NORTHEASTERN COMES FROM BEHIND TO TOP RIT, 5-4
Sophomore forward Paige Savage nets game-winning goal for Huskies

Sophomore forward Paige Savage scores game-winning goal for Huskies

BOSTON - The Northeastern women's ice hockey team received three points (two goals, one assist) from Chelsey Goldberg, and Paige Savage netted the eventual game-winner with 8:02 left in regulation to give the No. 10 Northeastern women's ice hockey team (1-1-0) a 5-4 win against RIT (1-2-0) on Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.

Chelsiea Goll and Kelly Wallace also scored for the Huskies, who buried two shorthanded goals during the contest. Chloe Desjardins had 23 saves in goal while RIT goaltender Ali Binnington made 32 stops. Northeastern outshot RIT 37-27 for the game, while the Tigers went 3-of-5 on the man advantage.

After RIT opened the game three straight shots on goal, including two on the power play, the Huskies woke up with a shorthanded marker 2:49 into the game to carry a 1-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes.

With Jordan Hampton in the box for a body check, Goldberg intercepted a clearing pass by the Tigers, went in on Binnington and roofed a shot over her left shoulder for Goldberg's first goal of the season.

The Huskies, who held a 10-9 edge in shots during the first period, nearly took a two-goal lead midway through the stanza when Paige Savage snapped off a shot from the left side in the waning seconds of a power play that rang off the right post. At the other end, Desjardins kept her composure throughout the frame, making saves from all areas of the zone.

The teams combined for 21 shots and five goals during an action packed second period, including three from RIT to knot the score at three aside through 40 minutes of play. The Tigers made it a 1-1 game 7:24 into the frame when Jess Paton notched her first of the season when she took a long pass from Kolbee McCrea as Paton was exiting the penalty box. Paton collected the puck in the neutral zone, went in uncontested on Desjardins, and wristed a shot over her left shoulder for the score.

Northeastern would answer with a goal from Goll less than four minutes later as she scored her first of the year. With bodies filling the slot in front of Binnington, Goll was able to sneak into the scrum, spot the puck and sneak it over the goal line for a 2-1 Husky lead.

NU retook the lead with 6:17 to play in the second period on Goldberg's second shorthanded tally of the season. After RIT won a faceoff in the Northeastern zone, Claire Santostefano hustled to steal the puck and head the other way. Santostefano was broken up trying to send a shot on goal, but recovered to hit Goldberg with a pass cutting to the net, who beat Binnington over the shoulder for the score.

The Tigers cut the deficit in half just 51 seconds after the Goldberg tally with a goal from Kourtney Kunichika. With RIT on the power play, Lindsay Gregg fed the puck down to Erin Zach at the goal line. Zach then spotted Kunichika alone on the far post, and threaded a pass through the crease for a one-timer past Desjardins for the score.

With 1:44 to play in the period, the Tigers evened the score once again as Lauren Klein's shot from the point was redirected by Kolbee McCrea in the slot through Desjardins.

The scoring barrage continued into the third period, as RIT took its first lead of the game 5:16 into the period with its third power play goal of the afternoon. After taking a feed from Emilee Bulleid, Scoyne sent a low shot in on goal that Celeste Brown tipped through traffic and under Desjardins' pads for her first goal of the year.

The Huskies would answer 1:25 after the Brown goal when Kelly Wallace registered her first of the season, cleaning up the rebound after an initial shot from Katie MacSorley to make it 4-4.

Paige Savage would put Northeastern up 5-4 with 8:02 left in regulation when she collected a loose puck off a faceoff win from Hayley Masters. Savage then cut out in front of the net and tucked a shot past Billington for her first goal of the season.

The Huskies will hit the road for their next four games, beginning on Oct. 11 when Northeastern travels to Union for a 3 p.m. contest.

Game Notes: Northeastern is now 12-0-0 all-time against the Tigers ... Goldberg registered her first collegiate goal, and first career two-goal and three-point game