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The No. 8/8 Northeastern women's ice hockey team continues a stretch of seven straight league games this weekend when the Huskies take on Vermont for two games at Matthews Arena, beginning Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Huskies will be playing in the front ends of two doubleheaders with the men's hockey team, which plays Alabama-Huntsville at 7 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

NU is coming off a historic weekend that saw the Huskies skate away with two victories against Connecticut, 5-2 in Storrs, Conn. and 9-1 at Matthews. It marked the first time Northeastern had scored nine goals in a game since 2001 and the first time since the 2000-01 season that NU scored a combined 14 goals in consecutive games.

The Huskies will be without three major pieces of their arsenal this weekend as Kendall Coyne, Lucie Povova and Paige Savage are all overseas competing for their respective countries in the 2012 Four Nations Cup in Finland. Coyne and Savage are playing for Team USA while Povova competes for the Czech Republic.

The matchup with Vermont
The Catamounts come to Boston with a 2-8-0 (1-2-0 WHEA) record on the season, and are currently riding a five-game losing streak. Their wins this season have come against conference foe New Hampshire (4-3 on Oct. 16) and Penn State (3-1 on Oct. 7). UVM is coming off an 0-2-0 weekend against Robert Morris.

Brittany Zuback leads Vermont in scoring with six goals and five assists on the year, while Klara Myren has a team-high seven helpers.

Roxanne Douville has had most of the playing time in net for the Catamounts, and she currently holds a 1-6-0 record with a 4.00 GAA and a .887 save percentage. Vermont is 6-for-46 on the power play (13.0%) and 37-for-44 on the penalty kill (84.1%) so far this season.

The Catamounts are led by first-year head coach Jim Plumer, who came to Vermont after nine years as the head coach at Amherst College.

Last time out
Led by Kendall Coyne's three-point night, Northeastern skated past UConn (2-7-1, 1-2-0) on Friday night at Freitas Ice Forum, 5-2.

The Huskies doubled up UConn in the shot department, 40-20, and scored a power play goal for the fourth straight game, going 1-of-2. Connecticut was 0-of-6 on the man advantage. Chloe Desjardins made 18 saves in goal for NU, while Elaine Chuli made 35 stops.

On Saturday, in its most goals scored since 2001, Northeastern used five first period goals to catapult the Huskies to a 9-1 victory against Connecticut (2-8-1, 1-3-0) at Matthews Arena.

“We got contributions from all four lines today, which was nice to see,” said head coach Dave Flint. “It was a good confidence boost for the team.”

Offensive onslaught
Northeastern's 9-1 victory against Connecticut was the most goals the Huskies' have scored in a game since Feb. 6, 2001 against Boston University (9-0) when the Terriers were a club team; the last time NU had nine goals in a NCAA contest was on Dec. 30, 1999 against Wisconsin (15-0).

Casey Pickett's four goals that day were the most for a Husky since Brooke Whitney scored four goals (Jan. 27, 2002 vs. Wayne St.).

Northeastern's combined 14 goals against Connecticut last weekend marked the first time since the 2000-01 season that the Huskies scored a combined 14 tallies in consecutive games; they defeated BC 7-2 on Jan. 31 and then beat BU 9-0 on Feb. 6.

NU's nine goals Saturday are the most goals scored by any Hockey East team in any game this season. The next closest is seven scored by Boston College against Boston University on Oct. 31.

Huskies in Finland this week
NU forwards Kendall Coyne and Paige Savage will be away from the Huskies this week as the duo joins the U.S. National Team for the 2012 Four Nations Cup in Vantaa and Kerava, Finland. The United States battled Sweden, Canada and  Slovakia in the preliminary round.

In addition, Lucie Povova will be competing for her native Czech Republic while former NU player and assistant coach Hilary Witt is an assistant coach for the United States.

Peppering the puck
The Huskies threw 94 shots on goal against UConn last week, including 52 on Saturday. It was the first time since Nov. 20, 1999 that NU had 50 shots in a game. Kendall Coyne leads the league with 72 shots this season, and has notched at least 10 shots in three games.

