After one week of games, the girls lacrosse team is still looking for a chance to ring the victory bell and stands at 0-2-1.

They started the season on the road versus Massena, Vermont Academy, and Potsdam. The first contest in Massena saw the girls fall behind 7-1 after the first half, only to fight back and close Massena’s lead to 10-8 with three minutes left. Led by Madison Gneo ‘17, Mina Petrovich ‘18, and Sara Donatello ‘18, the girls did not quit and made this quite a competitive game.

On Wednesday, a 3 hour bus ride to Vermont Academy ended in a 10-10 tie. Kira Collins ‘17 was excellent in goal and Madison Gneo ‘17 led the girls offensively with 5 goals.

On Friday, the Huskies faced off against Potsdam. The girls started the game not ready to play. Sloppy turnovers and penalties allowed Potsdam to jump out to a 5-3 lead at the half. The second half was very even with Collins making big stops and Keeley Rose ‘18 and Kelsey Bannister ‘17 leading the defense. Northwood closed the gap to 7-6 and found themselves with power play and a chance to tie in the closing minutes. Potsdam won the ball and did a good job playing keep away and prevented the Huskies from gaining any offensive opportunities to close the game. Head Coach Gino Riffle said, “For a group where many are new to the game, the first week of the season had many positives to build upon.”

Next up for the girls is Ogdensburg at home on Monday. Good seats are still available.

It is spring sports season on campus, and that means the boys lacrosse team is back in action. In the first game of the season the Huskies faced off against Plattsburgh High School and started the year off with a 9-4 victory. Senior AJ McCarron was solid between the pipes. Elias Fleishman (Attack, 2020) and Will Arquiett (Attack, 2019) both recorded hat tricks, and Nate Boak collected two goals (Attack, 2020).

Head coach Jamie Welsh said, “Our first game against Plattsburgh was a good place to start our season and build some confidence. The team played well despite never having played together and it being our first time out doors. We maintained possessions and demonstrated that we have a something to build on for the remainder of our season.” Welsh was also pleased with his players. “ Patrick Callahan and Elias Fleischmann demonstrated some strong talent and promise at the midfield position,” he said, “and they were able to effectively work with attackmen Nate Boak and Will Arquiett.”  Coach Welsh said “the defensive core was led by senior Drew Goldberg and two other seniors, Stephen Gilligan and Matthew Petizian. Matthew played his first game at long pole and recorded no penalties and made very few mistakes.” The coach was happy with the rookies. “Our young players and new players also had a good opportunity for some playing time and to learn the game of lacrosse,” said Welsh. “Wyatt Friedlander ‘19, Fallou Sylla ‘20, and Trevor Souza ‘19 all got reps cycling through attack. Sam DiBitetto saw his first minutes at the close of the game working to force a Northwood turnover in the closing seconds.”

In the second game of the season, the Huskies had a setback with a 15-0 loss to regional powerhouse Canton High. “Canton proved to be a much sterner test,” said Coach Welsh. “And we were not at full strength, due to the threat of a snow storm that forced a number of players to have to make alternate travel arrangements. The players that played demonstrated grit and a never quit attitude, despite not being able to generate many scoring opportunities and only a few good offensive possessions. With a few practices under our belt the team will return to action this week.”

(March 10-12, 2017) The boys 16U hockey team had a solid showing at states, but fell just short of earning a berth to the USA Hockey National Championships.

In game one the Huskies faced off against the hometown Buffalo Regals. Despite powerplay goals from Will Arquiett (Forward, 2019) and Pat Callahan (Forward, 2018) Northwood suffered a tough 3-2 overtime loss, but earned 1 point from the game.

As a result of the OT loss, game two was a must-win against a scrappy Syracuse Stars team.  Northwood controlled play from the start, but had trouble beating the Stars goaltender.  The Huskies continued to battle and netted two goals securing a 2-0 victory behind a Verneri Virtanen (2019) shutout.

A game three win against the Westchester Express, whom Northwood tied earlier on in the season, was another must in order to secure a trip to nationals. The Huskies came out flying and jumped on the Express early, forcing them to take penalties, but Northwood couldn’t capitalize on their power play chances.  Northwood held a 2-1 advantage heading into the 3rd period, behind goals from Pat Callahan (Forward, 2018) and Sean Bunting (Forward, 2019).  A Westchester goal early in the third knotted the game at two, and Westchester took the lead with less than 10 minutes to go.  Northwood pushed back, but failed to score and tie up the game.

The loss meant the end of the season for the 16U team. Head Coach Trevor Gilligan said, “It was a tremendous season, with lots of mental and physical growth and development.  I couldn’t be more proud of the consistent effort each member put in throughout the year.  It is certainly a team, and season, that I will look back on and smile.”