The US National Team has been selected

Less than 24 hours ago, USA Hockey announced the preliminary roster for the Olympic Women’s Hockey Team. 24 out of the 41 original members were chosen, and 12 of them have Olympic experience. Seven of these players would be playing college hockey next year if it weren’t for the Olympics, and they are:

• Kendall Coyne F - Northeastern

• 

  Courtesy of USAHockey.com

  Alex Carpenter F - BC
• Michelle Picard D - Harvard
• Lindsey Fry F - Harvard
• Josephine Pucci D - Harvard
• Amanda Kessel F - Minnesota
• Lee Stecklein D - Minnesota

Although Josephine Pucci is listed, she did not play last season for the Crimson because of an injury, but no doubt would she have come back to finish her senior year as the core of the blue line.

These women are all some of the highest scoring players in their conferences. Carpenter and Coyne were both leader in the Hockey East, and Kessel was not only the leading goal scorer in her conference, but also in the entire division. All of these players will be sorely missed by their teammates next season.

But let’s take a look at some of the players who attended the camp, but weren’t chosen for the national team:

• 

  Courtesy of the Boston Herald

  Courtney Burke D - Wisconsin
• Hannah Brandt F - Minnesota
• Brooke Ammerman F - Wisconsin
• Amanda Pelkey F - UVM
• Paige Savage F - Northeastern
• Jordan Smelker F - RPI
• Alex Rigsby G - Wisconsin
• Alicia Gagliardi D - Cornell
• Milicia McMillen D - Minnesota
• Emily Field F - BC
• Haley Skarupa F - BC

As one of the quickest players in the Hockey East, Pelkey could have her best year with UVM to date. Alex Rigsby is one of the strongest rising goaltenders and is sure to be the backbone of success for the Badgers. Field and Skarupa are going to be major threats for BC; both of them have the scoring touch and will be instrumental for the Eagles if they want to return to the Frozen Four.

Now what does all of this mean for Northeastern? It means that they lose their most powerful forward. However, it does give all of the other forwards a chance to shine. Brittany Esposito and Kelly Wallace could both have great final seasons with the Huskies if they continue their style of play. Paige Savage will be continuing her output from last season and be one of the anchors of the Husky offense. Katie MacSorley could make a difference in a lot of close games next season with her style of play, and will be relied upon by the coaches to set the tone for her teammates. The incoming freshman will be expected to contribute right off the bat. Scammura is a smart power forward would could make a difference early on, Masters’ gritty style of play will really help the Huskies in those early games, and Haganey will support her teammates as a passer and playmaker. The defensive core for the Huskies remains untouched, which will be vital for when they are facing strong teams, like BC.

Courtesy of HockeyPhotography.com

One of the greatest offensive powers that the Huskies will face next season will probably be BC. They are well coached and have well established systems that will work well with or without Carpenter. The team that could take the Huskies by surprise might be UVM. With the return of Pelkey the Catamounts will be looking to build on last season, and become a real threat to teams such as BC and BU.

To see the USA Olympic roster, click here. To see the original training camp roster, click here.

To see GoNU’s release on Kendall Coyne being named to the team, click here.

What the Olympics mean for the Huskies

Courtesy of Logo Design Love

Most teams will be feeling the effect of the Olympics during their upcoming season. BU has lost two of its biggest offensive powers in Marie-Philip Poulin and Jenelle Kohanchuck to Team Canada. Erica Uden-Johansson, one of the top five leading goal scorers for Quinnipiac, has already redshirted the season to play for Team Sweden. Northeastern is no exception to this; Kendall Coyne and Paige Savage are both currently attending the training camp in Lake Placid, with final team selection to happen after their last scrimmage on Sunday, June 23rd. Even though the Czech Republic will not participate in Women’s Hockey at the Olympics, Lucie Povova will most likely be missing some time for other IIHF tournaments. The schools that could potentially take the biggest hits from the Olympics are the ones in the WCHA.

Minnesota has six of it’s players at the selection camp, including Amanda Kessel who recorded 100 points this season for the undefeated team. Wisconsin has four, including their starting goalie Alex Rigsby, and both of the Lamoureux sisters are at the camp, but since they were 2013 grads from the school, their absence was already expected. BC has three of its current players at the camp, all of whom would be returning in the fall. These three players are Carpenter, Skarupa and Fields, all players who would be sorely missed by their college teammates. Harvard has four players at the camp, one of them being Josephine Pucci who missed this past season due to a concussion.