Shuffling the deck
The Husky coaching staff shook up the lineup two weekends ago against Robert Morris and Maine, splitting up the line of Kendall Coyne, Casey Pickett and Paige Savage for the first time all season; Pickett was moved to right wing while senior forward Rachel Llanes was inserted into the center slot.

What has the staff gotten in return? A combined 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) from the trio in the last four games, including six-point days for both Pickett (four goals, two assists) and Coyne (one goal, five assists) last Saturday against UConn.

Scoring spurts
When the Huskies score, they score in bunches. Northeastern is nearly four goals per game through nine contests this season, and has double-digit goals in every period this season. The Huskies have scored goals less than three minutes apart on several occasions in 2012-13: at Colgate (two goals in 13 seconds), at Syracuse (two goals in 1:13) and against Union (two goals in 2:45).

NU scored four goals in the first period at Syracuse on Oct. 6, marking the first time since Jan. 22, 2012 against UNH that the Huskies netted four in the first. Northeastern's three-goal third period against Union was the first time since Dec. 4, 2011 vs. UNH that NU had three goals in the final period.

The Huskies also potted five goals in the first period alone against Connecticut on Saturday, marking the first time since Dec. 3, 2006 against Maine that NU scored five goals in a period.

Production at both ends of the rink
Northeastern's 7-1-1 start to the season is due in large part to NU's performance at both ends of the rink. The Huskies are second in Hockey East, and are fifth in the nation, with 3.89 goals per game, and have scored at least three goals in seven of the team's nine games this season.

NU also leads the conference, and is fifth in the nation, with 1.44 goals allowed per game. The Huskies have also pitched three shutouts this season, which is the most in the league.

That's another Husky power play
Teams that have taken penalties against the Huskies in 2012-13 have paid the price. Northeastern has scored 28% of its goals this season while on the power play, and have scored a power play goal in each of its last five games.

The Huskies are operating at 28% (10-of-36) on the power play this season, including a season-high three power play tallies at Syracuse. NU is one of only six teams in the nation with at least 10 power play goals.

Kendall Coyne (5-1-6) and Rachel Llanes (2-3-5) are first and second in the league in power play points this season, while Coyne's five power play tallies lead the conference and are tied for first in the nation.

Killing it on the PK
The Huskies penalty killing is one of the best in the nation, having killed of 39-of-40 shorthanded situations this season. Their 97.5% conversion rate on the PK is the second best in the country, behind only Harvard's 10-of-10 showing through their first four games.

The lone power play tally came against No. 3 Boston University on Oct. 16 in the final minute of the second period.

Sophomore goaltender Chloe Desjardins has made 70 of her 230 saves this season (30%) with the Huskies shorthanded. Additionally, NU has potted three shorthanded goals this season, one of only three teams (Minnesota and Providence) with at least three shorthanded goals.

Poll position
Despite outscoring its opponent 14-3 in two victories last weekend, Northeastern moved down one spot to No. 8 in this week's USCHO Division I Women's Poll. The Huskies have previously been ranked seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th at times during the season, and have been either ranked or receiving votes in each of the past 31 USCHO.com polls, dating back to March 7, 2011.

NU also dropped to No. 8 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll this week.

Six teams on this season's schedule are also included on the poll, including WHEA foes Boston College, Boston University and Providence.

Strength of schedule
This season's Huskies schedule features nine games against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season. Northeastern will square off against Boston University four times in 2012-13, the first coming on Oct. 16 at Matthews Arena.
NU will also battle Boston College at least three times, beginning on Nov. 16 at Matthews Arena. Matchups on the road at St. Lawrence (Jan. 3) and at home against Cornell (Jan. 12) round out Husky competition against 2012 NCAA squads.

Additionally, Northeastern will play at least 13 games this season against teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the final 2011-12 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll (BC, BU, Cornell, Harvard, SLU, PC).

Pickett earns WHEA accolades
Fresh off a six-point afternoon against Connecticut on Saturday, Casey Pickett was named the Athletic Republic Co-Player of the Week on Monday.

