The battle for Boston bragging rights begins Tuesday night at Matthews Arena as the Northeastern women's ice hockey team hosts the 35th annual Women's Beanpot. The Huskies will be looking to capture their 16th championship title all-time after ending a 14-year drought last season.
The 2013 tournament proves to be one of the best in Beanpot history, with all four teams currently ranked or receiving votes in both major polls, including three top-five teams.
Tuesday features a rematch of last year's championship bout between NU and No. 3/3 Boston University at 8 p.m. The Huskies topped the Terriers last season in a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory at Walter Brown Arena. No. 2/2 Boston College and No. 5/4 Harvard will square off in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m.
The Huskies and Terriers meet for the second time in four days following a 4-2 BU victory at Walter Brown Arena on Saturday. Boston University has won all three meetings since the Beanpot title game a year ago.
Five-time Athletic Republic Player of the week
Kendall Coyne leads the team with 46 points this season (26 goals, 20 assists), and has 15 points (10 goals, five assists) in her last six games. Coyne enters the game ranked second in the nation in power play goals (nine) and tied for third in game-winning goals (six).
Coyne has been flanked this season by linemates
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett. NU's top line has produced 100 points this season (50 goals, 50 assists), which is 42% 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.
Northeastern and the Women's Beanpot
The Huskies, the defending Beanpot champions, are winners of a tournament-record 15 Beanpot titles. NU is 45-23-1 (.659) all-time in the tournament, including a 24-10-1 (.697) mark in semifinal action, and is the only school to have a winning record against all three opponents.
The Huskies are 24-3 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 Terriers
Northeastern and Boston University meet for the 20th time in Beanpot history, with the Huskies owning a 15-4-1 record in the tournament. The teams have met in the semifinals on 11 occasions, with NU winning 10.
Boston University, owners of the nation's second longest active unbeaten streak (13 games; 11-0-2), is tied with Boston College atop the Hockey East standings with 27 points in league play (13-2-1). Northeastern holds a 31-19-5 edge in the all-time series against BU, but it's been the Terriers who have skated away with three consecutive victories against the Huskies in the regular season play this season.
Since returning from the holiday break, Boston University is averaging 4.29 goals per game, more than a half goal higher than their 3.75 average this season, which is sixth in the nation.
BU is led by junior forward Marie-Philip Poulin, who is tied for 13th in the country with 1.59 points per game (12-23-35). Poulin is one of six Terriers with at least 20 points this season, including Isabel Menard (10-22-32) and leading goal scorer Sarah Lefort (15-14-29). The three combined for four points against the Huskies on Saturday, including three assists from Menard.
Junior Kerrin Sperry has seen most of the time in goal this season, posting a 15-2-3 record with a 2.33 goals against average and .912 save percentage. Her .825 winning percentage is sixth in the country this season.
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 eight career points in the February tournament (three goals, five assists), including six points (one goal, five assists) against the Terriers.
With five points in this season's Beanpot, Llanes would 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 to be 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, joining Heather Linstad and 2012 Beanpot Hall of Fame inductee Don MacLeod. Flint is 2-2-2 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.
Soso saves it for the Beanpot
Junior defenseman
Sonia St. Martin has two career goals in three seasons with the Huskies, both of which have come against Boston University in the Beanpot.
Last time out
Northeastern received goals from
Kelly Wallace and
Kendall Coyne, but it wasn't enough as No. 4/3 Boston University knocked off the Huskies on Saturday afternoon at Walter Brown Arena, 4-2.
Kayla Tutino had a goal and an assist for the Terriers, while Isabel Menard posted three assists.
Kelsey O'Sullivan made 17 stops for the Huskies while her counterpart, Kerrin Sperry, had 23 saves for BU.
Shots were 25-21 in favor of the Huskies for the game with NU going 0-of-7 on the power play. BU capitalized on one of its five chances on the man advantage.
