The Northeastern women's ice hockey team looks to capture its second straight Beanpot title, and 16th in program history, when the Huskies host No. 2/2 Boston College in the tournament championship game at 8 p.m. from Matthews Arena.
NU is coming off a 4-1 victory against No. 3/3 Boston University last week, while the Eagles advanced thanks to a 2-1 come-from-behind win against No. 5/4 Harvard. The Terriers and Crimson will faceoff in the consolation game at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The Huskies are playing in their 25th Beanpot title game in program history, and are 15-8 in the tournament championship game. Boston College, meanwhile, appears in its second title game in the last three seasons, and 12th overall.
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne has been the sparkplug of the Husky offense this season, posting 50 points (29 goals, 21 assists), one of only eight players in the country to do so. The Palos Heights, Ill. native netted her second hat trick in her last three games last week against the Terriers to lift NU into the Beanpot championship game.
Coyne has been flanked this season by linemates
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett. NU's top line has produced 110 points this season (54 goals, 56 assists), which is 44% of Northeastern's total scoring. Llanes is NU's active leader in career Beanpot points, while Pickett was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player in 2012.
Sophomore
Chloe Desjardins returned to the Northeastern net in a big way last week in the Beanpot semifinal, making a career-high 38 saves in her first start since Jan. 16.
Northeastern and the Women's Beanpot
The Huskies, the defending Beanpot champions, are winners of a tournament-record 15 Beanpot titles. NU is 46-23-1 (.664) all-time in the tournament, including a 15-8 (.652) mark in the championship game, and is the only school to have a winning record against all three opponents.
The Huskies are 25-3 all-time in Beanpots following a tournament championship the previous year, including 10 repeat championships, highlighted by an eight-year reign at the top from 1984 to 1991.
Northeastern has had 16 players honored as the Beanpot's Most Valuable Player, including captain
Casey Pickett in 2012. Pickett would be only the third player in tournament history to win the award in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, three Huskies have earned the Bertagna Award, given to the goaltender with the highest save percentage, including
Florence Schelling last season.
The matchup with the Eagles
Northeastern and Boston College meet for the 19th time in Beanpot history, with the Huskies owning a 14-4 record in the tournament. Tuesday marks the fourth time in tournament history that the teams will square off in the title game, and first since 1996. NU is 3-0 all-time against the Eagles in the championship game.
Boston College, which advanced to the Beanpot title game thanks to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Harvard on Tuesday, is unbeaten in 22 of its last 23 games, and is riding a four-game winning streak.
Northeastern holds a 63-26-5 advantage in the all-time series against BC, but the Eagles have taken control of the series in recent years with a 9-0-2 mark since the 2010-11 season, including wins in each of the three meetings this season.
The Eagles are led by sophomore sensation Alex Carpenter, who has gone neck-and-neck with
Kendall Coyne for the Hockey East scoring title this season (23 goals, 30 assists). Carpenter recently had her 24-game point streak snapped vs. Harvard on Tuesday, a Hockey East record.
Carpenter has been aided all season long with six teammates posting at least 20 points, including Haley Skarupa's 40 (20 goals, 20 assists), and Emily Fields' 11 goals and 24 assists.
Senior Corinne Boyles has backstopped the Eagles all season long, posting a 17-2-0 record with a 1.87 goals against average and .923 save percentage, both of which are among the nation's best.
Bertagna Award candidates square off
Tuesday's game also features a battle in the cage between BC netminder Corinne Boyles and Northeastern goalie
Chloe Desjardins. Both are the frontrunners for this season's Bertagna Award, which is given to the goaltender with the highest save percentage during the tournament.
Boyles made 40 saves in her semifinal game against Harvard, helping BC erase a 1-0 third period deficit, while Desjardins stopped a career-high 38 shots in a 4-1 win vs. Boston University.
Llanes looks to become part of Beanpot lore
Senior center
Rachel Llanes has been to go-to player come Beanpot season. The San Jose, Calif. leads all active Huskies with 10 career points in the February tournament (three goals, seven assists), including a goal against the Eagles in last year's semifinal.
Coming off a two assist night against Boston University last week, Llanes needs three points on Tuesday to crack the top-20 on the career Beanpot scoring list, tying Northeastern's Jessica Wagner, Shelley Looney and Tina Cardinale, as well as Harvard's Genie Simmons and Jen Gerometta.
