Huskies Take Second in E. G. Watkins Tournament

It is a great holiday tradition to compete in the Cushing Tournament before breaking from school for the holidays. We have been going to the E.G. Watkins Invitational for several years, but have never made it to the Championship game. This is a tournament attended by many Division I and Division III college coaches and is a great opportunity for our girls to be seen.

We started with Brewster Academy on Thursday evening. The first half of the game was filled with back and forth play. The tempo was high and the huskies generated a lot of offense but were only able to net one goal, scored by Rachel L. assisted by Maci H. and Alyson M. The score was 1-1 after one-and-a-half periods of play before the ice resurfacing. The huskies took control of the second half of the game with goals from Moe T, Alyson M, Nicole M, Lauren B, and Sierra B. The huskies took control of the game and went into the final minutes up 6-1. Brewster did not give up and continued to play hard to the final buzzer scoring 2 goals in the last minute. The final score of 6-3 gave huskies the win.

The second game of the tournament was against the home team, Cushing Academy. The huskies were prepared to take on the home team and played with fast paced determination and grit from start to finish. The first goal was netted by Moe T. assisted by Lauren B. to put Northwood in the lead, not long after Cushing tied it up at 1-1. The game remained tied after a period and a half, a familiar spot for Northwood. The game was tied until the third period when Nicole M. put the go ahead goal home and then Alyson M. netted an assurance goal. The Huskies skated by Cushing 3-1.

The final game of the round robin was against Worcester Academy. Worcester was a young and feisty team that tested the huskies determination. Goals were scored in the first period by Nicole M. and Lauren B. both assisted by Alyson M. The game was scoreless after the first with the huskies protecting their lead for the remainder of the game. With a final score of 2-0, Northwood was headed to the Championship game!

The championship game was against Berkshire Academy; both teams played with an impressive level of intensity resulting in some early penalties for the huskies. Northwood went down early when Berkshire scored on the power play and could not score before the half. Beginning the second half of the second period, the huskies were at a 2-0 deficit but quickly got on the board with a end to end unassisted goal by Alyson M. Despite pulling the goalie with three minutes left in the game and dominating much of the play, Northwood was unable to score again and lost the game 2-1.

The huskies placed second, the best ranking yet in this tournament, and two players were selected to the All-Tournament team: Seniors Nicole M. and Maci H. It was great to be able to play in front of friends and family and we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Huskies Return to Winning Ways

The Northwood Girls’ Hockey team had some much appreciated home games after a tough early winter of travel. The two feet of fresh powder set the stage for a wonderful winter weekend. Many of the girls took advantage of Friday’s day off and hopped on the Northwood fan bus to the Olympic Sliding Track where they watched World Cup Skeleton athletes race down the track.

The speed obviously inspired them, because on Saturday night, they brought it to the Troy Albany 19U team. The Huskies controlled the play early on, but the puck possession didn’t necessarily transfer to goals until late in the first half. Sierra scored her first Northwood goal on the power play when she put home a rebound. Minutes later, Nicole M. had a beautiful top glove snipe to go into the zamboni break 2-0. The Huskies decided to score quicker in the 2nd half when Maddie found a loose puck in front of the net and beat the Ice Cat goalie. Lauren extended the lead with another power play goal and the Huskies closed out the win 4-1. Lindsay had a shut-out in her half while Katey let one by her in the second.

On Sunday afternoon, the two teams met in Saranac Lake for a rematch. The Ice Cats had a little more jump in their step and outplayed the Huskies in the first few opening minutes. Once the Northwood team got their rhythm, they dominated play and held the puck mostly in the Ice Cat end. Sabryna scored first for the Huskies after some great puck movement left her alone in the slot and Rachel L. fed it to her. Moe beat the goalie again with a beautiful wrist shot to extend the lead. In the second half, Nicole M. got a chip from Lauren B. and beat a few Ice Cat players and the goalie. A power play goal from the Ice Cats closed the gap, but Lauren scored her second of the weekend when she got the puck from Moe in the corner and beat the goalie high. Katey made 12 saves for the win.

The 2-0 weekend will give the Huskies some much needed confidence going into one of the biggest tournaments of their season, the EG Watkins tournament at Cushing Academy. Be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter feeds for scores, or follow the girls on High School Cube.

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NAPHA Weekend in New Brunswick

After a restful Thanksgiving vacation, the Huskies returned to campus for a quick week before heading out on their longest road trip of the year. The 12 hour bus ride to St. John, New Brunswick was broken up by a quick stop at the University of Maine. The team had a chance to stretch their legs with a skate at Alfond Arena before boarding the bus for the final stretch to Atlantic Canada.

The morning came quickly, but the Huskies were ready for their game against the home team, Rothesay Netherwood School. RNS had just finished renovations on their arena and the RNS vs. Northwood game was the first game in the newly renovated facility. The home team had plenty of fans, as it was standing room only in the classic rink. The pace was fast and both teams had chances. Northwood knew that the RNS powerplay was effective, so they focused on being tough but staying out of the box. The teams traded scoring opportunities until late in the first period, when RNS shot through a screen and beat Lindsay high. They scored again in the second period. The Huskies had chances, including a few rebounds that were so close, but couldn’t find a way to score. RNS scored two more in the third for the win.

On Friday evening, the Huskies took on Stanstead College. Despite it being Northwood’s second game of the day and the first game for Stanstead, the Huskies had the jump on the Spartans. The Huskies out-shot Stanstead in the first half, but couldn’t score. Stanstead found the mesh when they put home a rebound at the end of the power play. Northwood didn’t quit though, and they used their speed to put Stanstead on their heels. Lauren B. finally broke the scoring drought when she found a loose puck in front of the net and put it home. After a fun and delicious team meal, the girls called it a night and prepared for their next two game day.

On Saturday morning, the girls faced a feisty and gritty Kings Edgehill School. The Huskies traded chances with the quick team and Maci H and Nicole M. both had beautiful goals, but the Huskies couldn’t keep the lead and tied 2-2. Later that day, the Huskies had another tough game against Rice Memorial. They started out strong and controlled much of the game. The Huskies took the lead over the Knights when Rachel L. scored on a the power play, but they made some mental errors in the third period and let the Knights sneak back in the game.

Northwood is now in a three way tie in the McMaster division. They have two more regular league weekends to earn points and gain ground in the standings before the Championship weekend in February.