Pickett had four goals and two assists on Saturday against UConn to collected her second career hat trick, becoming the first Husky since 2002 to pot four goals in a game (Brooke Whitney vs. Wayne State on Jan. 27, 2002). The Wilmington, Mass. native also doubled her point production from her first eight games of the season on Saturday.

Pickett is tied for second on the team with 12 points (seven goals, five assists), and is tied for fifth in Hockey East in scoring and third in goals. She is also tied for 25th in the nation in points per game (1.33) and 15th in goals per game (0.78).

The senior's player of the week accolade is the sixth weekly honor for the Huskies this season. Kendall Coyne was named the Athletic Republic Player of the Week following the first two weekends of the season while Chloe Desjardins has earned WHEA Defensive Player of the Week honors three times.

Getting on them early
Scoring the first goal of the game was key to Northeastern's success in 2011-12. The Huskies were 18-3-3 when scoring first last season, compared to a 4-4-0 mark when their opponent was the first to score.

The Huskies have scored first in seven of NU's nine games this season. Northeastern is 6-0-1 in those games.

Four or more is best
Northeastern found its most success last season when the Huskies scored in bunches. When NU scored four or more goals in 2011-12, the Huskies were a perfect 12-0-0. Conversely, when the Northeastern offense scored two goals or fewer last season, the Huskies were 4-4-3.

The Huskies have continued the trend early this season; NU has scored at least four goals in five of the team's nine games this season.

Matthews magic
Matthews Arena has not been a friendly venue for Northeastern opponents in recent years. Last season, the Huskies were 15-2-0 at home, and has had an above .500 record at home since the 2009-10 season.

NU also outscored its opponents 62-19 last season in games played at Matthews Arena compared to a 39-28 edge in contests away from Huntington Ave. 

Since Dave Flint became head coach in 2008, Northeastern is 33-17-2 (.654) at home, and is unbeaten in 11 of its last 12 games at home dating back to last season by a combined score of 46-14.

Anything you can do, I can do better
Northeastern's 3-0 shutout victory against Maine began what would turn out to be a historic day at Matthews Arena. Later that evening, the NU men's hockey team skated to a 0-0 tie against No. 12 New Hampshire, marking the first time in school history that both the men's and women's ice hockey teams shutout an opponent on the same day.

Get in front of it
The Huskies had a season-high 21 blocked shots on the game against Boston University on Oct. 16. Through nine games this season, NU has blocked 112 shots.

Maggie DiMasi leads Northeastern with 10 block shots, while nine Huskies have at least six blocks this season (DiMasi, Doherty; 9, Coyne; 8, Llanes; 8, Pickett; 8, Hampton; 7, Brennolt; 6, Esposito; 6, Savage; 6).

On the plus side
Through nine games this season, Northeastern has 14 players with a positive +/- rating. Casey Pickett leads the team with a +12 rating, which is tied for first in Hockey East. Last season, NU had 16 in the black, led by Pickett's +34 mark.

Going streaking
The Huskies have had point streak of three games or more five times so far this season. Kendall Coyne (five games; seven goals, seven assists), Rachel Llanes (four games; three goals, six assists) and Katie MacSorley (three games; one goal, three assists) all have active streaks heading into this weekend's games.

Brittany Esposito had a four-game scoring streak to start the season (one goal, three assists), the highest of any Husky. Coyne also had a three-game point streak earlier in the season (five goals, two assists), as did Ann Doherty (three assists) and Casey Pickett (two goals, two assists).

Tenacious D
Northeastern used strong goaltending and team defense throughout the 2011-12 campaign. The Huskies went 12-1-1 last season when allowing two or fewer goals. The lone defeat came in the final game of the season against Providence when NU was shutout, 2-0 in the 2012 Hockey East Semifinals.

The Huskies have allowed more than two goals just twice so far this season, and currently rank fifth in the nation with 1.44 goals allowed per game. NU also has three shutouts in nine games this season, the quickest the Huskies have shut out three opponents since the 2008-09 season.

