Sunday, March 6, 2016
Boston College, Northeastern Punch Ticket to Women's NCAA Tournament
Eagles and Huskies to Square off in National Quarterfinals
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Boston College and Northeastern will represent Hockey East in the 2016 NCAA Tournament

WAKEFIELD, Mass. – Women's Hockey East regular season and tournament champion Boston College has earned the national No. 1 seed and will host league rival Northeastern in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals Saturday (March 12) at 1 p.m. It marks the first time two Hockey East teams will face each other in the quarterfinals and it is only the second time the No. 1 seed has emerged from Hockey East; New Hampshire garnered the nation's highest postseason position in 2006.

The undefeated Eagles (38-0-0) earn a bid into the NCAA field for the eighth time in program history after claiming the school's second Women's Hockey East Tournament title. Women's Hockey East Coach of the Year Katie Crowley will guide her team into the national quarterfinals after winning a program-record 38 games, including all 24 Hockey East tilts. The Eagles welcome Northeastern to Conte Forum, where they have not lost any contest since Oct. 16, 2013, a streak spanning 51 games. Boston College is undefeated when hosting an NCAA quarterfinal contest, claiming victory in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015 and have been to five Frozen Fours. In four regular-season match ups with the Huskies, the Eagles claimed victory each time, including three conference games and the Beanpot championship.

Northeastern, ranked No. 6 nationally, draws a road contest with newly minted Hockey East champions. The Huskies were tripped up in the Women's Hockey East semifinals after finishing in second place in the Hockey East standings with a 20-4-0 league record. Led by 2016 Warrior Hockey East Player of the Year Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), Northeastern won a program-best 28 games (28-8-1) to earn its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

The NCAA quarterfinal round is set for March 12, and the four winners advance to the 2016 NCAA Women's Frozen Four hosted by the University of New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H., March 18-20. Semifinal games will be played at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., Friday, March 18. The championship game will be played at 2 p.m., Sunday, March 20.