towards the end of the period, when Karen Chernisky (Issel, Sue
Reece) slot shot found net on the power play. The Northeastern defense
was caught out on a lovely setup from the corner. The Tigers almost went
up 1-3, but just failed to connect on a late 2-1 break in play. In the
second, after several Princeton power plays, the Huskies struck back to
tie the game at 2 when Danyel Howard (Angela Scerra, Jessica Wagner)
knock home a pass on the edge of the crease. There was no scoring in the
third period, as both teams put up massive team defenses. There were
several good scoring chances by each team, but rebounds were unlikely.
In overtime, both teams went up and down some, but the Tigers had the
better chances. Just after a Princeton power play, and with little time
left, Cataldo (Bree Cheatham, Courtney King) buried the perfect feed to
pull out a big win for NU. The play started in the Huskie's zone with
King breaking up a Princeton attack. Cheatham then carried the puck up
ice before sliding the telling pass to Cataldo. What a finish!
Princeton had a rough weekend. Loosing Saturday to Harvard must have
taken something out of the Tigers. On Sunday they looked good.
Princeton has a strong skate and pass team, they just couldn't finish
enough to win the match. Sue Reece was their outstanding player of the
game. The senior defender stood up at her blue line and made the big
play all day. Reece also has a big, accurate shot, and was very clever
on the power play. Liz Hill played in net and had a very strong
afternoon. Chernisky played extremely well. She showed good movement
and was always there for her mates. Chernisky has a great shot. Issel
put on another great skating show and made some of the nicest setups I
have seen this year. Sophie Caronello played with a ton of energy and
was all over the ice. Forward Paula Rose Stark also came up with a big
effort. Overall, Princeton has a very good team. I still expect them to
win something big this season. They have the talent and the drive and it
will be very difficult to stop them.
Northeastern pulled off a big confidence building victory. At times I
saw the skate and shoot offense start to really click. The team defense
had a huge game. The Huskies played a shade more conservatively than is
usual for them, but it seemed to pay off. The simple play to get out of
their zone led to the more interesting plays of stringing passes together
for big attacks. Kim Flatt had an excellent match in goal for
Northeastern. She is letting the puck hit her and making the saves look
easy. On defense Kim Drews had another big skating day. Her coverage is
superb. Cheatham also played strong defense and showed her power on the
attack. Her setup for the winning goal was great. Howard at times was
driving forward with stunning determination. Tapani demonstrated some
lovely touch, taking and sending passes. King was there all afternoon
and provided some energetic surges. Jessica Lien also showed some good
speed and is becoming a presence on the ice. However the woman of the
match has to be Cataldo. Her two goals won the game. Overall, I think
the feeling on the Northeastern side has to be high. This was a big win
over a terrific team.
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good shooting
rhun
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