The Huskies will make history this weekend when they face off against Clarkson University in the first-ever NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey games played outside North America.  

The two teams, both of which are ranked in the top five in Division 1, will play in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday and Sunday in the inaugural Friendship Series. Northeastern, which is ranked No. 3, won the Hockey East championship last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Clarkson, which is ranked No. 5, won the NCAA Tournament championship last season.

Both games will be streamed live online.

“It’s obviously a tremendous opportunity not only to play in Belfast but to play the two-time defending national champions,” said Dave Flint, head coach of the women’s hockey team at Northeastern. “It’s going to be a real challenge for us, but also it’s also going to have NCAA implications down the line. These are probably two of the biggest games up to this point for us.”

Northeastern, which is unbeaten in 13 of its past 14 games, has skated to a 13-2-2 record to begin the season as a result of an explosive offense, strong goaltending, and significant contributions from its freshmen. Northeastern ranks fifth in the nation in goals scored with 60; forwards Alina Mueller and Chloe Aurard are the top-two leading scorers in the nation among freshmen; and goaltender Aerin Frankel holds the best goals against average (.998) and the most shutouts (five) in the country.