Coyne climbing the charts
With still seven games remaining in the regular season,
Kendall Coyne has already matched her point total from a year ago. The sophomore forward is one of only nine players in the nation with at least 45 points, and just one of six players with at least 25 goals.
In less than two seasons with the Huskies, Coyne is already tied for 18th on the NU record list for career goals (52), and is nine points away 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 seventh in the nation in points per game (1.92), fourth in goals per game (1.08), second in power play goals (nine), and tied for third 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 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 55 career games, Northeastern is 30-12-3 when she records at least one point and 28-3-1 when she records a positive +/- rating.
Closing in on 100
Kendall Coyne and
Rachel Llanes are both nine points away from reaching the 100-point plateau. With 52 goals, and 39 assists in 55 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 129 career games with the Huskies, tallying 37 goals and 54 assists. She is two helpers away from cracking the top-20 in career assists at NU.
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 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 three career hat tricks in two seasons on Huntington Ave. The program record for career hat tricks is nine (Hillary Witt and Vicky Sunohara).
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 42% of Northeastern's total scoring (100-of-231) and 53% of NU's total goals (50-of-94). Coyne leads the teams with 26 goals and 20 assists, while Pickett has 14 goals and 13 helpers and Llanes with 10 goals and 17 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 eight goals in her last four games bring her to 26 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 eight 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 (25-of-100; 25%) 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 third in Hockey East in power play points (9-5-14), trailed closely by
Rachel Llanes in a tie for fourth (4-6-10).
O'Sullivan filling in nicely
Facing a 4-1 deficit midway through the second period at No. 5 BU on Jan. 16, NU turned to
Kelsey O'Sullivan to make her third career appearance between the pipes. O'Sullivan didn't disappoint, making 17 saves as NU tried to mount a comeback.
The Medway, Mass. native has gotten the start in goal in each of the past four contests, and recorded her first collegiate victory with a career-high 27 stops at New Hampshire on Jan. 24 before stopping the final 15 shots she faced at Vermont three days later.
Dominance at the dot at UVM
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 (721-of-1465), led by
Claire Santostefano's 57% efficiency (98-of-171). Northeastern is 9-2-1 this season when winning the battle in the faceoff dot, compared to a 5-7-1 record when its opponent wins more draws.
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 52 goals and 53 assists in 129 career games, is 20th on the school record list for career points, and is also tied for 18th on the NU record list for career goals with Kathryn Waldo.
Poll position
Northeastern remained out of the top-10 in both major polls for the third straight week but is the first team receiving votes in the USCHO Division I Women's Poll, and 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 40 USCHO.com polls, dating back to March 7, 2011.
Magic number: 6
With 94 goals scored this season, Northeastern is six 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.
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 13 of the team's 26 games this season, and is 10-2-1 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 seven goals and 10 assists, helping NU to a 3-2-0 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.
Steady at the point
Sophomore defenseman
Colleen Murphy has played in all 26 games this season for the Huskies, topping her point total from last season with two goals and nine assists.
The Cary, N.C. native is currently riding a career-best four game point streak with five assists in that span, and tied a career-high with two helpers against Providence on Jan. 20.
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 26 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 9-3-2 when Llanes tallies a point, and 10-2-2 when she has a positive +/-.
Llanes has nine multi-point games this season, and has registered two goals and three assists in her last four games.
Jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman
Maggie DiMasi is sixth on the team, and first among defensemen, with 16 points this season. She tied career highs for goals and points with two goals at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
DiMasi has seven points in her last six games (seven assists), the longest point streak of her career (previous: four games; Jan. 17-28, 2012). She is also tied for fourth in the league in points for defensemen, 24th in the nation in points per game for defensemen (0.64), and is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 41 (nine goals, 32 assists).
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The road ahead
The Huskies will head back out on the road this weekend when Northeastern travels to Storrs, Conn. to battle Connecticut on Saturday at 1 p.m. NU is 2-0-0 against the Huskies this season.
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