As of Sunday, the Northeastern Huskies are the WHEA’s defensive and disciplinary queens, averaging an astoundingly slim 0.89 goals-against and 7.8 penalty minutes per game. And even with an offense that could still stand to bulk up a few notches –although things are beginning to thaw out in that department- it’s all good enough for sole claim to first place with a 4-0-0 transcript in league play.
Most strikingly, NU has sculpted this cushion by virtue of a two-game road sweep of the stealthy Vermont Catamounts. The Huskies muzzled their hosts by an aggregate score of 4-0, confining UVM to a mere 15 shots in Part II on Saturday to grant sophomore stopper Florence Schelling her lightest workload yet. In all but one of her previous 26 career appearances, Schelling had never had to deal with any fewer than 23 opposing stabs.
Overall, Schelling –the runaway league leader in every category except winning percentage- has already bested two fronts of her freshman plateau with a 6-1-1 start and three shutouts. Contrast that with a regular growing pain campaign last season that saw a final transcript of 5-12-1 and two goose-eggs.
Some of that improvement has to be credited to her praetorian guards, who have both allotted her more digestible nightly workloads and are making timely connections on the opposing cage. Just to exemplify that, at the closing curtain of their weekend agenda, veteran forwards Lindsay Berman and Kristi Kehoe led all Hockey East skaters with a plus-8 rating apiece.
And would you believe that, with nine games, essentially a quarter of the regular season, in the books, the Huskies have piled on more shots on net for themselves than they have lent to the opposition? Tis true. It’s a cumulative 245-231 differential in their favor. At that rate, they might avoid letting their collective adversaries break the 1000-shot plateau for the first time in the Hockey East era.
This is not to say that the Swiss Save-ior Schelling has suddenly been granted permission to lease a luxurious array of furniture around her property. During Saturday’s contest in particular, she was at implicit risk of turning numb from having faced a mere nine shots through two scoreless periods.
Finally, with 6:32 to spare in regulation, rookie center Brittany Esposito tipped the scale the Huskies way with an unassisted shorthanded tally, the eventual game-winner in the 1-0 decision and a sound follow-through on her goal-assist value pack in Friday’s 3-0 triumph, which had been settled entirely within the first 15 minutes of action.
Esposito, one of the more promising personalities in a six-pack of freshman forwards enrolling at NU this autumn, had entered the weekend goal-less and with but three assists to speak of in her first seven games.
***
Northeastern’s double-doozy in the mountains naturally accentuated some of Vermont’s glitches as the Catamounts set aside a palatable 4-2-0 nonconference record and finally began to measure themselves up with their conference cohabitants. Held off the board for the full 120 minutes of the Huskies’ two-night stay, Vermont is now tied with Boston College for the league’s shallowest offense with an even mean of two goals per game. If that weren’t enough, wholly contrary to Northeastern’s trademark strengths, their defense ranks No. 7 with 2.5 opposing goals per night and they are tops in the penalty department with 13.8 minutes per game.
Granted, they killed each of nine Northeastern power plays in the series, which could ultimately be a step in the direction. But they still have an iffy .784 success rate. Improvement in the PK department may be little more than a matter of cutting down on trips to the box.
***
Only Boston University has flexed a mightier struggle than the Catamounts in terms of repelling the opposing power play (.698 success rate). But at least they, in their own Hockey East opener Saturday, compressed that open wound and ultimately reaped two savory points for it.
In Saturday’s day trip to Providence, the Terriers were abysmally outdisciplined, six minor penalties to three, but killed five of six Friar power plays all within the first two periods and propped up a 1-1 draw long enough before top gun Jenelle Kohanchuk smuggled in the go-ahead goal with 12:33 gone in the third.
Seven minutes later, Kohanchuk’s empty netter cemented a 3-1 final, BU’s first triumph at Schneider Arena in the program’s five-year history.
***
The Friars, rendered winless in their last four after the BU tangle, crossed paths for redemption Sunday with a host UConn team that was fresh off a fall-from-ahead 3-1 falter at New Hampshire. When the ensuing arm-wrestling bout spilled to a shootout, historical strength boosted Providence, which has won the better portion of its meaningful and exhibition shootouts whereas the Huskies have habitually fallen short. Rookie Jess Cohen snapped a 2-2 draw in the third round to grant the Friars a 2-1 walk-off.
***
With one game in hand on the regal NU program, New Hampshire effectively kept within hooking distance of first place through Sunday’s 5-0 home cleansing of Maine, which upped their conference record to 3-0-0 and a pristine 7-1-2 overall transcript. All but two Wildcat skaters pitched in on a 42-shot tempest, led by captain Kelly Paton’s nine stabs, coupled with two goals and two helpers.
Weekly scoreboard
Friday, October 30
Northeastern 3, Vermont 0
http://collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wnoever1.o30
Saturday, October 31
Boston University 3, Providence 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wbu_prv1.o31
Northeastern 1, Vermont 0
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wnoever1.o31
New Hampshire 3, Connecticut 1
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wconunh1.o31
Sunday, November 1:
New Hampshire 5, Maine 0
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wmneunh1.n01
Providence 2, Connecticut 1 (SO)
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/0910/boxes/wconprv1.n01
Upcoming schedule
Monday, November 2
Boston College at Boston University 7:00 pm
Friday, November 6
New Hampshire at Boston University 7:00 pm
Providence at Maine 7:00 pm
Vermont at Boston College 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 7
Vermont at Boston College 2:00 pm
Boston University at New Hampshire 7:00 pm
Sunday, November 8
Connecticut at Maine 12:00 pm
Northeastern at Providence 2:00 pm
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