BOSTON -- Fresh off a 3-1 win over UConn on Wednesday, the Northeastern women's hockey team (8-12-2, 4-6-2 HEA) will look to make it two straight wins in Hockey East play when it battles cross-town rival Boston University on a Sunday matinee at Walter Brown Arena.
The Huskies are looking for their first win over BU this season after dropping a pair of contests at Matthews Arena earlier in the campaign. The Terriers tipped NU in overtime, 3-2, on Oct. 29, before taking a 5-2 decision on Dec. 3.
Last Time Out
Northeastern snapped a four-game winless streak with a 3-1 win over UConn on Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.
Brittany Esposito,
Katie MacSorley and
Heather Mottau scored for the Huskies, who extended their winning streak over UConn to eight straight games.
Esposito opened the scoring late in the second period with a power-play goal, before MacSorley extended the advantage to 2-0 with a strike early in the third. UConn cut the deficit to one with an extra-attacker goal with 1:34 remaining, but NU salted it away when Mottau scored into the empty net with 28 seconds left.
Scouting BU
No. 9 Boston University enters Sunday's game with a 16-5-1 record and a 9-2-0 mark in Hockey East play. The Terriers are coming off a 4-3 loss at Providence on Friday night in a game in which they led, 3-1, midway through the second period.
Ranked second in Hockey East, the Terriers' offense averages 3.2 goals per game through 22 contests. Sophomore forward Sarah Lefort has racked up 32 points on the season and currently leads the NCAA with 18 goals in 2013-14.
Also contributing offensively is senior Louise Warren, who has 26 points on the season on 15 goals and 11 assists. Warren joins Lefort in the top-10 ranks for goals scored where she sits in a three-way tie for fifth place in the NCAA.
The Terriers' penalty kill boasts a 90.3% success rate, the highest in Hockey East and the fifth-highest mark in the nation.
In goal, senior Kerrin Sperry owns a 14-4-1 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .930 save percentage. Sperry ranks second in Hockey East in both categories.
Old-Time Hockey
Recent meetings between Northeastern and Boston University have ended in high-scoring affairs. The teams have combined to score five goals or more in each of the last 10 matchups dating back to a 2-0 NU victory on Nov. 30, 2011. In two contests this season, the teams have combined for 12 goals (3-2 BU, 5-2 BU).
Taming the Terriers
Senior
Kelly Wallace is Northeastern's active career scoring leader against Boston University with 11 points (3 g, 8 a) in 15 career games vs. the Terriers. Wallace has points in three straight games against BU and has registered three helpers in two games vs. the Terriers this season.
Kelly Cranks it Up
Senior
Kelly Wallace has nine points in her last nine games played entering Sunday's tilt with Boston University. During that span, Wallace has four goals and five assists and is currently riding a modest two-game point-streak going into the weekend.
Ms. Versatility
Freshman
Heather Mottau has been a versatile addition to the Huskies this season due in large part to her ability to play forward and defense. Mottau saw time at both positions on Wednesday vs. UConn and notched her second-career multi-point game with a goal and an assist. For the season, Mottau ranks ninth in Hockey East with 0.45 points per game.
Three's Company
Northeastern scored three goals on Wednesday at UConn to break a streak of 10 consecutive games with two goals or less. The last time NU scored two goals or less in 10 straight games was the 2005-06 season. Northeastern posted an 0-9-1 record during that span, compared to a 2-7-1 mark during this year's streak.
Chloe in the Clutch
Junior goaltender
Chloe Desjardins made 83 saves in two games vs. Boston College on Jan. 11-12, becoming the first NU netminder since Marisa Hourihan in 2006 to stop 40+ shots in back-to-back games. Hourihan stopped 43 shots on Feb. 11, 2006 against UNH and then made 47 saves on Feb. 14 vs. Boston University for a two-game total of 90 stops.
Desjardins Gets Defensive
Junior goaltender
Chloe Desjardins was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on Jan. 13. The Saint-Prosper, Quebec native stopped 83 of 87 shots (.954 save percentage) on Jan. 11-12 against Boston College to earn her seventh career WHEA Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Lending a Helping Hand
Goaltender
Chloe Desjardins earned an assist on Jan. 12 vs. Boston College, making her the first NU netminder to register an assist since
Kelsey O'Sullivan on Jan. 27, 2013 at Vermont. Desjardins now has two assists in her career and is the only NU goaltender to record two career helpers since the Huskies joined Hockey East in 2002-03. Only Kelly Dyer (5 assists between 1985-89) has more career helpers than Desjardins among NU netminders.
Lights, Camera, Mac-tion
Senior
Katie MacSorley has been one of the Huskies' offensive leaders all season long. The Stratford, Ontario native is tied for the team lead with 17 points and owns a team-best 11 goals. MacSorley notched her third game-winning goal of the season against UConn on Jan. 15 and is tied for eighth nationally in game-winning tallies.
Mottau Marks a First
Freshman
Heather Mottau tallied her first career power-play goal on Jan. 4 at Harvard. The goal came off a perfect cross-ice feed from sophomore
Paige Savage and gave NU a 1-0 lead in the first period.
Power Play Picks it Up
Northeastern scored its first power-play goal in six games on Jan. 4 at Harvard. Prior to scoring against the Crimson, the Huskies had not tallied with the man-advantage since Nov. 15 vs. Wisconsin, a span of 23 straight PP opportunities without a goal.
Streaking Scamurra
Freshman
Hayley Scamurra compiled a career-long, four-game point-streak against Dartmouth (Nov. 29), BU (Dec. 3), Harvard (Jan. 4) and BC (Jan. 11). During that span, Scamurra scored three goals and added an assist as the Huskies posted a 1-2-1 record.
Coyne Named to 2014 USWNT Roster
Junior forward
Kendall Coyne was named to the 2014 USWNT roster for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, as announced by USA Hockey on Jan. 1.
Coyne was named to the preliminary roster on Jun. 24 and has been training with the National Team since. The Palos Heights, Ill., native has donned the USA jersey before, helping the team to IIHF World Championship titles in 2011 and '13.
In two seasons with NU, Coyne has amassed an incredible 113 points on 63 goals and 50 assists in just 65 games. As a sophomore in 2012-13, Coyne was a Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalist and was the Most Valuable Player at the Women's Beanpot, which Northeastern won for the second straight year.
Wallace Nominated for Humanitarian
Senior
Kelly Wallace was announced as one of 18 nominees for the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award. Since 1996, the award has recognized college hockey's finest citizen, defined as someone who gives back to their community in the true humanitarian spirit. Northeastern has had two previous winners (Missy Elumba 2009, Chanda Gunn 2004) and is one of just three schools (Boston College, Yale) to boast multiple recipients.
