BOSTON – After posting a 4-1-1 record through six non-conference games, the No. 9/10 Northeastern women's hockey team will open Hockey East play this weekend when No. RV/10 Boston University (3-3-0) and Providence (0-4-0) visit Matthews Arena. The Huskies are 3-1-0 on their current homestand (not including the exhibition) and are averaging 4.75 goals per game during that span.
HISTORY VS. BUNortheastern will face Boston University for the 57th time on Saturday with the Huskies leading the all-time series, 34-27-5. The Terriers have won eight of the last 10 meetings, however, including a 6-1 victory over NU in the 2015 Hockey East semifinals. This will be the third time in program history that NU has opened WHEA play against BU; the Huskies also started league play against the Terriers last season in a 3-2 BU win on Oct. 28, 2014.
HISTORY VS. PROVIDENCETwo old ECAC rivals, NU and PC will meet for the 117th occasion on Sunday. The Friars own a 56-49-11 all-time mark against the Huskies, but NU has prevailed in seven of the last 10 matchups. Last season, the Huskies took two of three from Providence, including a pair of wins (6-2, 2-1) at Matthews Arena.
HUSKIES RANKED IN BOTH POLLSAfter sweeping Mercyhurst last weekend, the Huskies jumped into the top 10 in both national polls this week. Northeastern was ranked No. 9 in this week's USA Today/USA Hockey poll, and No. 10 in the USCHO.com poll. Prior to this week, the last time NU was ranked in the top 10 of both polls was the week of Sept. 23, 2013.
COYNE NAMED WHEA PLAYER OF THE WEEKFor the second time this season, senior
Kendall Coyne was named the Warrior Player of the Week in Hockey East, as announced by the league on Oct. 19. Coyne recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) in two wins last weekend as the Huskies swept Mercyhurst by scores of 5-4 and 7-3. In Friday's game, Coyne scored a shorthanded breakaway goal that was named the No. 5 play on the SportsCenter Top 10. In Saturday's win, Coyne hit the 100-goal plateau to become the second player in program history (Hilary Witt) to reach the century mark. Coyne is just the 17th Division I player since the year 2000 to score 100 or more career goals.
NUMERICAL ADVANTAGENortheastern enters the weekend with the nation's second-ranked power play at 36.4 percent (8-for-22). The Huskies have scored with the man-advantage in five straight games, and have netted multiple PP goals in three of their five contests this season. Senior
Kendall Coyne currently leads the nation with three power-play tallies, while senior
Jordan Krause is tied for second nationally with two goals on the man-up.
TAMING THE TERRIERSSenior captain
Kendall Coyne has historically produced some of her most memorable performances in games against Boston University. Coyne has scored 18 goals in 13 career games vs. BU, which represents her highest scoring output against any NCAA team. Coyne has netted three hat tricks against the Terriers, including a five-point effort (three goals, two assists) in a 6-3 Northeastern win at BU on Nov. 11, 2014. In total, Coyne has scored 17.8 percent of her total goals (18 of 101) against Boston University.
OFFENSE ON DISPLAYThe Huskies rank fourth in the NCAA in scoring offense this season with 5.0 goals per game. Northeastern has scored at least five goals in four of its six contests, including a nine-goal outburst on Sept. 27 at St. Lawrence. Eleven different NU players have lit the lamp so far, while 15 different Huskies have recorded at least a point.
HATS OFF FOR KRIZOVASophomore
Denisa Krizova tallied her first collegiate hat trick in Northeastern's 7-3 win over Mercyhurst on Oct. 17. Krizova scored all three goals in the third period and also added an assist as the Huskies outscored the Lakers, 5-0, in the final frame to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 win. The Czech Republic native potted the game-tying goal just 18 seconds into the third, before scoring the eventual game-winner just over two minutes later. Krizova then completed the hat trick with a shorthanded empty-net goal with 3:01 to play.
GOING STREAKINGEntering the weekend, both sophomore
Denisa Krizova and senior
Kendall Coyne are riding impressive point streaks. Krizova has notched at least a point in each of her last five games, racking up 11 points during that span. Coyne has scored in all six games this season and has compiled 15 points, which ranks third in the NCAA this season.
FIVE IN A FRAMENortheastern has already posted two five-goal periods through six games this season. The Huskies potted five goals in the first period of a 9-5 victory at St. Lawrence on Sept. 27, before accomplishing the feat yet again in the third period of a 7-3 triumph over Mercyhurst on Oct. 17. The Huskies also posted two five-goal periods last season, however prior to 2014-15, NU had not scored five in a single period since 2012.
RALLYING CRYNortheastern scored the final five goals in each game last weekend to earn a sweep of Mercyhurst at Matthews Arena. On Friday, NU fell behind 4-0 in the first period, before netting the final five goals to win 5-4, marking the first time NU had overcome a four-goal deficit to earn a victory since 2006. Northeastern then scored the last five goals again on Oct. 17 to notch a 7-3 win after trailing 3-2 entering the third period.
BRILLIANT BUGALSKIFreshman goaltender
Brittany Bugalski posted two strong performances in the Huskies' sweep of Mercyhurst on Oct. 16-17. Bugalski entered the first game midway through the first period with NU already down 3-0, but proceeded to stop 28 of the next 29 shots as NU rallied for the 5-4 win. Bugalski then turned aside 27 of 30 shots the following day to finish the weekend with 55 saves on 59 shots, good for a .932 save percentage.
DEFENSE INTO OFFENSESenior defenseman
Jordan Krause has been an offensive threat all season for Northeastern with six points (two goals, four assists) in the first six games. The WHEA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28, Krause has posted points in four of six games and is tied for second nationally with two power-play goals thus far.
