Northwood Blue peaked at the right time, going 3-1 in one of the most highly scouted tournaments of the year, the EG Watkins tournament at Cushing Academy.
The Huskies started the weekend off against Winchendon School, who had a sizable student body cheering section at the rink. The game was physical and Winchendon tried to intimidate the Huskies. They took two major penalties, hoping to draw Northwood into scrapping, but the Huskies kept their cool and took advantage of the power play. Syd Collins scored at the end of a 5v3 on a rebound to gain the lead. Nikki Kendrick scored on her own rebound later in the game. Hanna Markel earned the shut-out turning away some great Winchendon chances, especially late in the game.
In the second game of the tournament, Northwood was matched up against Worcester Academy. Northwood got on the board first when Moe Tsukimoto grabbed the puck off the wall and took a quick shot as she walked across the offensive zone. Worcester tied it up later with a power play goal and the two teams played even for a while. In the second half though, it was all Worcester. They scored twice from outside the circles, both off of a rushes were the Husky D sank bank too much. The Huskies pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but it was Worcester who found the back of the net for the 4-1 win.
Later that day, Northwood faced Berkshire School. In a deja-vue moment, Moe Tsukimoto again scored the first goal of the game when she walked off the wall. This time, the Huskies didn’t settle back. They kept attacking and Justine Dufresne put them up 2-0 when she didn’t give up on a puck in front of the net. Soon after, Moe Tsukimoto scored her second of the game with a beautiful breakaway goal to go up 3-0. Berkshire got on the board after a tough Northwood turnover left Hanna Markel with a 2v1, but the Huskies responded. Tatum Gietl fired a slapshot from the point on the power play to secure the 4-1 win.
With the win, Northwood ended second in their bracket and were matched up against Culver Academy for the third place game. The game was dead even through the first and second until a Culver forward beat a Husky defender and snuck the puck past Ashley Davis. The Huskies answered right back though when Moe Tsukimoto carried the puck into the offensive zone off of the neutral zone face-off. Natalie Giglio followed up the play, grabbed the puck, and cut to net. Her shot didn’t go in, but Kylie Kroes was there with her stick on the ice to slide the puck in. After that goal, the Huskies gained momentum and Kira Collins got her first of the season on a rebound goal. Sierra Benjamin tipped a beautiful Nikki Kendrick shot by the Culver goalie to go up 3-1 and secure the win and third place. Moe Tsukitmoto and Hanna Markel were named to the all-tournament team, and the Huskies improved their record to 11-15-0.
This weekend was jam packed with hockey for the Northwood girls’ program, with some players playing up to six games between the mixed teams, and white, and blue teams. The highlight of the weekend was certainly the White winning the CHE American Cup and going 4-0 with zero goals against. Below are the game write-ups and some pictures and videos to enjoy!
Team Lucy/Nemec 7, Brampton 0
Team Lucy faced off against a tired Brampton team later that evening. Kim Mongrain earned her first Northwood shutout and seven different Huskies earned at east one point on the night. Moe Tsukimoto scored twice in the opening period and once more again in the third for the hat-trick, adding an assist to earn a four-point game. Hannah Kessel, after a handful of quality chances, scored her her career goal and added an assist for a two-point night. Natalie Giglio added a goal and two assists, Nikki Kendrick scored one goal with help from Sabryna Strack and earned an assist on Maddie Gneo’s redirect late in the second period.
Northwood White 4, Brampton 0
On Saturday morning, Northwood White geared up for the 3rd round in our weekend series against Brampton. Most of the first period was scoreless, until 2:11 when Kendall Dubin scored her first goal of the weekend with help from Mia Wright and Moe Tsukimoto. Less than a minute later, Nikki Kendrick decided to pad our first period score and beat three consecutive Brampton players before snapping the puck over the goaltender’s shoulder with authority. In the second period, Moe Tsukimoto cashed in on a great play set up by Zoe Vande Kieft, who found her in the slot right in time to tuck the puck behind the Brampton goaltender’s left pad. Zoe earned her second assist of the morning in the final period of play as Nikki Kendrick buried her second goal of the game and earned game MVP honors. Ashley Davis was steady in net and extended the Northwood shutout streak to thee games.
