NORTHEASTERN FALLS TO ST. LAWRENCE, 5-3

St. Lawrence’s Marianna Locke scored two third period goals as the visiting Saints (15-5-2) held on to defeat a dogged Northeastern women’s hockey team (3-15-1), 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena. The Huskies received the first career goal from freshman Julia Clark in the second period, but the team could not complete the comeback from a 3-0 first-period deficit.

Locke’s first goal of the third period gave her team a two-goal lead at the 6:49 mark. With the Saints on the power play, teammate Alison Domenico took a shot from the blue line that was redirected into the back of the net by Locke. The Huskies answered back with a goal at the 11:11 mark from sophomore Ali Bielawski, who took a tough angle shot from the left circle that beat Saint goaltender Meaghan Guckian to the short side. Just over two minutes later, however, Locke notched her second of the game to give her team some breathing room against a determined NU squad.

Despite outshooting the Saints, 5-4, in the first 11 minutes of the opening period, the Huskies fell behind early, as Carson Duggan gave the visitors a one-goal lead only 28 seconds into the first period. After Lisa Batchelor cycled the puck behind the net to Crystal Connors, Connors found Duggan in front of the net for the quick tally.

The Saints added two more tallies in a span of 42 seconds to head into the first intermission with a three-goal edge. The trio of Duggan, Batchelor and Connors connected again for St. Lawrence’s second goal at the 13:13 mark, and teammate Chelsea Grills scored 42 seconds later off of passes from linemates Locke and Domenico.

The Huskies came back strong in the second period, outshooting St. Lawrence by an 8-6 margin. The team did not have success putting the puck into the net, however, until NU struck for two quick goals late in the period. Clark notched her first career goal with 1:50 remaining in the period, as she skated into the slot and received a pass from senior Marie Desrosiers from behind the net. Clark then slid the puck past Guckian for the goal. The Huskies made it a one-goal game a mere 35 seconds later, as sophomore Erin Reil scored her fourth of the year from just outside the Saint crease. Assists on Reil’s goal went to junior Nikki Petrich and senior captain Amy Goodney. Goodney’s assist was her team-leading 10th helper of the season.

Northeastern played well against the nationally-ranked Saints, keeping the seventh-ranked power play to one goal on six chances. The Huskies, however, could not convert on any of five power-play opportunities.

Sophomore Stacey Scott made 25 saves for NU in her fifth start of the season, including 12 in the first period. Guckian stopped 14-of-17 shots for St. Lawrence.

The Huskies will return to Hockey East play on Tuesday evening, as the team travels across town to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.