Müller tops Hockey East record books, propels Huskies to quarterfinal victory

By Amelia Ballingall Deputy Sports Editor

After finishing the regular season with 72 points over second place Vermont’s 56 — and a Beanpot trophy to boot — the Northeastern women’s hockey team’s (31-2-1, 24-2-1 HE) streak of excellence continued as they hosted Merrimack College (9-25-1, 5-20-2 HE) for the Hockey East quarterfinal Saturday afternoon.

Behind a five-point performance from graduate student forward and captain Alina Müller, who had a hand in every goal, the Huskies skated their way to a 5-1 victory, securing their spot in the semifinal.

It wasn’t just Müeller — graduate student forward Chloé Aurard and senior forward Katy Knoll both hit milestones, with their 200th and 100th career points. One thing about Northeastern’s top line — they make scoring look easy. After barreling into the offensive zone off the puck drop, it didn’t take long for the trio of Aurard, Müller and Maureen Murphy to find a crack in Merrimack’s defenses.

“Our chemistry is on a very high level; we’ve played with each other for three years, it’s a lot of fun,” Müller said. “I think we’re one of the best lines in college hockey and I’m really proud that whenever the team needs us, we can deliver.”

Two and a half minutes into the game, that line passed the Warriors’ defense, Müller took a shot into the pads of Merrimack senior goaltender Emma Gorski before scooping up her own rebound to put the Huskies on the board.

The Warriors tried to turn the ice in their favor, but Northeastern’s defense was quick to block or clear any shot attempts, and the few that made their way to senior goaltender Gwyneth Philips were quickly snuffed out by the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year. And once the Huskies got going, they couldn’t be stopped.

At 7:51 into the frame, Müller scored again, her second tally of the night sending her ahead of former teammate Skylar Fontaine with the most career points in the Hockey East tournament.

“She’s shattering records left and right, but they’re well-deserved, consistent,” said Northeastern associate head coach Nick Carpenito. “She’s our heart and soul, and as she goes, we go.”

Halfway through the period, the Huskies took their first of five power plays that night. Merrimack killed the penalty, but Northeastern made it difficult with its constant onslaught against Gorski.

The two-goal lead held through the end of the frame, and when teams returned to the ice, Husky domination continued. The Warriors were unable to get a shot until 9:51 into the second, and limited to six shots on goal throughout the twenty minutes of play.

The Huskies continued to challenge Gorski, notching 18 shots in the period. Despite its constant chippiness, Merrimack took just one penalty late in the frame, junior defenseman Natalie Nemes for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the Huskies struggled to settle into the power play and the second period ended just the same as it started.

Merrimack headed into the third period ready to stop the Huskies’ momentum, but just thirty seconds into the frame, senior defenseman Teghan Inglis took a penalty for hooking.

While the Warriors were successful in holding their opponent at bay while they were down a player, the five-on-four advantage gave Northeastern the traction it needed to widen the gap on the scoreboard.

At 4:40 into the final frame, Müller weaved toward Gorski with the puck, passed it off to Aurard at the doorstep and her one-touch shot brought the Huskies’ goal count up to three. The goal was Aurard’s 200th career point.

The Huskies settled into a comfortable rhythm on the ice, while the only ‘shots’ the Warriors could take were the type that used their fists.Two minutes after running down an Inglis interference call, the Warriors landed a major penalty when Nemes clocked Aurard upside the head and was ejected from the game.

“We knew they were going to take a lot of penalties today, which they granted us our wish,” Carpenito said. “They’re the dirtiest team in the league, as far as I’m concerned.”

Leading into the major, Knoll passed the puck to Müller at the edge of the neutral zone and Müller dropped it off to sophomore forward Skylar Irving before heading in for a line change. With an open window in the right corridor, Irving sped toward the net and sniped the puck top shelf. Knoll’s assist marked her 100th career point.

Still fighting off the major penalty, the Warriors were unable to get any relief from the Husky barrage as they advanced on Gorski once more.

With half the power play remaining, Müller made history. In a hat trickgoal, the captain secured her 249th career point to tie the Northeastern program scoring record, putting her on par with Kendall Coyne (Schofield), who graduated from the program in 2016.

— Nick Carpenito Associate head coach

“[It feels] pretty special. [Schofield] is an amazing human; she broke so many barriers, she still does,” Müller said. “I look up to her. Having my name up there with her is really crazy.”

Northeastern took its only penalty with just 2:42 remaining, and Merrimack took their chance to cut the Huskies’ lead to four.

Northeastern’s quarterfinal victory, littered with milestones and records, punched its ticket to the Hockey East semifinal Wednesday night against Boston College.

In the semifinal matchup, Northeastern dominated the Eagles 3-0, fueled by a two-goal performance from Anderson and a record-breaking empty-netter from Müller. The Huskies next face the Providence College Friars in the Hockey East championship game Saturday at noon.