She would be the first player since 2005 (Julie Chu and Nicole Corriero), and NU's first player since Brooke Whitney in 2002 to reach the top-20.
Kelly Dyer Hayes inducted into Beanpot Hall of Fame
Former Husky goaltender Kelly Dyer Hayes has been selected to the Beanpot Hall of Fame. Dyer Hayes is the sixth NU representative inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 2008.
Dyer Hayes was part of four Beanpot championship teams from 1986 to 1989, and had a personal record of 3-0-0 with two shutouts.
During her junior and senior seasons with Dyer between the pipes, NU amassed a 48-3-1 record, capturing two ECAC titles.
She finished her career on Huntington Ave. ranked fourth all-time in both career victories (49) and save percentage (.922). Her 2.08 career goals against average, meanwhile, is fifth best all-time at Northeastern.
Following her collegiate career, Dyer Hayes was a member of Team USA during the pre-Olympic era, and also played men's professional ice hockey.
Dyer Hayes was inducted into the Northeastern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, and received the Joe Burke Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association in 2011. She is currently a sales representative for Brian's and Easton.
'Pot proficiency behind the bench
Dave Flint became the third head coach in Husky history to lead Northeastern to a Beanpot title last season, joining Heather Linstad and 2012 Beanpot Hall of Fame inductee Don MacLeod.
Flint is 3-2-2 all-time in the Beanpot since joining Northeastern at the start of the 2008-09 season.
Associate head coach Linda Lundrigan has some Beanpot experience of her own, as well. Lundrigan was part of two Beanpot championships as a player in 1990 and 1991 while assistant coach
Jeff Pellegrini had his first taste of the Women's Beanpot as part of Harvard's staff last season.
Last time out
Kendall Coyne recorded her second hat trick in her last three games, and Northeastern received a career-high 38 saves from
Chloe Desjardins to knock off No. 3/3 Boston University (18-4-3) in the Beanpot semifinal on Tuesday night at Matthews Arena, 4-1.
“We finally came out and set the tempo in the game,” said head coach
Dave Flint. “We came out, got a couple quick goals, and I think that helped carry us through.”
Coyne (three goals, one assist) and linemate
Casey Pickett (one goal, three assists) played a factor in all four NU goals while
Rachel Llanes also posted a multi-point night with two assists to help end the Terriers 13-game unbeaten streak, which was the second longest in the nation.
“I think our whole team played really well today, and that gave our line momentum to get what we needed to get done,” said Pickett. “We had a couple of nice plays where we found each other, and when you work hard it works in your favor.”
BU held a slim 39-36 edge in shots on goal for the contest, forcing Desjardins to make double-digit saves in each period of play.
Coyne climbing the charts
With still six games remaining in the regular season,
Kendall Coyne has already exceeded her point total from a year ago. The sophomore forward is one of only seven players in the nation with at least 50 points, and just one of five players with at least 25 goals. She is the first Husky since Brooke Whitney (2001-02) to post 50 points in a season.
In less than two seasons with the Huskies, Coyne is already tied for 18th on the NU record list for career goals (55), and is five points from becoming the 22nd player in program history with 100 career points.
A five-time WHEA Player of the Week honoree in 2012-13, Coyne is sixth in the nation in points per game (2.00), third in goals per game (1.16), tied for second in power play goals (nine), and tied for fourth in game-winning goals (six). Her nine power play goals are also three shy of tying the program record for PPG in a season (Hillary Witt, 12; 1999-00). She is also the first player since 2000 to record at least 45 points in back-to-back seasons (Witt; 1998-99, 1999-00).
She also recorded career-highs in assists (five) and points (six) on Nov. 3 against Connecticut. In her 56 career games, Northeastern is 31-12-3 when she records at least one point and 29-3-1 when she records a positive +/- rating. Additionally, she has been held without a point in just 10 of her 56 career games.
Mirror imaging
Thanks to semifinal victories on Monday and Tuesday, the Northeastern men's and women's hockey teams are both in the Beanpot championship game for the seventh time in tournament history, and first since 1996.
All four of the men's Beanpot titles (1980, 1984, 1985, 1988) have come when the women have also won their respective title game.
Nemo nixes game at UConn
Due to the postponement of Saturday's game at Connecticut, NU did not play between Beanpot games for only the fourth time in program history, and first time since 2000. NU is 2-1 in the second week of the Beanpot when having not played since the semifinal.
