BOSTON -- Owners of the second longest winning streak in the nation, the Northeastern women's ice hockey team begins postseason play on Saturday night when Vermont invades Matthews Arena for a Hockey East quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m.
The Huskies, who are the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament thanks to a 13-7-1 record in league play, secured home ice for the first round for the first time since 2009, while the Catamounts are making their first-ever appearance in WHEA postseason competition.
NU has won each of its last seven games, and 10 out of its last 11 overall, including its second straight Beanpot championship last month. It is the team's longest winning streak since 2002, and longest winning streak to end the regular season since 1988.
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne has been at the forefront of the NU offense this season, and is riding a 13-game point streak (18 goals, 12 assists), the longest of her career. The Palos Heights, Ill. native has recorded multi-point games in 10 of those 13 contests, including six multi-goal games and two hat tricks. She was also named a top ten finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Thursday, which is given to the nation's top player in Division I women's ice hockey.
Since returning to the Northeastern net on Feb. 5,
Chloe Desjardins has led NU to a 7-0-0 mark with a 1.71 goals against average and .945 save percentage. She was named the WHEA Goaltender of the Month on Tuesday after making at least 30 saves three times during the month, including a career-high 38 stops against Boston University in the Beanpot semifinal.
Northeastern and the WHEA tournament
The Huskies are marking their sixth appearance in the conference tournament, entering the weekend with a 2-5 record all-time in postseason play, including a 1-2 mark in quarterfinal action.
Northeastern made its deepest run into the tournament in 2011, when the Huskies reached the WHEA championship game before falling to Boston College in the title game, 3-1.
Casey Pickett is Northeastern's active leader in career tournament points with three goals and three assists in five games played, which ranks in a tie for third on the active list.
Rachel Llanes, meanwhile, has four assists in WHEA tournament play, all of which came during the 2011 postseason and ranks tied for fifth for most assists in one tournament.
NU will be looking to continue the success that No. 3 seeds have historically seen come tournament time. The No. 3 seed is 10-7 overall in the WHEA tournament, including a perfect 4-0 mark in the quarterfinal round.
A peek at the PairWise
Northeastern's seven-game winning streak, kicked off by its second straight Beanpot championship, has put the Huskies back in the hunt for a berth into the NCAA tournament.
NU is currently tied for eighth with North Dakota and Wisconsin in the latest PairWise rankings from USCHO.com, which attempts to mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I women's ice hockey tournament.
Northeastern is also 10th in the RPI, and is 4-8-0 this season against teams under consideration.
The matchup with Vermont
Vermont, which is making its first-ever appearance in the WHEA tournament, is 8-20-4 on the season and locked down the league's No. 6 seed. UVM is coming off a 1-1 tie against No. 2 Boston College in the front end of a two-game set at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Northeastern has dominated the all-time series with the Catamounts, owning a 23-3-4 mark overall, including an 11-0-2 record in the last 13 meetings dating back to Feb. 14, 2009.
Vermont is led by a pair of sophomores in forwards Brittany Zuback, who lead the team with 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) and Amanda Pelkey (eight goals, 11 assists). They are joined by classmate Klara Myren, who is tied for the team lead with 13 assists this season, seven of which came during Hockey East play.
Junior Roxanne Douville has proved to be Vermont's answer in the goal for first-year head coach Jim Plumer. Douville is 5-14-4 this season with a 3.09 goals against average and .913 save percentage. She recently posted a career-high 53 saves against BC last weekend.
The Northeastern power play should get its opportunities during the game against a Catamount squad that is second in the league, and eighth in the nation, with 10.7 penalty minutes per game.
Breaking down the streak
Northeastern is riding a season-long five-game winning streak, which is the second longest active streak in the nation, dating back to the start of the Beanpot on Feb. 5. The last time the Huskies had a winning streak of at least seven games at the end of the regular season was during the 1987-88 season, when NU won the ECAC Championship.
NU is averaging 4.7 goals per game during the last seven contests, nearly a goal above its regular season average, while giving up only 1.7, which is a goal below the average in all games this season.
The Huskies, who typically average a little more than eight penalty minutes per game this season, has logged 6.6 penalty minutes per game during the streak, and is operating at 90.5% on the penalty kill.
Additionally, NU was won 53% of its faceoffs during the last seven games, compared to a 50% mark during the entire regular season.
Kendall Coyne (eight goals, seven assists) and
Casey Pickett (five goals, 10 assists) have combined for 30 points during NU's winning streak, while
Chloe Desjardins has held down the fort in the Husky goal, posting a 1.71 goals against average and .945 save percentage.
Last time out
After
Casey Pickett (two goals, two assists) led the Huskies to a 5-1 win at Providence last Saturday, the teams met in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at Matthews Arena, where NU escaped with a 4-3 victory on Senior Day.