Courtesy of TeamUSA.org

Bottom line is that all of the schools are going to be taking hits next season, forcing other players to step up and fill the shoes left behind by the key players. Now there are three different scenarios for Northeastern: 1) they will lose both Savage and Coyne 2) they will only lose one of the two players, most likely Coyne 3) the Huskies don’t lose either of these two girls. Granted, option three is the least likely of the three, especially since Kendall could/should have been on the 2010 Olympic team had it not been for an injury.

Option 1 would put a lot of pressure on the NU offense. It will also make it more important for the defensive core to be locked down by the team November comes around. The Husky defense is consistently strong, and as long as they can help Desjardins and support the offense, the forwards will have no trouble finding the back of the net. Option 2 would mean that the Huskies lose their top scorer in Coyne, but keep the developing power of Savage. She is a big power forward who works well with all of her teammates, and will be a great asset to the Husky offense moving forward. Option 3 would mean that the Huskies stay untouched, which will be a huge advantage against the Eagles, Terriers, and the Wisconsin Badgers.

Once the national teams have finalized their rosters, coaches will start assessing their teams and form a game plan moving forward.

For USA selection camp roster, click here. For Team Canada’s centralized roster, click here. To read the GoNU release on Coyne and Savage being invited to the selection camp, click here.

Early Outlook on RIT

Courtesy of RIT

The Huskies will be playing two games against CHA opponents this upcoming season; one of them will be against the RIT Tigers, which enters its second season at the DI level. The Tigers recently released their incoming class, and it looks as if all of the players will be making an impact for the team right away.

Coach Scott McDonald has recruited 10 girls to his team; four forwards, two defensmen, two swing players, and two goaltenders. All around, this incoming class looks strong; RIT plays a gritty style of hockey and these players will complement what is already in place. Coach McDonald is one of the best recruiters that RIT has had; before becoming the women’s head coach, he was an assistant on the men’s team, and was able to bring in some of the talent that helped bring the team to the 2010 Frozen Four. Once moving to the women’s side, McDonald was able to fish in a lot of strong and quick-footed players, who were able to easily outskate all of their DIII opponents. Under his coaching, the Tigers won the 2012 DIII NCAA Champions.

Binnington Courtesy of the Democrat and Chronicle

The strength of the Tigers lays in their defensive zone. With the steady goaltending of Ali Binnington, the RIT defense can play aggressively, knowing she will be there for support. A lot of the games that the Tigers played this season were decided by one goal; with a strong defensive system set in place, they are likely to continue this trend next season. The Tigers will be losing three of their top six leading goal scorers from last season, so they will be looking for the incoming freshman to make an impact right away in the offensive zone.

Entering only their second season at the DI level, the Tigers are still building. They are in the College Hockey America (CHA) conference, which is the conference of Frozen Four participant Mercyhurst, as well as Penn State, who also just wrapped up their first DI season. Overall, the Tigers are looking to build on their previous season and this incoming class is just what the team needs to do that.

To read the full release, click here.

NU Releases 2013-2014 Schedule

Courtesy of NCAA

The Northeastern Women’s Hockey team released their 2013-2014 schedule earlier today, and it looks like it’s going to be a challenging year for the Huskies. With 11 games against NCAA tournament teams, the upcoming season is going to be a true test of the Huskies strength during an Olympic year.

The Huskies start the season with an exhibition game against McGill; this should be a good game for the girls to stretch out their legs and get ready for their first six games, all against out of conference teams. Their first two games on the docket are against two CHA teams: Syracuse and RIT. NU and Syracuse have met each other in the past two years, each with the Huskies coming out with the win. RIT enters its second season at the Division I level after a solid first season. RIT’s greatest strength is their goaltending; Ali Binnington is going to be the first real test against the Huskies offense in the upcoming season. They continue their out of conference slate with two games in the Albany area, against Union and RPI. Neither teams should pose too much of an issue for the Huskies; again, it will give them a chance to work through their systems and really lock down their defensive zone, which they will need as they travel to Ithaca to face Cornell for two games. This will be the first real challenge for the Huskies. Cornell comes off of a great season, winning the ECAC championship against Harvard, but losing to Mercyhurst in the NCAA quarterfinals. The two games against Northeastern will be the first for the Big Red, so the Huskies, who will already have a few games under their belt, could surprise Cornell.