Closing in on 100
Kendall Coyne and
Rachel Llanes are both nearing the 100-point plateau. With 55 goals, and 40 assists in 56 career games, Coyne would be only the third player in program history to accomplish the feat in two seasons (Hillary Witt, Vicky Sunohara).
Llanes has struck a balance in 130 career games with the Huskies, tallying 37 goals and 56 assists. She also cracked the top-20 on the NU record list for career assists after posting two helpers last week against BU.
They would become the 22nd and 23rd players in program history to reach 100 points, and would join linemate
Casey Pickett, who reached the mark on Dec. 1 at New Hampshire.
It just comes natural
Kendall Coyne's three hat tricks this season have helped the sophomore winger become one of the nation's leaders in goals per game (1.16).
Before netting three tallies against BU in the Beanpot semifinal, she helped the Huskies erase a three-goal, second period deficit on Jan. 27 at Vermont by recording her second natural hat trick of the season. The other came on Oct. 12 against Union when she scored three third period goals.
The Palos Heights, Ill. native has four career hat tricks in two seasons on Huntington Ave. The program record for career hat tricks is nine (Hillary Witt and Vicky Sunohara).
Chloe closes the door vs. Terriers
Last week against Boston University, sophomore goaltender
Chloe Desjardins made her first start in goal since Jan. 16.
The Saint Prosper, Beauce, Quebec native played the game of her career that night, posting a career-high 38 saves to help the Huskies reach the tournament title game for the 24th time in program history.
Desjardins, a three-time WHEA Defensive Player of the Week honoree, is 13-8-2 this season with a 2.81 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
Shouldering the burden
Kendall Coyne,
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett have carried the torch this season for the Huskies, becoming one of the most dangerous lines in college hockey. The trio has produced 44% of Northeastern's total scoring (110-of-248) and 55% of NU's total goals (54-of-98). Coyne leads the teams with 29 goals and 21 assists, while Pickett has 15 goals and 16 helpers and Llanes with 10 goals and 19 assists.
One for the record books
Jan. 20 against Providence was the highest scoring game by both teams in the 11-year history of WHEA. The previous high was 12 combined goals, which had occurred four times, most recently on Feb. 11, 2012 when Boston University defeated Vermont, 8-4.
It also marked only the second time in program history, and the first since Feb. 5, 1994, that the Huskies had allowed seven goals and still won the game. NU defeated Toronto in the Concordia Tournament, 8-7.
The win was the program's 550th all-time victory since the Huskies reached varsity status in 1980-81. It was also head coach
Dave Flint's 150th career victory. Flint entered the season 21st among active coaches in career wins and career winning percentage.
25/25
Kendall Coyne's 11 goals in her last five games bring her to 29 this season. This marks the second straight season that she has scored at least 25 goals in a season. The last time Northeastern had a 25-goal scorer in back-to-back seasons was when Brooke Whitney scored 26 in 2000-01 and 32 in 2001-02.
Wallace can dish it out
Jan. 16 at Walter Brown Arena saw junior
Kelly Wallace assist on the final three NU goals of the game, a new career-high in both helpers and points.
Since being paired on a line with
Paige Savage on Dec. 1, Wallace has nine points (five goals, four assists) in her last nine games, and is tied for fourth on the team with 10 goals and eight assists this season.
Power play hitting its stride
Entering the game 0-of-19 on the man advantage dating back to Dec. 1 at New Hampshire, the Husky power play came alive on Jan. 16 at Boston University. NU tied a season-high with three tallies on the man advantage, going 3-of-8 on the night.
Overall, NU is fourth in the nation in power play percentage (26-of-105; 24.8%) and is one of eight schools in the country with at least 25 power play goals.
NU has received power play goals from 10 different players, led by
Kendall Coyne's nine. Coyne, who is three power play tallies away from tying the school record for PPG in a season, leads the league in power play tallies and is also tied for first in Hockey East in power play points (9-6-15), trailed closely by
Rachel Llanes in a tie for fourth (4-6-10).
Dominance at the dot
After winning just nine of nine of 37 faceoffs at New Hampshire on Jan. 24, the Huskies responded appropriately on Sunday at UVM: winning 44-of-59 draws.
