CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Northeastern head coach Dave Flint doesn’t exactly know at what point during a game it will happen, but he knows it’s coming.
Watching the Huskies spectacular top line of Chloé Aurard, Alina Mueller and Maureen Murphy take over a contest has become routine, and the trio was up to their old tricks in Tuesday’s 4-1 semifinal win over Boston University in the women’s Beanpot at Conte Forum.
Aurard, Mueller and Murphy, who now all have over 40 points on the season, had a hand in Northeastern’s first three goals and combined for seven points in the victory.
The production from the first line was eye-popping, but also expected.
“You’re just waiting for them to do something,” Flint said. “So, every time they’re out there you’re kind of on the edge of your seat, like, ‘All right, what are they going to do?’ They usually don’t disappoint.
“You get used to it. It’s like when Kendall Coyne was here, every time she stepped on the ice you were like, ‘What big play is going to happen next?’ And it’s kind of that way with the three of them.”
Murphy scored twice, but was quick to credit her linemates for setting her up, especially on her second-period tally which broke a 1-1 deadlock. Mueller and Auard showcased their passing wizardry with Mueller displaying great vision to find a wide open Auard. Auard then made her way past a BU defender before sliding a nifty backhanded pass to Murphy, who had the easiest job of all as she tapped the puck in.
“The second one was just a great heads up play by Alina to have that patience to wait and hit Chloé,” Murphy said. “And then I have no idea how Chloé knew I was there. So, it’s really just a testament to them.”
Mueller, who recently became the leader in Hockey East for career points, didn’t want to bask alone in the glow of her line’s success. Instead, her unselfishness shone through, which is a defining trait of the talented trio.
“It’s so much fun to play with two of the best players in college hockey,” Mueller said. “We just share the puck really well and we have a lot of speed. Murph is a great scorer and a great shooter, so whenever I can, I try to give her the puck because she’s better at scoring than I am. But that’s good.”
Murphy spent the first three seasons of her college career at Providence before joining Aurard and Mueller at Northeastern for the 2020-21 season. Since then, the three have become an undeniable force, one which has caught restless nights for many coaches, including BU bench boss Brian Durocher as he tries to game plan for them.
“Definitely lost some sleep,” Durocher said. “In the first couple of years, we did seem to have just a whisker of better luck and maybe that’s because there were two parts — no disrespect to the third person that was there. Chloé and Alina are fantastic players and all of sudden Maureen Murphy shows up and she skates just as well, she shoots the puck just as well. Makes it a tough line to deal with.”
Here are more notes from the opening round of the women’s Beanpot:
— BU graduate senior goalie Andrea Brandli is used to sharing a big stage with Mueller. But this time, the two Swiss national team teammates, who played in the 2022 Winter Olympics together, were on opposite sides.
Brandli said the two chatted prior to the contest and after the game as well, but on the ice they put their friendship aside. That was none more evident than when Mueller put a perfectly placed shot into the top corner past Brandli, who totaled 41 saves in her first Beanpot experience.
“I really hoped she wouldn’t score today, but hey, it didn’t work out,” Brandli said. “It’s always fun to play against teammates. We’ve known each other for so many years now. It’s always really fun. It’s also really great competition to play against her.
“I don’t want to treat her different. Even though we know each other, she’s still an opponent to me. I try my best to keep her and the whole team off the scoreboard. But have to give credit to her. That was a really, really nice shot.”
— Harvard’s tough season continued as it tumbled to 7-15-3. Alex Pellici was a bright spot in the loss as she made 30 saves.
— It was quite the time for sophomore Keri Clougherty and Sidney Fess to score their first goals of the season for the Eagles. The two defensemen found the back of the net from the point in the second period — Cloughtery’s shot found its way through a ton of traffic — to give BC some much-needed breathing room.
“There’s just a couple rebounds and I was like, ‘It’s going to come out. It’s going to come out,’ so I was creeping in,” Clougherty said. “But I saw it and I was just praying it didn’t get blocked. It made its way through. Caught Kelly Browne for the celebration. It was awesome.”
— Between the two semifinal tilts, BC’s Mary Restuccia, BU’s Abby Cook, Harvard’s Emerance Maschmeyer and Northeastern’s Fiona Rice were all inducted into the Women’s Beanpot Hall of Fame.
— The 2023 women’s Beanpot final is now set with Northeastern taking on Boston College next Tuesday. Puck drop from Conte Forum is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN+. The Huskies look for their tournament-leading 18th title while the Eagles look to secure the hardware for the first time since 2018.
Harvard and Boston University will play in the consolation matchup at 4 p.m.
