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. _____________ / good shooting rhun _____________/