Northwood White 2- Brampton 0
The White Team closed out the series with another shutout and win on Sunday Morning. Ashley Davis held the Canadettes scoreless the entire weekend and played a big role in the White team’s tournament win. Kendall Dubin came up big for the Huskies in the second period, earning an assist and a goal in a span of 3:05. Issy Ren scored the game-winner, burying Dublin’s rebound just wide of the Brampton goalie’s right pad. Sierra Benjamin also earned an assist on the play. Kylie Kroes earned MVP with her tough, responsible, and consistent play throughout the weekend.
Team Farmer/Killer 4 – Brampton 0
Friday afternoon’s game against Brampton Thunder proved to be a good warm-up for the weekend. The Huskies came out with jump in their step and took control of the game right away. They used their knowledge of how to play on Olympic sized ice to their advantage and spread out the Brampton players, then beat them with speed and puck movement. Bridgit Sullivan led the scoring with a hat trick, Moe Tsukimoto scored on an end-to-end rush, and Saara Keranen scored with a slapshot. Hanna Markel played the game in net and recorded the shut-out.
Northwood Blue 3 – Lawrenceville School 7
On Saturday evening, the Huskies met Lawrenceville School at Union College. They again came out strong, scoring the first goal after Abby Hatcher made a good pinch on the boards and Madison Gneo picked up the puck and roofed it over the Lawrenceville goalie. After that flurry though, it was all Lawrenceville. They scored first on a shot from the point, then another when they beat a Huskie defender out of the corner, two power play goals, and a bad turnover left the Huskies down 5-1 going into the third. After a Zamboni ice cut gave the Huskies a chance to regroup, they came out with a greater intensity and sense of purpose. The tied the third period, with a nice in tight goal by Syd Collins and and end-to-end rush by Moe Tsukimoto.
Northwood Blue 0 – Lawrenceville 2
Saturday morning was a much better showing for the Huskies. The game was fast-paced and physical, and both teams competed hard. Lawrenceville generated more offense than the Huskies in the first two periods, but the Huskies played solid in the defensive zone and limited their scoring opportunities. Hanna Markel played great in net to keep the Huskies in the game and give them a chance. After killing off a penalty in the third period, Lawrenceville converted on a bad bounce to go ahead 1-0. They scored again a few minutes later when the Huskies turned the puck over in the neutral zone. The Huskies went on the power play with three minutes left and were able to generate a few scoring chances after a time out, but nothing dropped for them and they lost 2-0.
Northwood Blue 7 – Troy Albany 1
After some subs and a nice walk around Union College, the Huskies travelled across the Hudson to Troy, where they played the Troy Albany 19U team. The Huskies had more time and space against the Ice Cats and used it to play a game of possession. They scored early in the first when Moe Tsukimoto won a defensive zone draw to Natalie Giglio who found Tsukimoto breaking through the center and fed her for an open ice breakaway. Another goal five minutes later came when Abby Hatcher pinched on the boards and took the puck to net for a shot. She didn’t find a hole, but Justine Dufresne was in the right spot to bury the rebound. Tsukimoto scored her second of the game short-handed and the Huskies came out of the first period with a 3-0 lead. Natalie Giglio beat the Ice Cat goalie low stick side off of a nice feed from Tsukimoto for the only goal in the second. Hanna Markel stopped all five shots for a two period shut-out. Another short-handed goal by the Huskies set the tone for the third period. This time, Tsukimoto made a beautiful pass to Madison Gneo who made going bar down look easy. The Ice cats scored not much after when a shot from the top of the circle snuck by Kim Mongrain, but the Huskies answered back with two more goals: Tsukimoto’s third of the game and Bridigit Sullivan’s low shot that just beat the buzzer.
Northwood players had a chance to meet Clarkson coach (and Olympian) Megan Duggan along with the rest of the Golden Knights
A week off is a long time in the hockey world. It’s enough time for your hands to turn to lead and your legs to lose their spring. Thanksgiving vacation is tough; The players need to the rest, but too much rest will make it harder to return to action. This year, the Huskies seemed to strike a good balance. Players returning from vacation were rejuvenated, but it was clear most of them had completed the off-ice training program as well. In their weekend competitions, they were as fast and strong as they’ve been all year.
Northwood Blue traveled to Burlington, VT to face off against the Eastern teams from the McMaster division. They started the weekend with another grudge match against the home team, Rice Memorial. The face-paced game saw both teams trade chances. The Huskies converted off a beautiful 4v2 rush when Madison Gneo picked up a rebound from a Natalie Giglio shot. Goalie Ashley Davis, came up big in net with 23 saves for the shut-out and win.
