It sure feels like this is Northeastern’s conference to lose and everyone else is just going to try and keep up. The Huskies had control from start to finish last season and they return all but one player from that squad. They have more experience, more confidence and more drive to win that final game of the year. For me, there’s an opportunity for pretty much any of the rest of the teams to finish second through tenth. Providence is the favorite to place second and make another NCAA tournament, but there’s a lot of very good new players that could pull a team higher up in the standings.
Boston College
Last Season
14-6-0 (second). Lost to Ohio State in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Names to know
Transfer Michaela Boyle will join the team second semester and should have every opportunity to become an impact player on offense for Boston College. Two top scorers transferred out and the Eagles are in need of someone with Boyle’s experience, size and shot.
Sophomore Gaby Roy introduced herself by scoring four goals in her first collegiate game last year. She has size and skill with and without the puck. This is a team in want of a star forward and I think they’re hoping it will be Roy.
What to Watch For
Coach Katie Crowley said she thinks her team has all the pieces to compete for a championship and she’s happy with their compete level so far. BC is a team that has had some very good highs and very disappointing lows in recent years. They have struggled with closing out weekend series and putting away teams that, on paper at least, aren’t as good. I’d really like to see them not only close out those games, but respond emphatically when they do suffer those kinds of losses.
They have a talented incoming class to keep an eye on, including Keri Clougherty on defense and Abby Newhook on offense.
Crystal Ball
I’m picking BC third, but think they better keep an eye over their shoulder for UConn.
Boston University
Last Season
6-6 (sixth). Lost to Providence in the Hockey East tournament quarterfinals.
Names to know
Ellie Larson is a transfer from RIT where she captained the team from the blue line. She’s great with the puck from the point and does a great job of feeding passes to players in front of the net.
Senior goalie Kate Stuart takes over in net. She’s played a handful of games over the course of her career, posting an 11-2-1 record over the past two seasons. She’ll be taking a big step up to be the starter. She’s 6’0” and uses her size to not only limit access to the net, but to keep players out of her crease.
What to Watch For
BU’s roster features depth at a lot of positions and coach Brian Durocher said that’s led to competition for ice time and improvement for everyone. At the moment, there does not seem to be a clear top line that will step up and lead the Terriers on offense. Freshman Kylie Roberts is someone I’ll be watching to see if she can transition quickly and prove herself invaluable in front of the net.
They close out their season with a pair of games against Providence, which could prove to be a very interesting series. They’re one of the teams playing at the Battle of the Burgh tournament at New Years.
Crystal Ball
I’ve got the Terriers fifth to start the season
Connecticut
Last Season
9-10-1 (seventh). Lost to Northeastern in the Hockey East semifinal.
Names to know
Natalie Snodgrass is taking advantage of the bonus Covid year and will continue to lead the offense for the Huskies. She led the team in points for most of her time in Stamford. Lucky for her, they’ve added transfer Summer Rae Dobson, a talented forward that can help balance the load up front.
Samantha Carpentier-Yelle split time in net last season, but her partner, Tia Chan, is centralizing with China for the Olympics. I’d guess we’ll see Carpentier-Yelle in the net to start the season, with freshman Megan Warrener and senior Mackenzie Nicholas fighting to see if they can split time in net with her.
Viki Harkness is very good at finding the open player and dishing passes up front. She can score when needed, but her vision of feeding her teammates is a great asset.
What to Watch For
It feels like the league is pretty wide open below Northeastern this season and I think UConn is a school that could really take advantage of that. They’re carrying five fifth year players who bring a ton of experience as well as a desire to make this last year something special. They’ve played spoiler for a few teams in recent seasons, but it seems like they have the pieces to do more than that this year. They need to be consistent, but I think there’s a lot of opportunity for the Huskies to really move up in the league and national regard this season.
Crystal Ball
The Huskies are fourth, but with a high ceiling.
Holy Cross
Last Season
4-15-1 (ninth). Lost to New Hampshire in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament.
Names to know
Sophomore Millie Sirum is a big, strong forward who tied for the team lead in points last season. The Norwegian national was a finalist for Hockey East Rookie of the Year. She’s an important member of the power play unit and uses her size to get great position on the puck.
Senior Bailey Bennett is a team captain that is a stay-at-home defender that anchors the Crusaders’ blue line.
What to Watch For
This is Katie Lachapelle’s third year at the helm for Holy Cross. She’s starting to fill the roster with her own recruits and really getting to implement her style of play and culture on the the squad that is still a Hockey East newbie. They’ve pushed teams on the top of the standings in close games and should be gaining confidence that they can be a factor in league play.
They face off with Northeastern early, but have a relatively easy February to close out the season.
Crystal Ball
Holy Cross finishes ninth.
Maine
Last Season
8-9-1 (fifth). Lost to Providence in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament.
Names to know
Goalie Loryn Porter had a stellar season in net, finishing with a 1.49 goals against average despite her team having a sub .500 record. She returns for her fifth year and that makes a big difference for this team.
Senior Celine Tedenby is a natural goal scorer. She had the OT game-winner when Maine upset Northeastern two seasons ago.
What to Watch For
Coach Richard Reichenbach praised his fifth year players for expecting excellence from themselves and their teammates every day. That kind of team culture will serve the Black Bears well in this tough conference.
