The Northeastern women's ice hockey team plays its third game in eight days on Saturday afternoon when the Huskies welcome No. 4/4 Cornell to Matthews Arena at 2 p.m. in the first meeting since 2002.
The Huskies are in the midst of playing their third top-five team in one week after knocking off No. 2/2 Clarkson last Friday. NU will continue its loaded schedule on Wednesday when it travels to Walter Brown Arena for a matchup with No. 6/5 Boston University.
Last weekend's games at St. Lawrence and Clarkson saw the emergence of freshman forward
Paige Savage as one of the Huskies' top threats. Savage played a part in all four NU goals against the Golden Knights on Friday, leading Northeastern to a 4-3 come-from-behind victory at Cheel Arena en route to Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week honors.
Additionally, sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne has led the charge for the Huskies so far this season, and has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in her last 14 games, including eight multi-point games and four multi-goal games.
The matchup with Cornell
Cornell, which is ranked fourth in the nation and coming off a 42-day hiatus following the holiday break, enters Saturday's game winners of nine of its last 11 games. The Big Red is paced by the attack of junior forward Brianne Jenner, who is eighth in the nation with 1.73 points per game (9-10-19). Jenner is also ninth in the country in goals per game (0.82). Jenner has tag-teamed scoring duties with junior Jillian Saulnier, who has five goals and 13 assists on the season and ranks tied for eighth in the nation in assists per game (1.00).
Also putting up numbers for Cornell is defenseman Lauriane Rougeau (1-11-12) and freshman forward Taylor Woods (7-3-10), who is tied for second in the nation in shorthanded goals (two).
Between the pipes, Lauren Slebodnick has played a majority of the time in goal for Cornell this season, posting a 7-3-0 record with a 1.77 goals against average (10th in the country) and .924 save percentage (14th in the country).
The Big Red boasts one of the top scoring offenses (3.85 goals per game) and defenses (1.77 goals against per game) in the country. The Huskies will need their power play unit in top form on Saturday as Cornell averages the third most penalties minutes in the country (12.8 PIMs per game).
Potential milestones
A win on Saturday would be the program's 550th all-time victory since the Huskies reached varsity status in 1980-81. It would also be head coach
Dave Flint's 150th career victory. Flint entered the season 21st among active coaches in career wins and career winning percentage.
Last time out
After Northeastern erased a 2-0 first period deficit, No. 3 Boston College (14-3-2, 9-2-1) scored the game's final four goals to skate to a 6-2 win on Wednesday night at Matthews Arena.
Six Eagles recorded multi-point nights, led by Emily Field's two goals, while
Lucie Povova and
Kelly Wallace scored for the Huskies. BC held a 36-26 edge in shots for the game, forcing sophomore goaltender
Chloe Desjardins to make 30 saves. Corinne Boyles made 24 stops in goal for the Eagles.
Beanpot tickets now on sale
Tickets for the 2013 Women's Beanpot, hosted by Northeastern University at Matthews Arena, are now available for purchase. The tournament, entering its 35th season, features Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern in a battle for Boston bragging rights.
The tournament begins with semifinal action on February 5 at 5 p.m. when the Terriers and Crimson facing off before the Eagles and Huskies square off in the nightcap at 8 p.m. The losers of the semifinal contests will meet in the Consolation Game one week later, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m. before the semifinal winners meet in the title game at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the tournament are $5 for adults and $3 for children, and are good for admission to both games on the date printed on the ticket. Students, faculty and staff from the participating schools will be admitted free of charge with a valid school ID. Tickets for groups of 15 people or more will cost $2 each, and must be purchased at least 72 hours in advance. Please contact the Ticket Office at 617-373-4700 or huskytix@neu.edu for more information.
Savage earns WHEA accolades
Following a career performance on the road against the second-ranked team in the nation, freshman
Paige Savage was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week, as announced by Hockey East on Monday.
The forward from Johns Creek, Ga. had a helping hand in all four Northeastern goals this past Friday, as the Huskies stormed back from a two-goal deficit in the third period to upset No 2/2 Clarkson, 4-3.
Savage tallied an assist on a second period goal by junior forward
Kelly Wallace to knot the game at 1-1. Then, with Northeastern down 3-1 with 17:09 remaining, Savage earned the primary assists on strikes from freshman defender
Jordan Hampton and junior forward
Brittany Esposito before potting the game-winning goal with 6:09 remaining in regulation.
Savage's previous career-high in points came against Boston College on Nov. 16 (0-2-2). Her outburst against the Golden Knights pushes her to sixth on the team in points, and her game-winning tally gives her three for the season, good for second on the club.
Huskies ring in 2013 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Before NU resumed regular season play, the Huskies traveled to Lake Placid, N.Y. to prepare for their road contests against St. Lawrence and No. 2/2 Clarkson.
NU stayed at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (OTC) during its time in Lake Placid, which assists athletes in training for a variety of Olympic sports including biathlon, bobsled, figure skating, ice hockey, luge, skiing and speed skating. The center also provides assistance to a number of affiliated sports organizations and disabled sports organizations.
“When I knew we had these games coming up, we wanted to do something fun with the team and get them to experience a bit of history,” said head coach
Dave Flint. “I think it's a chance to experience history. A lot of people don't get the opportunity to see this place. Our girls all know about the 1980 'Miracle on Ice', and I think it's pretty special for them.”
