Huskies Top Icewomen, 5-1

Five straight.

That's how many times Northeastern has won the women's Beanpot title. The latest chapter of Northeastern's success in both the men's and women's 'Pots in the 1980s was written last night as the Harvard women's hockey team dropped a 5-1 decision to the Huskies in front of 70 fans at Matthews Arena.

Captain Tina Cardinale paced a four-goal third period for the Huskies by netting a pair of goals. The N.U. center--who also had two assists on the night--was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

The Huskies--the only undefeated team in Division I women's hockey--came into the championship game a heavy favorite over Harvard, but a pair of intangibles made the game a much closer match than last year's 7-1 Huskie win over the Crimson at Bright Center.

Risk Reduction

Harvard (8-5-1 overall, 4-1-1 Ivy League) came into the tourney finale after an exciting overtime win against Princeton, while Northeastern (21-0-1 overall) had just completed three consecutive days of play in the Concordia tournament.

The momentum of the Crimson and the fatigue of the Huskies showed greatly in the first two periods when the teams skated more or less evenly. Harvard was surprisingly successful in bottling up Northeastern's passing, and getting close defensive support for junior netminder Jennifer White.

But after a scoreless opening stanza, Northeastern worked its first three-on-one break to perfection, and sophomore Susie Perkins slammed the puck under White to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead early in the second period.

Harvard managed some scoring opportunities in a subsequent power play, but N.U. backstop Kelly Dyer (who backed up the NHL's Tom Barrasso at Acton-Boxboro High) stonewalled the Crimson. White matched Dyer's efforts, and the Crimson entered the final period trailing by only one goal.

After an early Harvard penalty, Cardinale fired a 10-ft. shot past White, and then the rush was on. The Huskies added two more goals in the next 1:32 and Harvard--just like that--found itself in a four-goal hole, which was too big to dig out of.

"We finally pulled it together in the third," Cardinale said.

Harvard's only answer to the N.U. blitz was a Julie Sasner slapshot which slipped through Dyer's arm with under eight minutes to play in regulation.

"I feel disappointed because I felt that they [Northeastern] were prime pickings today," Sasner said. "We just didn't get the breaks."

THE NOTEBOOK: The year 1988 marks the third time in the 1980s that Northeastern has swept both the men's and the women's 'Pot. 1981 and 1984 were the other years.

Northeastern, 5-1 at Matthews Arena Harvard  0-0-1--1 Northeastern  0-1-4--5

First Period--None, Penalty--NU Lucy Goodwin (tripping) 5:28.

Second Period--1. NU Susie Perkins (Joy Woolley, Tina Cardinale) 2:57. Penalty--NU Fiona Rice (slashing) 11:41.

Third Period--2. NU Cardinale (Nina Koyama, Rice) ppg 4:06. 3. NU Cardinale (Perkins, Woolley) 4:45. 4. NU Goodwin (Charlotte Hall, Donna-Lynn Rosa) 5:38. 5. H Julie Sasner (Julia Trotman, Brita Lind) 10:22. 6. NU Perkins (Cardinale, Rosa) 11:36. Penalties-H Nina Simonds (hooking) 3:48. NU Leiann Manning (tripping) 12:10.

Saves: H Jennifer White 14-17-16--47; NU Kelly Dyer 7-7-9--23.