NU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the game only to see the Friars pot three goals in the final 10 minutes of the game in an effort to mount a comeback. All four seniors (
Siena Falino,
Casie Fields,
Rachel Llanes, Pickett) recorded a point for the Huskies in their final regular season home game, while 11 different skaters registered a point overall.
Chloe Desjardins made 36 saves for the Huskies, who were outshot 39-29 for the game. Nina Riley had 25 stops for the Friars.
Coyne named Patty Kazmaier top-ten finalist
Accolades continue to roll in for Northeastern women's ice hockey sophomore
Kendall Coyne. The Palos Heights, Ill. was named one of ten finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Thursday, which is given annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey.
This is the second straight season, and third time in the last four years, that the Huskies have had a student-athlete listed in the top-ten for the sport's most prestigious individual honor.
Florence Schelling was a two-time finalist for the award in 2009-10 and 2011-12, where she was also a top-three finalist.
It is also the second straight season that Coyne has been included among the nation's top players after being named in the top-30 last season.
Well balanced attack
The Huskies have seven players this season who have recorded at least 20 points, led by the top two lines of Pickett, Llanes and Coyne and Savage, Wallace and Esposito. Defenseman
Maggie DiMasi has also contributed in the attacking zone with two goals and 19 assists.
The last time Northeastern had seven players with at least 20 points was during the 1999-00 season.
Next in line is junior
Katie MacSorley with nine goals and 10 assists. Should she register another point this season, it would be the first time since 1988-89 that NU had eight players with at least 20 points.
20/20
Last weekend's win at Providence gave the Huskies a 20-win season for the second straight year. It marks the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-00 that Northeastern won 20 games in consecutive seasons.
Lending a helping hand
Kendall Coyne,
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett lead the team with 27, 23 and 23 assists this season, respectively. It marks the first time since the 2000-01 season that Northeastern has had three players register at least 20 assists in a season. Brooke White (34), Kim Greene (28) and Brooke Whitney (24) accomplished the feat that season.
Maggie DiMasi, who has logged 19 assists this season, is next on the list. If she adds one more helper before the end of the season, it would give NU four players with at least 20 assists for only the fourth time in program history, and the time since the 1997-98 season.
Speed kills
Kendall Coyne,
Rachel Llanes and
Casey Pickett have carried the torch this season for the Huskies, becoming one of the most dangerous lines in the nation.
“One thing that all three of them possess is speed,” said head coach
Dave Flint. “They are one of the fastest lines in college hockey. They are all skilled and they have a built a great chemistry between them as well. They are really clicking right now and any time they are on the ice, the other team really has to worry about them.”
The trio has produced 43% of Northeastern's total scoring (139-of-327) and 52% of NU's total goals (66-of-127). Coyne leads the teams with 34 goals and 27 assists, while Pickett has 19 goals and 23 helpers and Llanes with 13 goals and 23 assists.
Lucky 13
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne is in the midst of her longest point streak of her young career, having recorded at least one point in each of her last 13 games (18 goals, 12 assists).
Two weeks ago at Maine, she became the 22nd player in program history to record 100 career points, and only the third to do so in less than two seasons. In 62 career games at NU, the Palos Heights, Ill. native has produced 60 goals and 46 assists, and is already tied for 20th on the NU record list for career goals.
She is also the first Husky since Vicky Sunohara (1988-89) to post at least 60 points in a season. Coyne is 14th on the NU record list for career goals, while her 34 goals this season are second on the single-season list.
A five-time WHEA Player of the Week honoree in 2012-13, Coyne is seventh in the nation in points per game (1.97), second in goals per game (1.10), tied for third in power play goals (nine) and tied for fourth in game-winning goals (seven).
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 60 career games, Northeastern is 37-12-3 when she records at least one point and 34-2-2 when she records a positive +/- rating. Additionally, she has been held without a point in just 10 of her 62 career games.
Llanes locks down No. 100
Senior forward
Rachel Llanes became the 23rd player in program history to record 100 career points last weekend against Providence. She joins linemates
Casey Pickett and
Kendall Coyne, who accomplished the feat earlier this season.
Llanes has struck a balance in 136 career games with the Huskies, tallying 40 goals and 60 assists. She also cracked the top-20 on the NU record list for career assists, sitting in a tie for 17th place with Jaime Totten (60).
Llanes is third on the team this season with 13 goals and 23 assists, and is tied for ninth in Hockey East in scoring.
More honors for the Huskies
Following a 7-1-0 mark in February, highlighted by the program's second straight Beanpot championship, two members of the Northeastern women's ice hockey team took home Hockey East monthly awards on Tuesday. Freshman forward
Paige Savage was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month, while sophomore goaltender
Chloe Desjardins earned WHEA Goaltender of the Month for the second time this season.
