After finishing 7-23-4 overall and 0-18-4 in their conference, Union will be relying on the talent from their incoming class and their returning players to help them win games. The Huskies play their fourth game against the Dutchwomen in Schenectady on October 11th, and will be using this game as a way to nail down their offensive and defensive systems before facing Cornell the following weekend.
Last year, the Dutchwomen took the trip out to Boston to play a double header against Northeastern and then BU, losing both games. The Huskies should be able to come out of this game with a win, the only force stopping them is star goaltender Shenae Lundberg. Only in her second year, Lundberg was able to post an impressive .906 save percentage, helping out her defense when they were in dire need of it. As long as the Huskies can find a way past her, they will be able to win the game.
The other force that the Huskies will have to worry about is defensive power Ashley Johntson and forward Christine Valente. Johnston is one of the biggest and stronger defensemen in womens hockey, and posed a bit of a problem last year for the small Northeastern forwards. It will be important for the girls not to be intimidated by her size and strength as they attack in the offensive zone. Valente led the team in shots last season with 102. Although she didn’t put up too many numbers, she doesn’t miss an opportunity to score a goal for her team. She could be the biggest offensive threat for the Dutchwomen during the 2013-2014 season.
Claudia Barcomb has brought in five players who will asked to contribute right away. Three of them are forwards who have had success in their high school careers. They will be adding depth to the offensive core at Union and will hopefully be able to score for the Dutchwomen. To round out the five, Barcomb has recruited a defense woman and a goaltender. Lundberg will still be the starter, but the new goaltender will probably be prepped and polished for the starting position in a few years time.
Although Union loses Julie Chu to the Olympics, they still have a strong staff. Barcomb is aided by Ali Boe, former Harvard goaltender who helped lead her team to the frozen four. With the loss of Chu, Barcomb brought in Northeastern alum Nicholas Carpentino from Elmira, where he helped lead the team to a DIII NCAA Championship. Carpentino served as the coach for the Northeastern Women’s Club Hockey team for two years, where he led them to a Division II ACHA Championship and helped move them up to become a Division I team.
It will be interesting to see how the Huskies fare against the Dutchwomen this year. This will be the first of a two game road trip to the Albany area; the second game will be played the following day against the RPI Engineers.
To read the release of Union’s 2013-2014 recruiting class, click here.