In the second game of the weekend, the Huskies met their East Coast nemesis, the King’s Edgehill School. In their last meeting, the Huskies outplayed KES but couldn’t finish the deal and lost in the end. This time, the Huskies got down early when KES scored on a breakaway. Nikki Kendrick evened it out and scored on the rebound after a nice flurry started by Sierra Benjamin. The two teams played an even second period, but KES took the lead when they beat one of the Huskiy defenders out of the corner and beat Kim Mongrain above her shoulders.
Northwood took on Rothesay-Netherwood School (RNS) in the late game on Saturday night. In their last meeting, RNS had dominated most of the play, but in this outing, the Huskies looked sharper. They had control of the game, but an unlucky bounce on the power play gave the Riverhawks a breakaway and they went up 1-0. The Huskies continued to fight hard, with quality chances coming from Syd Collins, Nikki Kendrick, and Moe Tsukimoto. Half way through the second, Kylie Kroes found the back of the net on a rebound, but after initially calling it a goal the referee eventually disallowed it because the net had become dislodged in the process. RNS scored shortly after, deflating the Huskies a bit. They managed to kill off a two minute 5v3 though, and that gave them some momentum. Moe Tsukimoto eventually scored after a beautiful pass from Tatum Gietl gave her breakaway, but it wasn’t enough for the Huskies and they lost 3-1. Ashley Davis had another stellar game in net turning away 33 shots.
In the last game of the weekend, the Huskies had to meet Stanstead College. In their last game in Quebec, Stanstead completely outplayed and outscored the weiry Huskies. This time, the team was determined to prove themselves and play to their full potential. The game started off dead even, with both teams getting chances. However, a few bad turnovers led to two quick Stanstead goals and the Huskies found themselves down 2-0 after the first. The second period was mostly even, but Stanstead scored another to go up three. The Huskies answered back with a goal of their own when Moe Tsukimoto beat the Spartan goalie low. In the third period, Stanstead was able to extend their lead and the Huskies walked away from the weekend 1-3.
Northwood White traveled to Potsdam, NY to face the 19U St. Lawrence Thunder at Clarkson University’s Cheel Arena. The Thunder came out strong, but stellar goaltending from Hanna Markel kept the game close through the opening period. Northwood took an early penalty and St. Lawrence cashed in on their PP opportunity to make it 1-0 after the first. The second period proved to be an even bigger challenge for Markel, who rose to the occasion and allowed only one goal on 26 attempts. The Thunder found the back of the net three more times in the final period for a final score of 5-0. Markel made 53 saves for the Huskies.
On Saturday afternoon, the White Team rebounded well from the previous night as they returned to EJEPL action hosting the Troy-Albany Ice Cats. Hanna Markel, once again, came up huge for the Huskies and denied all 25 shots to keep the game at 0-0 through regulation time. White held the Ice Cats scoreless through the majority of the 4v4 overtime, until Troy-Albany hammered in a rebound with just 10 seconds left on the clock. Hanna Markel stopped 27 of 28 shots and helped the Huskies kill 4 of 4 penalties successfully.
Luckily, the Huskies had another shot at the Ice Cats just hours after their first overtime defeat. Northwood got off to a slow start, falling behind 2 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Late in the first period, Sierra Benjamin took matters into her own hands, beat the Ice-Cats defenders and snapped the puck under the crossbar to make it a one goal game. The Huskies made the next period their best of the weekend, scoring twice on 8 shots to gain the one goal lead heading into the third. White played a smart and disciplined game to hold onto the lead and earn the comeback victory. Justine Dufresne and Zoe Vande Kieft each added goals for White. Issy Ren, Mika Welch and Sierra Benjamin each added an assist apiece.
With the four points earned in this weekend’s series, Northwood White secured the top spot in the EJEPL and will have the first seed for the inaugural season playoffs.
Both teams had the chance to watch some great college hockey over the weekend. Blue caught a Northeastern dominated game against UVM at the Gutterson Fieldhouse and White watched the home team Clarkson beat up on Cornell at the Cheel Arena.
The girls spotted Headmaster, Mike Maher’s, name on a the wall of UVM captains while catching a Catamount game
Trustee Jeff Bartell joined the Northwood team and coaches at Cheel
Northwood School Girls Hockey 