Savage, who also earned Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week accolades on Feb. 18, posted four goals and six assists in eight games during February. The Johns Creek, Ga. native recorded three multi-point efforts in that span, and ended the month on a six-game point streak (four goals, five assists), the longest of her career.
Savage is sixth on the team this season with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists), and also ranks in a tie for fifth in WHEA and 15th in the nation in freshman scoring.
Desjardins, who was also named the Goaltender of the Month in October, went 7-0-0 during February, leading the Huskies into the playoffs with its longest winning streak since 2002. She registered a 1.71 goals against average with a .945 save percentage and her fourth shutout of the season.
She made at least 30 saves in three of those games, including a 38-save outing against No. 3/3 Boston University in the Beanpot semifinal. Desjardins is 19-8-2 this season for the Huskies, and is sixth on the NU record list for single-season wins. Her 2.60 goals against average is currently 24th in the nation and fourth in the league, while her .912 save percentage ranks 27th in the country and fifth in Hockey East. She is also 10th in the nation in winning percentage (.690) and tied for seventh in shutouts.
Road warriors
Northeastern is 11-4-0 on the road this season, its most road wins since the 2001-02 season (11-2-1). It is the second most road wins for any Hockey East teams, and tied for the fourth most in the nation. NU trails only Minnesota (18), Boston College (13), and Clarkson (13), and is tied with Mercyhurst for the most wins away from home this season.
Packing a punch
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 12 games, Savage, Wallace and Esposito have combined for 18 goals and 22 assists, including six points (two goals, four assists), in the Beanpot title game, helping NU to an 10-2-0 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. Esposito has three goals and four assists in her last six games, and is fourth on the team this season with 10 goals and 15 helpers.
Wallace is having the best season of her career, having more than doubled her scoring output from last season (seven points), with 12 goals and 12 assists in 33 games this season.
Savage is among the league's top rookies with nine goals and 13 assists on the year, which ranks in a tie for fifth among Hockey East freshmen. She has three goals in her last three games as part of the longest point streak of her career (six games; four goals, five assists).
Too good after two
Northeastern has been unstoppable this season when leading after 40 minutes of play. The Huskies have led after two periods in 18 of their 33 games this season, going a perfect 18-0-0. Last season, NU was 18-1-1 when possessing the lead after 40 minutes of play.
25/25
Kendall Coyne's 18 goals in her last 13 games bring her to 34 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 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in her last 14 games, and is fifth on the team with 12 goals and 12 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 (30-of-123; 24.4%) and is one of seven schools in the country with at least 30 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, is tied for the league lead in power play goals and tied for second in power play points (9-8-17), trailed closely by
Rachel Llanes in a fifth (6-6-12).
Killing it on the PK
Since Jan. 24 at New Hampshire, the Huskies have held their opponents to just 13% on the power play (4-of-31). NU is ranked in a tie for 13th in the nation, and first in Hockey East, in penalty killing percentage this season (105-of-123; 85.4%). Northeastern has also potted six shorthanded goals this season, led by two from both
Kendall Coyne and
Casey Pickett.
Dominance at the dot
After winning just nine of nine of 37 faceoffs at New Hampshire on Jan. 24, the Huskies responded appropriately four days later at UVM: winning 44-of-59 draws.
Overall, NU has won 50% of its faceoffs this season (946-of-1889), led by
Rachel Llanes' 54% efficiency (405-of-745). Northeastern is 15-2-1 this season when winning the battle in the faceoff dot, compared to a 6-7-1 record when its opponent wins more draws.
Picking apart the competition
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 57 goals and 63 assists in 136 career games, is 15th on the school record list for career points. She is also among the program's best in career goals (15th) and assists (13th).
Jumping into the offense
Junior defenseman
Maggie DiMasi is seventh on the team, and first among defensemen, with 21 points this season. She tied career highs for goals and points with two goals at New Hampshire on Dec. 1.
DiMasi is currently riding a four-game point streak (four assists), and also had a career-long seven-game scoring streak earlier in the season (eight assists).
She is also tied for third in the league in points for defensemen, 22nd in the nation in points per game for defensemen (0.66), and is Northeastern's active leader in career points among defensemen with 46 (nine goals, 37 assists).
Coyne named to U.S. National Team training camp roster
Sophomore forward
Kendall Coyne was one of 28 players invited to its U.S. Women's National Team training camp set to take place at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., March 25-31. The camp will be used to determine the U.S. roster for the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship which will take place April 2-9 in Ottawa, Ontario.
The camp will include daily practices, testing and off-ice training.
The final 23-player U.S. Women's National Team roster is expected to be announced on March 30 and those selected will depart for Ottawa on March 31.
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