After being so close to the championship last weekend, the Huskies started off their second tournament of the year, the Fall Foliage Classic with a mission – win it all. They began that mission on Friday afternoon as they dominated the Vermont Shamrocks throughout the game, beating them 4-0. Lauren B. scored her first Northwood goal when Oona R. fed her a puck in the slot and she put it over the Shamrock goalie’s pads. Later in the first half, Alyson M. decided she needed to contribute offensively and she rushed the puck, missing her first chance, but putting her own rebound bar-down. She scored again on a quick wrist shot from the blue line that beat the goalie’s glove. Eva M. finished off the scoring when she also scored high glove after a nice passing sequence between Grace N. and Maci H. Megan M. got the shut-out in net, staying active despite facing less than 10 shots. She played the puck well on dump-ins and made some solid break-out passes.
On Friday night, the girls harnessed their creative energies to determine and carve a pumpkin for the tournament’s pumpkin carving competition. After great debate, the team decided to go with a side profile of a Husky with a Northwood “N.” Eva M. and Erin K. used their drawing skills to sketch it out and everyone contributed to the finished product.
On Saturday, the Huskies faced the Islanders’ Hockey Club, a junior team from Massachusetts. It was a more competitive game, with both teams having good scoring chances, but the Huskies out-skated and out-shot the Islanders. Cailey H. gave Northwood the lead after she scored five hole from the slot. She scored again on an end-to-end rush on the Power Play for breathing room. Katey S. got the shut-out, turning away 15 shots.
Saturday night, Northwood took on Burlington at the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse. The bigger ice surface was an advantage for the quicker Huskies. They started off slowly, but eventually they gained momentum and took solid hold of the game. The Burlington goalie kept the local team in the game in the first half, but Alyson M’s short-handed goal early in the second half opened the gates. Cailey H. scored from the top of the circles off of a drop pass from Alyson, and then Alyson finished off the scoring with a blast from the point after Sara D. sent it across the blue line for her first Northwood assist while also earning the hard hat award for the game. The shut-out went to Lindsay P. and the win put Northwood as number one in the east division.
The Huskies would face the home team, the Vermont Starts, in the cross-over game on Sunday morning. The Huskies strength and speed continued to Sunday. They scored early in the first when Cassie K. found a rebound to put away. Rachel L. added some breathing room on her own rebound goal. Oona R. finished up the rebound trifecta in the second half. Megan M. earned her second shut-out of the tournament to take the Huskies into the Championship game.
Northwood faced off against cross-border rival, Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA), in the Championship game on Sunday afternoon. The game was more physical and intense than the previous four, but the Huskies were ready for it. They out-passed OHA, gaining many odd player rushes, but the Maverick goalie held them in it. Nicole M. put a rebound home half way through the second, but the goal was called back because of a high stick. That just fueled Northwood’s fire, and the Huskies went harder to the net and were more determined than ever. Nicole M. put another rebound in to give them the lead five minutes later, and this time it counted. She scored again with just a minute left to go in the half to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. The second half brought some attacks from the Mavericks, but Katey S. didn’t back down. She made a few beautiful saves in tight, and one rattled off the top of her stick. She earned her second shut-out of the game and Cassie K. put an empty netter in to seal the Championship.
Northwood School Girls Hockey 