Huskies Struggle to Pick up Points in Long Hockey Weekend

Northwood girls in front of Horsehoe Falls

The Northwood girls’ got on the charter bus Thursday afternoon and began a long hockey weekend that included 5 games, over 600 miles, and the beauty of Niagara Falls.

Their first game, Friday morning, the girls faced Wyoming Seminary. Although they beat Wy Sem early in the year, they were only able to pick up a tie in their last match. This time, the Huskies took no chances and dominated the game from the start. They won the game 4-0 with Lindsay P. earning the shut-out and Cassie K., Nicole M., Julie D., and Megan C. Rachel R. won the hard hat for her gritty play.

The second game on Friday was against the host team Ridley College. The Tigers had their senior night ceremony before the game, and they came to play. Northwood got on the board first with a goal by Cailey H. But in the second, they found themselves in the box for 6 minutes straight and Ridley took the lead. The Huskies rebounded to tie it up when Nicole M. and Cassie K. scored, but Ridley scored in the third for the win.

The next morning, Trinity College School suffered the frustration of the Huskies previous loss. The Northwood girls dominated from start to finish with goals coming from Cassie K., Hailey S., Eva M., and Olga R. Nicole G. earned the shut-out.

Later that afternoon, league leader Nichols was the opponent in a hard-fought battle. The Huskies came out slow, letting Nichols set the tone and they fell quickly to 3-0. After Grace D.’s goal from the point showed the Nichols team’s weakness, the Huskies gained some momentum and began playing their game. It was too little too late though, and even Erin Bs back-to-back goals couldn’t change the tide for the Huskies who lost 6-3.

In the final game of the weekend on Sunday morning, the long trip and tiring play caught up to the Huskies. They faced Gilmour Academy, and Gilmour scored a power play goal in the first. Northwood dominated the rest of the game, but they couldn’t find the energy to get one past the Lancer goaltender and lost 1-0.

Their overall record for the weekend 2-3, dropped the Huskies to 7th place in the league so they’ll have to face #2 Ridley College again in the first round of playoffs after February break.

In between the games, studying, and traveling, some of the Huskies took the opportunity to visit Niagara Falls, where they braved the cold and snow to see one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world.

Some Huskies with the American Falls in the background

After a Great Weekend of Hockey, Huskies Come Away with Snowglobe Trophy

Northwood Dark team with their Snowglobe Trophy – Pond Hockey Champs 2013

The first marking period ended Friday, and with it the most anticipated tournament of the season – the 34th Annual Northwood Invitational. After a long week of diligent studying for midterms and finals, the girls had clear heads and full hearts, ready to take on some of the best high school aged teams in the country.

The girls began their tournament facing the Reston Raiders from Reston, Virginia. The Huskies had the jump immediately and got on the board in the first two minutes when Brennan B. put home her own rebound, bar down! The Huskies have been working on rebounds in the last two weeks, and the hard work was obvious as Cassie K. also buried a rebound half-way through the first half with assists by Jess B. and Cailey H. Erin B. finished off the scoring in the first with a beautiful, low, wrist-shot goal from the point. In the second half, the Huskies dominated in speed and puck movement, but didn’t have as many quality scoring opportunities. It wasn’t until late in the second half that Erin K. scored a power play goal above the goalie’s blocker to finish the game off at 4-0. Lindsay P. played well in net, making 9 saves.

In the second game, the Huskies faced Colorado Tigers. The Huskies used the big ice and their speed to push the Tigers back into their zone, creating many offensive opportunities. Erin B. scored after she dangled a few Tigers and roofed it. She scored again low blocker off of a beautiful Gretzky spin by Jess B. to go up two. Colorado capitalized off of an unlucky bounce to close the gap, but the Huskies held on for the win. Nicole G. got the win in net.

On Saturday, the girls faced John Abbott College, a CEJEP team from Montreal, QC. The Huskies came out flat and the Islanders dominated the beginning of the first half. Their age and maturity showed as they played composed and a very physical style. They were up 2-0 at the ice cut, but the Huskies didn’t quit. They had momentum in the second half, getting many quality chance, but they were unable to convert. John Abbott scored 2 more to round out the score at 4-0.

On Sunday, since Northwood didn’t advance to the semi-finals, they participated in the 3rd Annual Pond Hockey tournament. Both Northwood Dark and Northwood Light teams played solidly during the preliminary rounds, good enough to advance to the semifinals where Northwood Dark won a nail-biter to make it to the championship game. Once there, they dominated Colorado, winning the Snowglobe trophy for the second year in school history.

A great weekend of hockey!

Huskies Back in Full Swing After Long Break

Sometimes a part of being a student athlete means that while everyone else is enjoying the last days of their long winter break, you have to come back to school early.  This year, the Huskies had a League weekend in Burlington, VT the last weekend of break.  The girls flew in from all over the country, and had a ten o’clock pm practice on Friday night before playing RNS on Saturday and RICE on Sunday.

 

Despite having been away from each other for more than two weeks, the huskies took to the ice hard and fast against RNS on Saturday night.  The rink was cold, but they powered through to a 2-1 win.  Goals were scored by Cassie K. and Erin B. Assists were notched by Jess B. and Erin B.

 

The second game of the weekend was against the huskies’ rival RICE.  The huskies battle hard but couldn’t stay out of the box, with ten penalties, eight in the second period alone, the huskies lost 1-0.  RICE’s loan goal was netted in the second period .30 seconds into one of their many powerplays.

 

The next time the huskies take the ice will be at their home 34th annual Northwood Tournament.