Courtesy of Hockey East Online

After Cornell, the Huskies will begin their conference play with a home and home against Providence. Both of these games should be a battle of defensive and goaltending, and it will be exciting to see who comes out on top. Next, they will play BU, the powerhouse that dominated in the Hockey East and made it to the NCAA finals in Minnesota. With the loss of Marie-Philip Poulin and Jenelle Kohanchuk, two of the strongest Canadian players in women’s hockey, BU will be looking for returning sophomore Sarah Lefort to continue leading the Terrier offense and building on her successful rookie season. After this grueling game, the Huskies will face Maine, UNH and BC before heading to Vail, Colorado to play Wisconsin and St. Cloud State. The games against Maine and UNH are rightly placed for the Huskies to continue perfecting their systems for when they face BC and Wisconsin. NU will close out November with two games at UVM, and a trip to New Hampshire to face the Dartmouth Big Green. The Huskies only two games in December are against BU and UConn, both a chance for the team to end 2013 on a high note and gain momentum going into 2014.

Courtesy of Boston Globe

The Huskies will start the new year with four games against their Boston neighbors, traveling to Harvard for one game, followed by a home and home against BC, and finally traveling to Comm Ave to face BU. This is a tough start to the year, but as long as the Huskies can battle and help Desjardins in front of the net, they will be able to keep up with all of these teams. After three games at home, the Huskies will travel to Cambridge to play Harvard in an attempt to repeat their Beanpot success. Depending on the outcome, the Huskies will either play BC of BU the following week. To keep the girls on their toes between Beanpot games, Coach Flint has scheduled a game at Providence, which will be a good way for the girls to keep sharp, no matter the outcome of the Harvard game. The Huskies will end their season with a home and home against both UConn and UNH before the playoffs starts.

Courtesy of Hockey East Online

This schedule is designed for the Huskies to be constantly challenged while allowing for them to perfect all of their systems and zone work. In order for the girls to have a successful season, they need to come out of the gate flying and start the season strong. The keys to success for this season are to support Chloe Desjardins and lock down their defense before the Cornell game. Last season, the girls sometimes took shifts off, and although that may work for some of the weaker teams they play, the stronger ones like BU, BC, or Cornell, are going to take advantage of any opportunity they get. As long as the girls can play a full 60 minutes of hockey, they will be able to have yet another great season.

To read the release from GoNU.com, click here. If you want to look at the 2013-2014 schedule, click the NUWH Schedule tab at the top of the page.

Early Outlook on Harvard

Harvard looks poised to repeat their output from their past years. The Olympics won’t faze big powerhouse teams like Harvard, who could return as many as 17 skaters pending team selections for the Canadian and US national teams. Seven new skaters will look to keep Harvard one of the top five women’s college hockey programs in the nation.

Courtesy of goCrimson.com

Although Harvard has lost their points leader, they will be returning six of its top seven scorers next season. After coming so close to an ECAC championship, and losing to BC in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, next years Crimson team will be looking to build on their successes and become a greater threat to the western powerhouses. The two incoming forwards will be looked upon to make an immediate impact and help their teammates as soon as the season starts.

Courtesy of The Ivy League

Four defenseman will be coming in next season, ensuring that the Crimson defensive core stays strong. Thanks to their outstanding defense, and Emerence Machmeyer’s goaltending, the Crimson were able to earn a 24-7-3 record on the season. Harvard has no problem playing a solid defensive game and each player they have brought in will only complement what is already in place in Cambridge. There is also the addition of a goaltender to next year’s squad. She will most likely be fighting for the second spot against Molly Tissenbaum, while Maschmeyer will get most of the starts in net. She had a fantastic rookie season, earning a save percentage of .949, and is already on track to becoming one of the most powerful goalies of women’s hockey.

Katey Stone, Crimson head coach, will not be present during the upcoming season because she will be coaching the Olympic team. Maura Crowell will take her place, and has announced that recently graduated goaltender, Laura Bellamy, will be joining her on the bench. It will be interesting to see how this new Crimson team will fare for a season; but even with the Olympic losses, they are still a force to be reckoned with.

To read the release about the Crimson incoming class, click here. To read about Laura Bellamy’s appointment, click here.

