Ashley Davis ’18 in goal in action earlier this season at the Olympic Center.
Earlier in March, the Girls’ Hockey Team traveled to Buffalo, NY to compete in the annual U19 State Tournament. Despite not qualifying for Nationals, the Huskies finished the weekend strong and collected enough wins to beat the program record.
The first game of the weekend featured a rematch against state rivals, Selects Academy. The game started off flat as the Huskies were given a bench minor penalty before the game started causing the girls to be down a man from the first puck drop. The offensive play continued to be heavily in Selects favor as they controlled the puck for a majority of the game. Going into the second, the game remained tied 0-0 but midway through the period Selects was able to capitalize off a second rebound on the penalty kill to take the 0-1 lead. The Northwood defense held strong the the remainder of the game yet the Huskies were unable to get an offensive edge, ultimately dropping the game 0-1. Ashley Davis (Goalie, 2017 PG) stopped 39 of 40 shots in the loss.
Later that day the Huskies faced off against the Syracuse Nationals in another emotional rematch. The girls struggled at first to outmatch the Nationals, and the first period ended tied 0-0. After gathering at intermission, the Huskies were able to come out full force, scoring 4 goals in just 10 minutes. Hannah Rose (Defense, 2018), Moe Tsukimoto (Forward, 2018), Sierra Benjamin (Defense, 2018), and Hadley Swedlund (Forward, 2020) all added a goal apiece in that short time. As emotions began to rise, the Huskies struggled to stay out off the penalty box, giving the Nationals multiple 5 on 3 opportunities. The Northwood defense held strong, preserving their 4-0 lead into the third period. In the third, the Huskies were unable to maintain control over the tension and more penalties were assessed as the game went on. The Nationals were able to capitalize on two 5 on 3s and a power play to bring the score to 4-3. Fortunately time expired and the Huskies pulled off a 4-3 win. Davis posted the win in net.
The following morning the girls were set to face off against the Rochester Monarchs for their third game of the tournament. This game was all Northwood. Tsukimoto scored on her first shift and the Huskies didn’t look back. Miranda Bookman (Forward, 2020) added one and Tsukimoto added her second of the game before the finish of the first taking the lead 3-0. Nikki Kendrick (Forward, 2018) added a goal in the beginning of the period to push the lead to 4-0, but the Huskies again struggled to stay out of the box and the feisty Monarch team was able to claw back making the game 4-1. Sierra Benjamin (Defense 2018), Aimee Headland (Forward, 2019), Madison Novotny (Defense, 2021), and Kendall Dubin (Forward, 2018) all added a goal a piece in the final stanza. In the final minutes of the period the Monarchs were able to score on a 5 on 3 to chip away the lead but it was too late. The Huskies took the win 8-2. Davis posted the win in net.
In the fourth game of the weekend, the Huskies were challenged by the Niagara Jr Purple Eagles. The game started off at an even pace, but penalties quickly became problematic for the Huskies. On their second power play, Niagara was able to score off a tip in front to take a 0-1 lead. Their lead carried into the second period, where they were able to continue their offensive attacks. Niagara struck again on a 5 on 3 to take to the 0-2 advantage. Before the end of the period the pace began to change as Tsukimoto was able to cut the lead in half on the power play. The game continued to go back and forth, both teams having ample scoring opportunities until Niagara scored an empty net goal with under a minute remaining. Davis stopped 37 of 39 shots in the loss.
The final game of the weekend also featured a rematch from earlier in the season. The Huskies had gone 1-1-1 against the Buffalo Bisons and were looking to swing the series in their favor with a win in their final game of the season. The first period was all Bisons as the Huskies struggled yet again to stay out of the penalty box. Despite multiple penalty kills, the Northwood defense was able to hold strong preserving the 0-0 score into the second period. In the second, the pace swung in favor of the Huskies as Bookman scored off a tip in front to take the lead 1-0. The game continued on as the play went back and forth. It wasn’t until late in the third that the Bisons were able to capitalize on the rush to tie the game 1-1. The tying goal brought the game into overtime where both teams had ample opportunities. After a scoreless OT, the game continued into a 5-player shootout. The Bisons struck first scoring on their second attempt but Keeley Rose (Forward, 2018) evened the score scoring blocker side on Northwood’s final attempt. The shoutout took one extra round to complete, but the upperclassmen did not disappoint. Tsukimoto scored top shelf on her second attempt and Davis made the game-winning glove save to seal the win 2-1. Davis stopped 37 of 38 shots as well as 5 of 6 shootout attempts in the win.
With this weekend’s results, the Huskies move to 34-16-6 on the season. The 34 wins on the season sets a program record: the 2017-2018 girl’s hockey team has become the winningest girls’ hockey team in the Northwood’s history, surpassing last season’s 32-win record.
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