Century club
Senior defenseman Casie Fields is the latest Husky to reach the 100-game plateau last weekend against Connecticut. She joins fellow seniors Siena Falino, Rachel Llanes and Casey Pickett all played in their 100th career games last season. Llanes and Pickett are tied for the team lead in career games played among active players at 111 games, each. Falino dressed for her 100th career game in the season finale against Providence.

Next on the list is Brittany Esposito, who has played in 88 career games at Northeastern.

Coyne tossing up numbers
During Northeastern's five-game home stand (Oct. 12-27), Kendall Coyne scored seven of the Huskies' 12 goals during the stretch. She also assisted on one NU goal to play a factor in 67% of Northeastern's scoring.

Coyne leads the team with 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) this season, and has been named the Athletic Republic Player of the Week two times this season. She is one of six players in the country with at least 20 points, and is sixth in the nation with 2.33 goals per game.

Desjardins' hot start
In her first season as the NU starting goaltender, sophomore Chloe Desjardins has showed that she is up to the task. The Saint-Prosper, Beauce, Quebec native already has three shutouts in seven games.

The WHEA Goaltender of the Month for October, Desjardins is ninth in the nation in goals against average (1.45) and fifth in save percentage (.947), and has been named the WHEA Defensive Player of the Week three times this season. 

Desjardins also got into the act offensively against Union. She recorded her first collegiate assist on Kendall Coyne's power play tally in the third period. It marked the first time since 2010 that a NU goaltender has recorded a point (Florence Schelling vs. Princeton on Oct. 22, 2010).

Freshman making early impact
Northeastern's three freshmen have stepped into the lineup and played key roles in NU's 7-1-1 start to the season. Each rookie has at least one point, led by Paige Savage and Tori Hickel, who each have two goals and two assists.

Savage netted the first Husky goal of the season in the opening game at Colgate, the eventual game-winner. It marked the second straight season that a freshman has netted NU's first goal of the season (Lucie Povova in 2011-12).

Jordan Hampton also scored at Colgate, while Hickel had her first career multi-point night at Syracuse with a power play goal and an assist.  The trio also combined for a +4 rating during the weekend set.

Jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman Maggie DiMasi is tied for sixth on the team, and tied for first among defensemen, with four points this season. She recently tied career highs for assists and points with two helpers against Robert Morris on Oct. 26.

DiMasi is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 29 (seven goals, 2 assists).

She is tied with Ann Doherty for points among defensemen this season after Doherty went on a three-game point streak from Oct. 12-16.

Llanes llighting the lamp
When Rachel Llanes found the back of the net last season, the Huskies typically won. Northeastern was 8-0-1 in 2011-12 when Llanes scored a goal. The one “tie” was actually Northeastern's shootout win against Boston College in the Beanpot semifinal on Jan. 31 - the game goes down as a tie per NCAA rules.

Llanes has had similar results through NU's nine seven games this season. She has registered three points on three occasions this season, and is currently riding a four-game scoring streak with three goals and six assists. NU is 4-0-1 when Llanes tallies a point, and 5-0-1 when she has a positive +/-.

Breaking through the wall
Senior forward Kelly Wallace's second period goal against Maine on Oct. 27 not only gave the Huskies some much needed breathing room, but also marked the first time in 33 games that Wallace has found the net.

Before then, the last time the Libertyville, Ill. native scored was on Oct. 21, 2011 against Princeton. In 65 career games, Wallace has posted nine goals and 11 assists.

Pickett approaching triple figures
Senior captain Casey Pickett is closing in on 100 career points with the Huskies. Currently sitting at 90 points, she is 10 shy of becoming the 21st player in program history to record 100 points. Her 45 career goals are also two shy of cracking the top-20 on the NU record list for career goals.

Sophomore surge
Kendall Coyne burst onto the scene for the Huskies last season, leading the team in points (45), goals (26), shots (223) and game-winning goals (seven). Her point total was the highest for any Husky player since Hillary Witt in 1999-20 (55 points), while her goals were the highest at NU since 2001-02 (Brooke Whitney; 32).

Coyne has showed no signs of slowing up this season for the Huskies, and has already posted 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in just nine games. She posted career-highs in assists (five) and points (six) on Saturday against Connecticut.

