BOSTON (Interstat) — The Northeastern Huskies used a pair of first-period goals and a stifling defensive effort to secure a 3-1 victory over the Vermont Catamounts in a women’s NCAA Division I hockey game Tuesday night at Matthews Arena.

A crowd of 412 watched the Huskies improve their record to 28-7-4 overall, while Vermont fell to 16-17-5.

Northeastern set the tone early, capitalizing on sustained pressure in the Vermont zone. The Huskies opened the scoring at the 5:46 mark of the first period when Morgan Jackson found the net for her 19th goal of the season. The lead doubled before the intermission as defenseman Jules Constantinople blasted a shot from the point at 16:44, assisted by Jackson and Allie Lalonde, giving the home team a commanding 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes.

The middle frame was defined by special teams play, as the teams combined for eight penalties. Vermont’s Josie Hemp took two minors in the period, but the Catamounts’ penalty kill, backed by goaltender Ellie Simmons, held firm. Simmons was outstanding throughout, finishing with 29 saves on 32 shots. Her counterpart, Northeastern’s Lisa Jönsson, was equally sharp, turning aside 20 of 21 shots to earn the win.

The Huskies extinguished any hope of a Vermont comeback early in the third period. Just over three minutes in, Eloise Caron converted a feed from Lily Shannon to extend Northeastern’s lead to 3-0 at 3:08.

Vermont broke through late to deny Jönsson the shutout. With Simmons pulled for an extra attacker, Catamounts defenseman Natalie Zarcone scored her first goal of the season with 2:17 remaining in regulation. Sophia DeAnzeris and Julia Mesplede recorded assists on the play, which made it 3-1.

The Huskies controlled the final minutes to close out the win, their third this season against Vermont. Northeastern defeated the Catamounts 3-2 on Feb. 7 and earned a pair of victories, 3-0 and 3-2, in a series last November.

Jackson led all scorers with a goal and an assist for Northeastern. Constantinople’s goal was her first of the campaign, while Caron also notched her first. The Huskies’ defensive structure limited Vermont to 21 total shots.

The game was a departure from the pregame projection by Interstat, whose game simulator had forecast a 5-3 Northeastern victory. The firm’s ELO rating system had given the Huskies a 77.10 percent probability to win.

Northeastern, which entered the contest having won eight of its last nine games, will not play again until Sept. 20, 2026, when it opens its next season against Connecticut. Vermont concludes its season with the loss, having gone 3-2-1 in its final six games.