BOSTON -- Crucial Hockey East points are on the line Wednesday night when the Northeastern women's ice hockey team travels across town to faceoff with No. 5/5 Boston University at 7 p.m. from Walter Brown Arena.
The Huskies are playing their fourth straight top-five team since returning from the holiday break, including a 4-3 win against No. 2/2 Clarkson in Potsdam, N.Y. on Jan. 4.
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne has led the charge for the Huskies so far this season, and has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in her last 15 games, including nine multi-point games and four multi-goal games. She is 11th in the nation in points per game (1.74), eighth in goals per game (0.89), and is third in the league with 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists).
The matchup with Boston University
The Terriers, who have the fourth longest unbeaten streak in the country (10 games; 8-0-2), are in a neck-and-neck battle with Boston College for Hockey East supremacy. BU is led by junior forward Marie-Philip Poulin, who is ninth in the nation with 1.78 points per game (11-21-32). Poulin is one of eight Terriers with double-digit points this season, including senior forward Isabel Menard (8-18-26) and leading goal scorer Jenelle Kohanchuk (12-11-23).
Junior Kerrin Sperry, the program's all-time leader in wins, was seen most of the time in goal for Boston University this season, posting a 11-2-3 record. Her 2.28 goals against average is 19th in the country while her .912 save percentage is 22nd.
Northeastern owns a 31-20-5 edge in the all-time series against the Terriers, with the teams swapping victories in each of the past four meetings. Walter Brown Arena, however, has proved to be an unfriendly venue to opposing teams as BU is 35-10-2 at home since the start of the 2010-11 season.
Potential milestones
A win on Wednesday 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
No. 9 Northeastern (11-8-2) received goals from
Kendall Coyne and
Rachel Llanes, but No. 4 Cornell was able to come back to two one-goal deficits to knock off the Huskies, 4-2, on Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.
Brianne Jenner had a goal and two assists for the Big Red, while Jessica Campbell potted two goals and Lauren Slebodnick made 25 saves in goal.
Chloe Desjardins had 25 saves.
Skating Strides set for Sunday
The men's and women's ice hockey teams will participate in the seventh annual Hockey East Skating Strides program on Jan. 19-20 when they take the ice for games at Matthews Arena, presented by Coca Cola.
The men's team will kick things off against defending national champion Boston College on Saturday night in a game that will be broadcasted live on WBIN before the women's squad hosts Providence on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Both teams will be wearing commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned off during the weekend.
Admission to Sunday's women's game will be free of charge, and student tickets for the 61st annual men's Beanpot will go on sale at the second intermission for students in attendance.
Following the women's game, the Huskies will host a skate with the team at Matthews. All participants must bring their own skates along with a $5 suggested donation.
Long time, no see
Northeastern and Boston University will be seeing a lot of each other in the next few weeks, with three of NU's next six games coming against its rival from Commonwealth Ave. The teams will faceoff at Walter Brown Arena again on Feb. 2 before meeting just three days later in the Beanpot Semifinal at Matthews Arena (7 p.m.).
Hit the road, Jack
After spending most of the first half of the season at home, the Huskies will head out on the road for eight of its final 12 games of the season. NU is 5-2-0 on the road so far this season.
Shouldering the burden
The line of
Kendall Coyne,
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett have carried the torch this season for the Huskies. The trio has produced 44% of Northeastern's total scoring (78-of-178) and 52% of NU's total goals (37-of-71). Coyne leads the teams with 17 goals and 16 assists, while Pickett has 12 goals and 11 helpers and Llanes with eight goals and 14 assists.
Coyne named Player of the Month
Kendall Coyne earned her second monthly award of the season on Jan. 2 as the sophomore was named the Athletic Republic Player of the Month for December. Coyne had six points (four goals, two assists) in three games during December, including two multi-point nights.
The honor is the third of the season for the Huskies after Coyne earned October accolades before
Casey Pickett followed with the award in November. Coyne has also been named the Athletic Republic Player of the Week three times this season.
Coyne led the Huskies to a 2-1-0 record during December, capped by a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against Dartmouth in a game that saw Coyne net the game-winner with 2:52 left in the extra session. The Palos Heights, Ill. native is first on the team with 33 points this season (17 goals, 16 assists), and is tied for 11th in the nation in points per game (1.74).
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.”
League play heats up
With the exception of Northeastern's two Beanpot games in February, all of NU's remaining regular season games will come against Hockey East foes. The Huskies currently sit in fourth place in the league standings with 11 points, and are looking to secure a top-four seed for the right to host a conference quarterfinal game in March.
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 21 career games played with the Huskies.
Staying disciplined
Northeastern is averaging just over eight minutes of penalty time per game this season, which is the second lowest in Hockey East, and 10th fewest in the country.
Killing it on the PK
When NU does end up in the box, the Huskies penalty killing is one of the best in the nation, having killed off 67-of-76 shorthanded situations this season. Their 88.7% 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 118 of her 526 saves this season (22%) 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.
Poll position
Northeastern dropped down a spot to No. 10 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 37 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 11 of NU's 21 games this season. Northeastern is 7-2-2 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 this season; NU has scored at least four goals in 10 of the team's 21 games this season, and is 8-1-1 in those games.
DiMasi jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman
Maggie DiMasi is tied for seventh on the team, and first among defensemen, with 10 points this season. She tied career highs for goals and points with two goals at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
DiMasi has six points in her last seven games (two goals, four assists), and is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 35 (nine goals, 26 assists).
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 21 games this season. She has registered three points on four occasions this season, and had a four-game scoring streak with three goals and six assists. NU is 6-3-2 when Llanes tallies a point, and 7-1-2 when she has a positive +/-.
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 posted 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 19 games. She recorded 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 11th in the nation in points per game (1.74), eighth in goals per game (0.89), tied for 22nd in assists per game (0.84) and tied for third in game-winning goals (four).
In her 50 career games, Northeastern is 27-10-3 when she records at least one point and 25-2-1 when she records a positive +/- rating.
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.
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 continues Hockey East play on Sunday as the Huskies return home to host Providence on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. Sunday's contest will be NU's WHEA Skating Strides game, and the Huskies will be wearing commemorative jerseys that will be auctioned off during the weekend.
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