A two-time WHEA Player of the Week honoree in 2012-13, Coyne is sixth in the nation in points per game (2.33), third in goals per game (1.33), tied for first in power play goals (five) and tied for first in game-winning goals (three).

In her 40 career games, Northeastern is 25-6-3 when she records at least one point and 23-0-1 when she records a positive +/- rating.

O'Sullivan gets the nod
In the final minutes of Saturday's win against UConn, head coach Dave Flint summoned junior goaltender Kelsey O'Sullivan to replace starter Chloe Desjardins between the pipes.  O'Sullivan played the final six minutes of the game in her first collegiate action, stopping the only shot she faced.

O Captain, My Captain
Coming off a 22-7-4 season and its 15th Beanpot title, Northeastern has chosen its leaders for the 2012-13 season: senior Casey Pickett, as well as juniors Maggie Brennolt and Katie MacSorley will serve as tri-captains.

“We have three captains this year that are great role models on and off the ice,” said head coach Dave Flint. “I am looking forward to having Casey, Maggie, and Katie lead a talented group of athletes this season”

Flint among winningest coaches all-time
Head coach Dave Flint enters his fourth season behind the bench at Northeastern. Flint, who previously coached at St. Anselm's for four seasons, has already made his mark on the all-time women's wins list.

Flint currently sits 32nd on the list with 155 wins, and is 21st among active coaches. He is also 21st in all-time winning percentage at .687 (12th among active coaches).

What makes Flint's feat even more impressive is that he did not coach the Huskies during the 2009-10 season, when he was on the coaching staff for the U.S. National Team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Northeastern gives back
Following consecutive two-game weekends to start the 2012-13 season, the Northeastern women's ice hockey team took some time to give back to the community on Oct. 14 as the Huskies participated in the IIHF World Girls' Ice Hockey Weekend.

In its second year of existence, World Girls' Ice Hockey Weekend is an opportunity to celebrate female participation in the sport. The goal of the event is to grow the game through a variety of events that aim to introduce beginners to basic skills in a positive, fun, and safe environment; provide more opportunities to play ice hockey; teach fair play, sportsmanship, and teamwork; create new friendships; and develop a lifelong love of the sport.

Northeastern hosted a 75-minute clinic for nearly 80 skaters on the ice at Matthews Arena. Following the on-ice session, the Huskies were on hand to sign autographs for all participants during a post-clinic pizza party.

Meet the Huskies
This season, NU invites you to “Meet The Huskies,” an in-depth look at the Northeastern women's ice hockey team. Each week, GoNU.com will feature one student-athlete from the women's ice hockey squad and find out about their lives on and off the ice, their pregame rituals, and why they ultimately chose Northeastern.

NU unveils digital media guides
The Northeastern athletic department introduces the official 2012-13 digital media guide for the women's ice hockey team. In an upgrade from previous media guides, this year's digital guides provide a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate format to access information for all 18 teams at Northeastern.

This season's digital media guides provide a glance into the student-athletes, coaches and history of each NU team, as well as a multitude of information on the University and the City of Boston. The guide also allows fans to learn more about a specific topic with a simple click of the mouse.

Join the conversation
Follow the Huskies all season long on the team's social media outlets. The official Facebook (facebook.com/GoNUwhockey) and Twitter (@GoNUwhockey) accounts for the team provide up-to-the-minute information on all things Huskies Hockey.

Be sure to like and follow all 18 Northeastern teams and join the conversation.

We want your feedback!
The Huskies and GoNUxstream would like to know what you think about this season's broadcasts of home games at Matthews Arena. Please take a moment, click here and fill out a short survey in an effort for the Huskies to improve our productions.

The road ahead
The Huskies continue conference play next weekend with a home-and-home series with No. 7 Boston College, beginning on Friday night at Matthews Arena. The teams will then meet again on Sunday at Conte Forum at 2 p.m.

Northeastern was 0-2-2 last season against the Eagles, however one tie came in the first round of the Beanpot, where NU advanced in a shootout, 2-0.

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