Goldberg returns to the lineup
Jan. 4 against No. 2/2 Clarkson saw the return of sophomore
Chelsey Goldberg to the Northeastern lineup. The forward had been sidelined since Jan. 6, 2012 with an injury. The Agoura Hills, Calif. native played on a line with
Casie Fields and
Siena Falino.
Goldberg has one assist in 20 career games played with the Huskies.
Killing it on the PK
The Huskies penalty killing is one of the best in the nation, having killed off 66-of-74 shorthanded situations this season. Their 89.2% conversion rate on the PK leads Hockey East and is fifth in the country.
NU had a string of 16 straight successful penalty kills snapped on Nov. 10 against Vermont. The only other power play tallies came against No. 3 Boston University on Oct. 16, at No. 6 Boston College on Nov. 18, vs. UNH on Dec. 2, vs. Dartmouth on Dec. 5 and at No. 2 Clarkson on Jan. 4.
Sophomore goaltender
Chloe Desjardins has made 116 of her 501 saves this season (23%) with the Huskies shorthanded. Additionally, NU has potted three shorthanded goals this season.
Coyne invited to 2012 National Team Winter Camp
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne was one of 36 players who were invited to the 2012 U.S. Women's National Team Winter Camp on Dec. 26-31 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. The players were divided into two teams of 18 – Team Blue and Team White - for a series of intrasquad scrimmages.
“This camp is a critical step in our player evaluation process as we look ahead to the 2013 IIHF Women's World Championship,” said Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.) USA Hockey's director of women's hockey. “It's an extremely competitive camp that allows our top 36 players to compete at the highest level.”
The six-day camp included two days of physical fitness testing, three days of practice, and three games.
Scoring spurts
When the Huskies score, they score in bunches. Northeastern is averaging 3.71 goals per game through 17 contests this season, which is second in WHEA. The Huskies have scored goals less than three minutes apart on several occasions in 2012-13, including two in just 14 seconds on Dec. 1 at New Hampshire.
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 Nov. 3, marking the first time since Dec. 3, 2006 against Maine that NU scored five goals in a period.
Pickett nets No. 100
Senior captain
Casey Pickett had three assists against New Hampshire on Dec. 1 to become the 21st player in program history to eclipse the 100-point plateau. Pickett is the first player since Kim Greene in 2003 to accomplish the feat.
She's been outstanding, and to reach 100 points is pretty amazing for any player,” said head coach
Dave Flint. “She works extremely hard at it and deserves it.”
Pickett, who has 50 goals and 51 assists in 123 career games, is also tied for 19th on the NU record list for career goals with Lisa Giovanelli.
Poll position
Northeastern remained at No. 9 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 36 USCHO.com polls, dating back to March 7, 2011.
NU also remained at No. 10 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll this week. Five teams on this season's schedule are also included on the poll, including Harvard, BC, Cornell, BU and Clarkson.
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 10 of NU's 20 games this season. Northeastern is 7-1-2 in those games.
Century club
Senior defenseman
Casie Fields was the latest Husky to reach the 100-game plateau on Nov. 3 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 122 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 96 career games at Northeastern.
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 this season; NU has scored at least four goals in 10 of the team's 20 games this season, and is 8-1-1 in those games.
Desjardins filling the void
In her first season as the NU starting goaltender, sophomore
Chloe Desjardins has showed that she is up to the task in replacing All-American netminder
Florence Schelling.
The WHEA Goaltender of the Month for October, Desjardins is 24th in the nation in goals against average (2.62) and 26th in save percentage (.908), 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).
Jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman
Maggie DiMasi is tied for seventh on the team, and first among defensemen, with nine points this season. She tied career highs for goals and points with two goals at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
DiMasi has five points in her last six games (two goals, three assists), and is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 34 (nine goals, 25 assists).
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 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) in 18 games. She posted career-highs in assists (five) and points (six) on Nov. 3 against Connecticut.
A three-time WHEA Player of the Week honoree in 2012-13, Coyne is tied for ninth in the nation in points per game (1.72), seventh in goals per game (0.89), tied for 23rd in assists per game (0.83) and tied for third in game-winning goals (four).
In her 49 career games, Northeastern is 27-9-3 when she records at least one point and 25-1-1 when she records a positive +/- rating.
Trickle down effect
Northeastern fans saw a change in the Husky lineup on Nov. 27 when freshman
Tori Hickel made the shift back to defense. Hickel, who previously played defense earlier in her hockey career, saw the decision pay dividends when she recorded the primary assist on NU's first goal of the afternoon at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
Hickel has two goals and five assists this season, which is second among NU freshmen.
January TV dates announced
The Northeastern men's and women's ice hockey teams will appear in front of regional and national audiences in January, highlighted by the women's game on ESPN3 on January 20 against Providence (2 p.m.) at historic Matthews Arena.
The NU women will also appear on WBIN (Live Well Network) on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) against No. 3 Boston College, while the men's squad will play on WBIN's main channel on January 19 against defending national champion and No. 3/2 Boston College (7 p.m.).
The games on Jan. 19-20 will also serve as part of Hockey East's Skating Strides event, with proceeds from all participating teams benefiting breast cancer charities. Both teams will be wearing commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned off for charity. January 20 will the second time that the women's squad will appear on ESPN3 after NU defeated New Hampshire 8-1 last season at Matthews.
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The road ahead
Northeastern will continue its stretch of games against nationally ranked foes on Wednesday when Northeastern heads to Walter Brown Arena to faceoff with No. 6/5 Boston University at 7 p.m. The Terriers defeated the Huskies earlier this season at Matthews, 4-1.
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