Union/RPI Recap

It was a great weekend for the Huskies as they traveled to NY to compete against Union and RPI. They won both games by a score of 2-1, playing the type of game that Dave Flint has wanted to see from this team.

Kelly Wallace had a goal in each of the games, scoring Saturdays game winner, while Paige Savage and Maggie DiMasi each contributing to the winning effort. Chloe Desjardins played extremely well, stopping 22 shots on Friday, and 33 on Saturday. The Huskies have now improved to 3-1 as they move on the face Cornell in Ithaca, NY this upcoming weekend.

Cornell will be a test of how well the Huskies handle playing against one of the best teams in the country. It will be crucial for them to continue the momentum they have gained so far as this is their last non-conference weekend. Desjardins will be the key to keeping the Huskies in the game; they need to know that they can count on her to be there to support and guide them. The score of both games needs to stay low in order for this to be a successful weekend for the Huskies. Two close games against a tough team will be more beneficial for Northeastern in the long run. 

To read the GoNU.com recap of Union, click here. To read the GoNU.com recap of RPI, click here. 

Syracuse/RIT Recap

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Ahearn Photography

The Huskies started out the season on a sour note, falling to Syracuse 4-1. Overall, the team looked nervous, and even scared at some points; they weren’t connecting on passes, didn’t shoot as much as they could, and scrambled in their defensive zone. Maggie Brennolt was the lone scorer for the Huskies, with the goal coming off of a slapshot from the top of the circles. Execution was the main reason the Huskies couldn’t find the back of the net; they had plenty of chances but they had trouble finishing. Chloe Desjardins had the start in net, but she didn’t play up to her potential. Desjardins is an aggressive and agile goalie who likes to come out of the net to play the puck. On Friday night, she was all over the place. One of the big mistakes was passing the puck up the boards to the stick of an incoming Syracuse defensemen. Those types of mistakes are alright when playing a team like the Orange, but teams such as BC and BU will capitalize on all of these mistakes.

A brand new system of playing with three defensemen and only two forwards, was also a factor in the loss to Syracuse. The system overall is a great idea for this team with so many strong defensemen. In this system, the forwards will have many more passing outlets, as well as the ability to crash the net. The system also gives the defense more of a role in the offense. With the loss of Kendall Coyne, Casey Pickett, and Rachel Llanes, it’s important for this team to find the scoring touch from all the players on the ice.

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Ahearn Photography

Even though this system caused some confusion during Friday’s game, the team looked in their element during Saturday afternoon’s game vs. RIT. Right from the start, passes were crisper, and communication was much improved, especially in the defensive zone. The Huskies scored their first goal on the penalty kill, with Chelsey Goldberg taking the first shot of the game on Ali Binnington and putting the puck in the back of the net. She would go on to score another shorthanded goal later on in the game. Although the Huskies looked like much more of a team in Saturday’s game, they let RIT stay in the game for much too long. Desjardins got her second start of the year, and unfortunately did not play up to her potential. RIT’s first goal came off of a breakaway by Jess Paton as her penalty expired, and took a great shot to Desjardins glove side for the goal to tie the game. Although the Huskies defense should have gotten back to cover Paton as she got out of the box, Desjardins should easily be able to save a breakaway. Throughout the game, Desjardins made some good saves, but didn’t communicate enough with her teammates, and was, again, a little too aggressive around her crease.

The whole weekend, the Huskies were plagued by penalties. After the Orange had made it 3-1 in the third period, the Huskies started to take penalties out of frustration. If they want to be competitive in the league, they need to stay out of the box for the rest of the season.

To see the Northeastern recap and highlights from the Syracuse game, click here. To see the Northeastern recap and highlights from the RIT game, click here.

Huskies vs. Cuse Preview

The Huskies are 2-0-1 against the Orange in the past three seasons; this Friday, they will meet again in Matthews Arena. This game should be a good test for the Huskies to see how well they can work their systems against a maturing Orange team.

Kallie Billadeau will be the biggest challenge for the Huskies. Last year, the goaltender posted a .940 save percentage over 25 games, with a win-loss record of 16-9. If she continues her success this year, the Orange should be able to keep their position in the CHA standings.

Courtesy of NCAA.com

A common theme for the Huskies this season will be finding the back of the net without Kendall Coyne, Casey Pickett, and Rachel Llanes. Claire Santostefano scored the lone goal in their 1-0 win over McGill this past weekend; she could be one of the breakout players this season. Kelly Wallace and Brittany Esposito, who both had great years last year, will be counted on to contribute right away to the Husky offense. Paige Savage and Katie MacSorley round out the top returning scorers for this years squad, Savage being the potential breakout star of the upcoming season after a successful time at the US Development Camp in June. Rookies Hayley Scamurra and Hayley Masters are two strong and agile forwards who add great depth to the Husky offense. Both played well in the exhibition vs. McGill and should have two great games this weekend.

If there’s one area where the Huskies will be strong from the start, it is their defensive core. With the senior leadership of Maggie DiMasi, who amassed 23 points on 21 assists last season, and Colleen Murphy, the Husky defense should be stable and steady during Friday’s game. As long as they support Chloe Desjardins, the Husky defense should be successful against the Orange.

