With a chance to play for the New York State Championship on the line, the girl’s hockey team began Thanksgiving break by traveling to Buffalo to compete in the New York State playdowns in order to qualify for a spot at the state tournament in March. The tournament displayed tough competition for the Huskies, yet the girls played with diligence and didn’t take the weekend lightly.
Margot Roquette ’20 in action at the Olympic Center earlier this season. (Photo : Mr. Michael Aldridge)
The first game was against the Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles and the Huskies dominated play. Mackenzie Hull (Forward, 2020) netted the first goal of the game to put Northwood in the lead 1-0. In the second period, Niagara responded with a power-play goal to tie up the game. Just a minute later, Hull scored again, putting the Huskies back in the lead 2-1. At the end of the second, Hull scored her third of the game to complete her first Northwood hat-trick and put the Huskies up 3-1. In the third period, the Eagles came out determined and proved that they could come back and score three unanswered goals for the 4-3 win.
The second game of the weekend was against the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons took control of the game from the opening faceoff. The Huskies couldn’t find the back of the net while the Bison scored two goals each in the first and second periods and added three in the third to finish with a 7-0 win.
The third game of the weekend was against the Syracuse Nationals. The Nats got on the board first to take the lead 1-0. However, the Huskies weren’t going to hold back as Iliana Smith (Forward, 2022) buried one to tie the game at one. In the second, the two teams exchanged scoring chances until Hull put one on the board to take a 2-1 lead. Just a minute later, the Nats tied the game at two to end the second stanza. The third period again proved to be tough for the Huskies, as many of the scoring chances were in favor of the Nats. Ultimately, the Nats capitalized and put another one in ending the game with a 3-2 win.
Northwood’s final game was against, state rivals, Selects Academy. The Huskies struggled to generate offense as Selects controlled play in the Husky zone. Despite the many opportunities for Selects, the first period ended with neither team scoring. Floodgates opened for theSelects who scored three times in the second and once more in the third to seal the win at 4-0.
With this weekend’s games, the Huskies are at 4-14-1 on the season. Next for the team is a NAPHA weekend in SUNY Canton. Follow the Northwood Girls Hockey on Twitter for live play-by-play updates throughout the season.
