Raising the Bar: 2015-16 Northeastern Women's Hockey

BOSTON – The Northeastern women's hockey team raised the bar to an unprecedented level of success in 2015-16. The Huskies qualified for the program's first-ever NCAA tournament and broke several team and individual records along the way.

2015-16 By the Numbers:

• Northeastern won 28 games (28-9-1) to set a new single-season program record for victories in a year. The previous record of 27 wins in a season was set in 1996-97 (27-9-0) and 2001-02 (27-7-1). 

• The 2015-16 Huskies secured the largest season-to-season turnaround in program history with 14 more wins than in 2014-15 (14-17-5). The 14-win improvement ranked second in the NCAA at season's end behind Colgate (15-win improvement).

• NU set a new single-season program record for most wins in conference play with a 20-4-0 mark in Hockey East.

• The Huskies ranked third in the NCAA in scoring offense, averaging 4.29 goals per game. NU finished the campaign with a perfect 24-0-0 record when it scored at least four goals in a game. 

• Northeastern scored 163 goals in 2015-16, which ranks as the third-highest scoring season in program history. Only the 1997-98 (173 goals) and 1988-89 (168 goals) squads lit the lamp more than last year's group. 

• The Huskies finished the season ranked No. 6 in both national polls, which represents NU's best finish in the rankings since 2002. Northeastern maintained a place in the top 10 of both polls for the final 20 weeks of the 2015-16 campaign.

• The Red and Black won 14 straight games from Dec. 4 to Feb. 6, the third-longest winning streak in a season in program history. 

• Northeastern downed Boston University, 3-2, in the Women's Beanpot semifinals on Feb. 2 to advance to the program's fourth Beanpot final in the last five years. 

• The Huskies' sophomore class combined for 165 points, the second-highest total of any sophomore class in the NCAA. Second-year forward Denisa Krizova led all NCAA sophomores with 59 points on the year.

• Fourteen different Huskies scored at least one game-winning goal in 2015-16, which tied for the NCAA lead with Wisconsin and Minnesota.

• Senior Kendall Coyne became the second player in program history (Brooke Whitney, 2002) to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award for the top player in NCAA Division I women's hockey. Coyne finished the season as the national leader in goals (50), goals per game (1.35), points per game (2.27), shorthanded goals (5) and hat tricks (5).

• With a 20-8-1 record, freshman Brittany Bugalski became the first rookie goaltender in program history to win at least 20 games in a season. Bugalski is one of seven NU netminders all-time to eclipse the 20-win plateau in a single campaign. 

• The Huskies were well represented in the WHEA postseason awards. Coyne earned the Cammi Granato Award for the conference Player of the Year and also garnered First Team WHEA All-Star status. Bugalski, Krizova and Jordan Krause each were named Second Team All-Stars, while Heather Mottau was tabbed as an Honorable Mention All-Star.

• Following the season, 11 members of the team were named to the WHEA All-Academic Team: Kasidy Anderson, Bugalski, Taytum Clairmont, Coyne, Morgan Crane, Sarah Foss, Melissa Haganey, Maddie Hartman, Krause, Hayley Masters and Brianna Storms. 

• Hartman and Bugalski were also named to the WHEA All-Rookie Team, marking the third straight year that NU has had at least one freshman earn the distinction. 

• Coyne wrapped up her career as the all-time leading goal scorer (141) and point scorer (249) in Northeastern history. The Palos Heights, Illinois, native also set a new program mark for points in a year (84) and became the second player in program history to score 50 or more goals in a season (Vicky Sunohara scored 51 in 1998-89). 

• Coyne also capped her career as the all-time leading scorer in WHEA play with 167 career points and 91 career goals in league games. 

• Among her numerous honors in 2015-16, Coyne was named a First Team AHCA All-American, the All-New England Player of the Year, First Team All-USCHO, a WHEA Distinguished Scholar, a WHEA Top Scholar Athlete, and earned the Jeanne Rowlands Award for the top senior female scholar-athlete at Northeastern.