Overall, NU has won 49% of its faceoffs this season (753-of-1525), led by
Claire Santostefano's 57% efficiency (104-of-178). Northeastern is 10-2-1 this season when winning the battle in the faceoff dot, compared to a 5-7-1 record when its opponent wins more draws.
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 17 points, and are looking to secure a top-four seed for the right to host a WHEA quarterfinal game in March.
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 four of its final six games of the season. NU is 7-4-0 on the road so far this season.
Scoring spurts
When the Huskies score, they score in bunches. Northeastern is averaging 3.63 goals per game through 27 contests this season, which is third in WHEA. The Huskies have scored goals less than three minutes apart on several occasions in 2012-13, including two in just 10 seconds at Boston University on Jan. 16, and two in 14 seconds on Dec. 1 at New Hampshire.
Before NU's four-goal first period vs. Providence on Sunday, the Huskies scored four goals in the first period at Syracuse on Oct. 6, marking the first time since Jan. 22, 2012 against UNH that NU 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 climbing the charts
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 53 goals and 56 assists in 130 career games, is tied for 18th on the school record list for career points, and is also 18th on the NU record list for career goals..
Magic number: 2
With 98 goals scored this season, Northeastern is two away from reaching 100 goals in a season for the second straight year. The Huskies have scored at least 100 goals 21 times in program history. The last time they scored 100 goals in back-to-back seasons was in 1998-99 and 1999-00. NU scored 104 times last season.
Poll position
Northeastern returned to the top-10 of the USCHO.com Division I Women's Poll for the first time since Jan. 14. NU is also receiving votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 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 41 USCHO.com polls, dating back to March 7, 2011.
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 14 of NU's 27 games this season. Northeastern is 10-2-2 in those games.
Century club
Junior forward
Brittany Esposito was the latest Husky to reach the 100-game plateau on Jan. 24 at New Hampshire. She joins fellow seniors
Siena Falino,
Rachel Llanes, and
Casey Pickett, who all played in their 100th career games last season, while
Casie Fields reached triple figures on Nov. 3 vs. Connecticut.
Llanes and Pickett are tied for the team lead in career games played among active players at 129 games, each. Falino dressed for her 100th career game in the season finale against Providence.
Next on the list is
Claire Santostefano, who has played in 97 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 14 of the team's 27 games this season, and is 11-2-1 in those games.
It's all coming together
NU's line of
Paige Savage,
Kelly Wallace and
Brittany Esposito have proved that they can complement Northeastern's top line of
Kendall Coyne,
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett. In the last five games, Savage, Wallace and Esposito have combined for eight goals and 10 assists, helping NU to a 4-2-0 record in that span.
On Jan. 27 at Vermont, Esposito tied a career-high in points and assists with three helpers, including Wallace's power play goal early in the third period. The trio also netted NU's first goal at Boston University on Saturday.
Wallace is having the best season of her career, having more than doubled her scoring output from last season (seven points), with 10 goals and eight assists in 26 games this season.
Get in front of it
The Huskies had a season-high 24 blocked shots last week against No 3/3 Boston University in the Beanpot semifinal. Through 27 games this season, NU has blocked 331 shots.
Maggie DiMasi leads Northeastern with 29 blocked shots each, while seven Huskies have at least 20 blocks this season (Llanes, 28; Coyne, 26; Murphy, 25; Pickett, 24; Santostefano, 22; Brennolt, 20).
On the plus side
Through 27 games this season, Northeastern has 10 players with a positive +/- rating.
Casey Pickett leads the team with a +22 rating, which is eighth in Hockey East, while
Kendall Coyne trails close behind with a +21 mark, ninth in WHEA. Last season, NU had 16 in the black, led by Pickett's +34 mark.
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 27 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 10-3-2 when Llanes tallies a point, and 11-2-2 when she has a positive +/-.
Llanes has 10 multi-point games this season, and has registered two goals and five assists in her last five games.
Jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman
Maggie DiMasi is sixth on the team, and first among defensemen, with 17 points this season. She tied career highs for goals and points with two goals at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
DiMasi has eight points in her last seven games (eight assists), the longest point streak of her career (previous: four games; Jan. 17-28, 2012).
She is also tied for third in the league in points for defensemen, 21st in the nation in points per game for defensemen (0.65), and is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 42 (nine goals, 33 assists).
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The road ahead
The Huskies will head back out on the road for four of their five regular season games, beginning this weekend with a set at Maine on Saturday and Sunday, both at 2 p.m.
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