Early Outlook on UVM

Courtesy of UVM's Twitter account

After graduating only three seniors, UVM will be bringing in eight new faces to their squad for the 2013-2014 season. With the potential loss of offensive powerhouse Amanda Pelkey to the US Women’s team and Klara Myren to the Swedish national team, it seems that Coach Plumer has brought in a class that will add needed depth to the Catamounts.

Last year, most of the Catamount squad was made up of sophomores or juniors; at least three of the starting players in the games were sophomores. If these younger members of the team can keep producing, UVM could become a force within the Hockey East. With only the loss of one of their top five scorers from last year, the Catamounts will have the opportunity within the next two years to climb up the rankings. Five forwards will be joining the Catamounts this fall to add depth to the forward core. All of them will be expected to make an immediate contribution to the team.

Sarah Campbell Courtesy of Alex Eldeman Photography

At defense, Coach Plumer and his staff have brought in two girls who could not only make an impact on defense, but on the scoreboard as well. The strong defense, and standout goalie Roxanne Douville, were part of the reason why the Catamounts were able to keep BU within one goal, and why they tied BC late in the season. Douville will be returning next season, and expect her to continue her strong run next season. The coaching staff has added a new goalie to the roster so it will be interesting to see how much playing time is divided between the two of them.

With a plethora of returning players, UVM has poised itself well to be able to build on their past season and improve their position in the standings. Pelkey and Myren are both essential to the Catamount offense, so Coach Plumer will be looking heavily on this incoming class to contribute from the start.

To read the release from UVM, click here.

Early Outlook on Boston College

It’s that time of the year when teams are releasing incoming classes and schedules for the upcoming season. It seems as though half of the Hockey East schools have release their incoming class, while everyone else has released the 2013-2014 schedule. This “Early Outlook” posts will mainly be seeing how teams left off and where they could be heading with the new additions to their teams.

Courtesy of BC Interruption

Next year, Boston College will have six new faces join their already strong squad, replacing the seven graduating seniors who helped lead the Eagles to their third straight frozen four appearance. Going into next season, the Eagles will be without senior defenseman, and captain, Blake Bolden. Bolden was the driving force of that defence, and was a tremendous role model for her teammates. Thanks to her, the Eagles have become a very strong defensive minded team. Boston College will always be a threat because Coach Crowley has established a defensive system that works, and has recruited players who thrive in that system. The Eagles will be welcoming two new defenseman to the team this upcoming season.

Alex Carpenter is one of the most powerful and dominating forwards who currently competes at the collegiate level. The Eagles could potentially lose their three most powerful forwards to the USA Olympic team: Carpenter, Emily Field and Haley Skarupa. Even if these players make the US National Team, Crowley has made sure to bring in four forwards to help ensure the depth of the Eagles offense. Were it not for the Olympics, the Eagles would be returning all five of their top scores.

Courtesy of boston.com

Next season, the Eagles will also be left without their starting goaltender Corinne Boyles. Her backup, Megan Miller, played in 10 games last season, earning a 2.39 save percentage. She seems ready to step up into the starting spot, and should be a tough barrier to break through.

The Eagles are in a good position to repeat their Frozen Four appearance, even if it is without their top three scorers. Their defensive corps is strong enough to handle their Hockey East opponents, as well as the out of conference teams they will play. With the US training camp only five days away, it will be interesting to see what decisions are made, and which teams will take the bigger hits. 

The official announcement of the BC class of 2017 can be found here.

2013-2014 Recruiting Class

Since Dave Flint has been head coach at Northeastern, he has done a phenomenal job in recruiting strong players into the program; this year's incoming class in no exception. With the help of assistant coaches Jeff Pelligrini and Linda Lundrigan, the future of the program looks extremely promising.

Let’s start with the three forwards who will look to support the fast-paced offence:

Katie MacSorley: Courtesy of the Huntington News

Having spent the past three seasons at Loomis Chaffee, Melissa Haganey seems very well prepared for the Division I level. As Flint quoted in the release, Haganey “possesses speed and skill and will add depth to the forwards.” Haganey seems like a strong player who will be able to support any and all of her teammates, and could easily be placed on a line with Claire Santostefano. Next we have Hayley Masters, a strong and gritty Canadian player who will be able to add some size to the forward lines. Expect Masters to continue her aggressive style of play next year with fellow Canadian Katie MacSorley or the equally strong Lucie Povova. She is one of two “power forwards” coming in for next season. The other is Hayley Scamurra, from western New York. Having played this past season with a Canadian team, she also brings size and grit to the Husky squad. Flint has stated that she has “a high hockey IQ and will be counted on to make an immediate impact.” She seems like a great playmaker who could easily be put on a line with Kendall Coyne, Paige Savage or Kelly Wallace.