Desjardins to U-22 Development Team and Flint Contract Extension

Courtesy of enbauce.com

A lot has happened this past week for the Northeastern Women’s Hockey team. Firstly, Chloe Desjardins has been named to the Canadian U-22 Development Team. Four goalies, 12 defensemen, and 24 forwards were named to this development team, who will be split “into two teams, which will participate in several practices and intrasquad games, as well as off-ice dryland training, fitness testing and high performance classroom sessions.” Based on all of this, Hockey Canada will then choose 13 players to join the centralized national team for training to prepare for the Sochi Olympics.

Desjardins has been working really hard ever since she took over for Florence Schelling. In some games, she looked a bit worn out, both physically and mentally, but if anything, this experience will strengthen her as she competes against the best female hockey players that Canada has to offer. If Desjardins gets chosen as one of the 13 players, she will most likely be missing the beginning of the college hockey season, meaning that Kelsey O’Sullivan and Sara Foss will be relied on immediately to make an impact in net for the Huskies.

Courtesy of Melissa Wade

In other news, head coach Dave Flint has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him on through the 2017-2018 season. This is great news for the Husky organization; under Flint’s guidance, the Huskies have won two Beanpots, become Hockey East Regular season Champions in 2012, and two appearances in the Hockey East Championship game. Flint has also done a great job recruiting talented girls in order to build the depth of the team. Highlights include Casey Pickett, Rachel Llanes, Kendall Coyne, and Paige Savage. The upcoming class is no exception, with standouts such as Heather Mottau, Hayley Scamurra, Sara Foss, Hayley Masters, Melissa Haganey and Bella Sinsigalli. The future looks bright for the Huskies as they look to continue their success for the 2013-2014 season.

To read the Hockey Canada release on the U-22 Development Team, click here. To read the GoNU release on Desjardins, click here. To read the GoNU release on Dave Flint’s contract extension, click here.

Early Outlook on St. Cloud and the Vail Tournament

In the middle of November, the Huskies will be heading to Vail, Colorado, for a tournament, in which they will be facing Wisconsin and St. Cloud. BU is the fourth team that will be participating in this tournament.

Courtesy of WCHA.com

St. Cloud has announced that seven girls will be joining the team in September. Among them are one goaltender, three forwards, and three defensemen. Jeff Geisen has brought in a class that will be looked upon to contribute right away. With the loss of two of their top three scorers, it will be crucial for the incoming forwards to step up and give their defensive teammates the cushion they need in order to come out with wins. Last season, St. Cloud went 9-24-3, an admirable record since they are in the WCHA, a conference that includes defending champs Minnesota, and powerhouses such as Minnesota-Duluth, and Wisconsin.

The matchup between St. Cloud and the Huskies comes the day after the St. Cloud/BU and Northeastern/Wisconsin games. The games against St. Cloud should be much easier for the Huskies. Dave Flint has done a great job coming up with a schedule that allows his girls to play against teams that they wouldn’t otherwise have a chance to play against. Wisconsin and St. Cloud will show the Huskies how the game is played in the WCHA. In the USCHO polls this past year, Northeastern hovered around 10th place, while Wisconsin kept moving between 7th and 9th. Playing an opponent that is so close to Northeastern in terms of skill will be very beneficial.

To read the releases on St.Cloud’s incoming players, click here and here.

Early Outlook on Syracuse

Over the past few years, Syracuse has been one of the first opponents of the Huskies regular season; this year is no different. The Huskies will face off against the Orange in Matthews on October 4th, and it should prove to be good test for the team.

Courtesy of Syracuse University Magazine

Since becoming a Division I program five years ago, Syracuse has been very consistent in the standings. They are historically a solid team who wins and loses the games they should. This past season they went 20-15-1, with 16 of those games being either won or lost by only one goal. The strength of Syracuse starts in the net; Kallie Billadeau and Jenesica Drinkwater are both solid goaltenders, and as incoming seniors, they have three years of experience to help the Orange secure a good spot in the CHA playoffs. The Huskies haven’t had much trouble scoring against Syracuse in the past, but in order to set a positive tone for the rest of the season, the Huskies need to strike first. For the past two years, rookies have scored the first goal of the season, so it will be interesting to see if one of the incoming freshmen will continue this tradition.

Anchored by Akane Hosoyamada and Brittey Krebs, the Orange defense will be relied on to support their goaltenders and make the plays necessary to aid in the offense. The coaching staff have brought in two additional defensemen to help keep the defensive core strong. Their schedule next year includes some big out of conference games against BC, Cornell and Clarkson, and it will be crucial for Syracuse to perform well in those games to help set them up for their CHA opponents. As the first test for the Huskies, it will be important for them to really establish the offensive system early in this game; as long as the girls can keep get into the offensive zone and control the puck, they will be able to find the back of the net.

Courtesy of SB Nation

Six forwards will be joining the Orange squad in the fall, adding to the scoring depth of the team. Syracuse has a lot of gritty players who aren’t afraid to get in front of the net and use their bodies in order to score. The Husky defense will need to be strong in order to help out Desjardins in this first game. It is crucial for the girls on defense to fall into their system as quickly as possible. The more comfortable the girls feel on defense, the more they will be able to help out their offensive counterparts in the other end of the ice.

With all things as they should, the Huskies should come out on top. It will be important for them not to underestimate the Orange; this game will be tough and gritty, but it will be a good way for the Huskies to familiarize themselves with the systems and with each other in a game situation.

To read Syracuse’s incoming class release, 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.

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.