Maine’s season ended when they lost to Providence in OT in the Hockey East semifinal. They do a great job of pushing teams late in the season and the postseason to their limit. They have an intriguing roster that I feel has a bunch of potential, but it’s hard to rank them higher until we see them in action.
Crystal Ball
I’ve got the Black Bears eighth for now.
Merrimack
Last Season
1-15 (tenth). Did not qualify for the Hockey East tournament.
Names to know
The Warriors bring in three very good transfers in Teghan Inglis, Madison Oelkers and Emily Oosterveld, all of whom have multiple years of eligibility left. They bring some much needed offensive strength and defensive depth for the squad.
Fifth year forward Domenika Laskova is an offensive force. She scored four goals for Czech in the most recent World Championship and was second on the Warriors in points two seasons ago. On older collegiate player, she brings poise, leadership and experience.
What to Watch For
We should see a more aggressive, difficult to play Warriors team this season. They’ve added depth and maturity which should help beget confidence. They face off with Minnesota State – Oelkers’ old school – the first weekend and it should be interesting to see how those two teams match up. I think they’re better than what we’ve seen from them and I’m hoping we continue to see growth and improvement.
Crystal Ball
I think they’ll finish tenth.
New Hampshire
Last Season
7-14-1 (eighth). Lost to Northeastern in the Hockey East tournament quarterfinals.
Names to know
I’m very high on juniors Jada Christian and Tamara Thiérus and sophomore Nicole Kelly. They bring a new level of offense to the Wildcats. They’re dynamic and so much fun to watch. The offense overall at UNH is pretty balanced and there are a number of good players and goal-scorers, but these three stood out to me last season.
Senior goalie Ava Boutilier is a strong, solid presence in net. She always finds a new level as the season progresses and seems to play her best in January and February and against big opponents. There are times the team asks a lot of her and she really delivers.
What to Watch For
The Wildcats jump right into Hockey East play with games against BU, BC and Providence in the first month. It’s a tough test early on and they need to come away from that stretch with at least a few wins. They host Harvard in November for an interesting non-conference matchup.
UNH is a team that has shown they can play with the best teams in this league, but they’ve been able to do it consistently. Two seasons ago they amassed an impressive 18-15-4 record and were 12-12-3 in Hockey East play. I think they have the pieces to be at least that good this year, but I’d love to see them take another step, winning a few more of those ties and close games.
Crystal Ball
I believe they can surprise some teams. I have them finishing seventh.
Northeastern
Last Season
22-2-1 (first). Lost to Wisconsin in the national championship.
Names to know
Alina Mueller was injured at the World Championships, but is expected to be on the ice for the Huskies early on if not right away. Switzerland is only planning one camp in advance of the Olympics, so Mueller will get the bulk of her prep for the tournament as part of NU.
Aerin Frankel was a late add to Team USA’s World Championship roster due to injury, but she didn’t see any ice time. However, all that time practicing with and against the best players in the world can only have helped last year’s Patty Kazmaier Award winner improve.
What to Watch For
Many expected the Huskies to be missing a few players to Olympic centralization, but instead they all but one player from last season’s national runner up squad. They have eight fifth year players and look like they can and should be as dominant this season as they were last year.
They’re going to be gunning for the national championship after coming so close last year. Having played through the full grind of the season, they’re going to be more prepared than ever to make a run. For their sakes, I wish they had a tougher schedule to close out the regular season, but they do have both Cornell and Princeton in for non-confernece games and they’ll be the first US team to compete at the World University Games in December.
Crystal Ball
This is Northeastern’s conference to lose.
Providence
Last Season
12-8-1 (third). Lost to Wisconsin in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Names to know
Senior Caroline Peterson led the team with eight goals and was second with 15 points. She’s a great scorer on the power play and really stepped up last season. They’ll need her to be a big presence again if they’re going to repeat last year’s postseason run.
Goalie Sandra Arbstreiter had a 2.05 goals against average last season and returns to Providence after playing with Germany at the World Championships. She was huge in their NCAA quarterfinal loss to Wisconsin, making 41 saves.
What to Watch For
Providence was a bit of a surprise team in the NCAA tournament last season. Arbsreiter played particularly well down the stretch, especially in the Hockey East tournament and they got goals from a number of different players. Peterson was great, particularly in the tournament win over Boston University.
I don’t see any reason why this team can’t repeat their NCAA run from last season. What makes them so good is there aren’t one or two standout players, but a high level across the board and different women step up in different opportunities.
I’m excited to see them matchup with Quinnipiac and Princeton in non-conference games.
Crystal Ball
Providence finishes second.
Vermont
Last Season
6-5 (fourth). Lost to Maine in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament.
Names to know
First year goaltender Jessie McPherson became the first women’s hockey player in program history to be named Hockey East Rookie of the Year. She had a 1.57 goals against average last season. She gives them confidence and the ability to push forward a bit and be more offensive.
McPherson gets a lot of help from Maude Poulin-Labelle on defense. She set the program record for single season points from a defender two seasons ago. She’s a strong defender with a great stick who is active in the offensive zone.
What to Watch For
It feels like the middle of this conference is wide open and any number of teams could finish third to eighth. Vermont has a lot of potential and are coming off a very successful shortened season. They need to win close games – they had eight ties two seasons ago. The Catamounts are generally a solid, difficult team to face that will be strong on defense, but they need to be a bit more offensive-minded to move up in the standings.
Crystal Ball
I have Vermont finishing sixth.