Kelly Wallace: Courtesy of Hockey East Online

The incoming forward class will add more depth to the team for next year, something that is definitely needed considering the fact that it is an Olympic year and the team could potentially lose Coyne, Savage and Povova for a large portion of the year.

This being said, it is important to keep the defensive unit as strong as possible. Defense produces offense, and it seems that Maggie DiMasi lives by this since she recorded 21 assists during this past season. Flint has brought in two strong defenseman who will add to their already consistent core.

Bella Sinsigalli has spent the past four years playing for the Berkshire School in western Mass. She stands tall at 5’9’’ and is a very strong skater, unafraid to move up the ice with the puck when required. Sinsigalli is also a quick player with a strong backcheck and will add tremendous depth to the defensive corps. The other defensive recruit is Heather Mottau who spent the past four seasons playing for Shattuck St. Mary’s. She is an offensive minded defenseman who will be able to step in and support the forwards in the offensive zone. Flint states that he “expects her to contribute right away.” The already strong and quick Husky defense have two great new additions in Sinsigalli and Mottau.

Chloe Desjardins: Courtesy of Hebdo Regionaux

Flint has also recruited a goalie for next year, Sara Foss who previously spent two season at the National Sports Academy in Lake Placid, NY. Foss is an agile and athletic goalie who will be looked on to support Chloe Desjardins next year at the number two spot. There were times during last season when Desjardins looked overplayed and tired, and having a strong supporting goalie is important for any program. Foss will be great as Desjardins’ backup, and will receive a lot of playing time in her rookie year.

Casey Pickett: Courtesy of Hockey East Online

These six players will look to fill the shoes of Casey Pickett, Rachel Llanes, Siena Falino and Casie Fields. It will be a challenge but all of these players are ready to compete in one of the biggest stages in women’s hockey. Not only will these girls make an impact on the ice, but also in the community and classroom here at Northeastern.

If you want to read the original release, click here. All quotes and information were taken from that release.

2012-2013 Season Recap

It has been 3 months since the Northeastern Women’s Hockey team’s season ended, and as we look towards the future of this growing program, it is important to look back on a successful season and set the bar even higher.

Courtesy of news@Northeastern

The NU Women’s Hockey team posted an impressive 23-11-2 record during the 2012-2013 season. Overall, the Huskies had a very impressive season, beating Frozen Four finalists BC and BU in order to claim their second straight, and 16th overall, Beanpot Championship title. Unfortunately their season had to come to an end on March 10th as they lost to BU in the WHEA Championship game by a score for 5-2.

Looking back on this past season, I see nothing but good things for the future. The team only graduated two of their top five scorers (Pickett and Llanes), and the new additions to last years team show no sign of slowing down. 

Paige Savage had a breakout rookie season scoring 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points, 6th among her teammates. Fellow freshman Tori Hickel played a large impact on the blue line, registering 3 goals 10 assists, and although Jordan Hampton was out for the second half of the season due to a hip injury, she is a strong and steady force on defense who can be relied when needed. All of last years returning players were able to increase their output and contributions from previous seasons.

Kendall Coyne was able to reach the 100 career point mark, with an impressive 37 goals and 31 assists on the year (ranked 7th nationally). Casey Pickett and Rachel Llanes were also able to reach the 100 career point mark, with Pickett placed 11th on the all time scoring list. Kelly Wallace was able to double her output from the 2011-2012 season and Maggie DiMasi registered 21 assists for 23 total points, the most among defenseman on the team. Although every team has its standout players in terms of points, the Huskies saw contribution from every single member of the team. Junior captains Maggie Brennolt and Katie MacSorley were great leaders for this team, constantly pushing themselves to become better and encouraging their teammates to follow in their footsteps. Ann Doherty and Colleen Murphy both had great seasons on the blue line, and Claire Santostefano was a force on offense.

The Huskies have set themselves up for success for years to come, and under the direction of Head Coach Dave Flint, the team can do nothing but continue their success next season.
 
To read the final release for the Women’s Hockey team, click here. For team awards at the end of the year banquet, click here. For team statistics, click here.