BOSTON - Northeastern's Aerin Frankel has been named as the 2021 Goalie of the Year during its inaugural year, announced on Wednesday by the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association (WHCA). The creation of the new award was organized to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I hockey with voting carried out by a panel of coaches, administrators and members of the media from across the country.

A native of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Frankel has set the standard for goaltenders across the country all year. The only goaltender among the 10 finalists for this year's Patty Kazmaier Award, Frankel leads the NCAA in save percentage (.969), goals against average (0.71), wins (19) and shutouts (9). Her 19th win came on Monday afternoon when she stopped 20-of-21 shots in a 5-1 NCAA quarterfinal win over Robert Morris to advance the top-ranked Huskies to their first-ever Women's Frozen Four.

Frankel currently holds career program records in games played (105), minutes played (6172), GAA (1.37), save percentage (.947), shutouts (28) and wins (77) wins while dominating Hockey East by setting a new single-season record for save percentage in league play (.971), breaking the league's all-time career shutouts mark (25), and posting the second-best single-season goals against average in league history (0.65.)
 
Frankel is a four-time Hockey East Player of the Week and two-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week, two-time Hockey East Goaltender of the Month while also earning national monthly recognitions as the WHCA National Goaltender of the Month in January and February. In addition to the weekly and monthly recognitions, the senior netminder was named to the Hockey East First-Team All-Stars, All-Tournament Team and Hockey East Championship MVP. Northeastern enjoyed historic success with Frankel stopping all competitors in her tracks during the 2020-21 season, by claiming its fourth-straight Hockey East championship.

Frankel and the No. 1 seeded Huskies will take on the No. 5 seed Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a national semifinal matchup this Thursday at 2 p.m available live on ESPN3. 

#HowlinHuskies