Coyne Nets Hat Trick To Lift Northeastern To 4-3 Win Over New Hampshire
Junior forward Kendall Coyne scores hat trick for Huskies

Junior forward Kendall Coyne scored a hat trick for the Huskies
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 2:15  NOE1-0 PP Kendall Coyne (26)Heather Mottau/21, Denisa Křížová/19
1st 10:45  UNH1-1 EV Ali Praus (1)Brooke Avery/1
2nd 5:22  UNH2-1 EV Amy Boucher (10)Hannah Armstrong/8, Amy Schlagel/7
2nd 6:53  NOE2-2 EV Jordan Krause (3)Heather Mottau/22, Denisa Křížová/20
3rd 13:17  NOE3-2 PP Kendall Coyne (27)Heather Mottau/23, McKenna Brand/10
3rd 15:04  NOE4-2 EV GW Kendall Coyne (28)Denisa Křížová/21, Lauren Kelly/6
3rd 17:12  UNH3-4 EV EA Kayla Mork (6)Nicoline Jensen/9
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
New Hampshire  1113
Northeastern  1124
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
New Hampshire  661022
Northeastern  813526
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
New Hampshire (10-23-3)  0/1 4/8 0
Northeastern (14-16-5)  2/3 2/4 0
New Hampshire Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Ashley Wilkes (L, 2-7-0)58:024 712322
Empty Net1:580     
Northeastern Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Chloé Desjardins (W, 13-14-4)60:003 55919

BOSTON - Junior Kendall Coyne notched her seventh career hat trick to lift the Northeastern women's hockey team (14-16-5) to a 4-3 win and a 2-1 series victory over New Hampshire (10-23-3) on Sunday in game three of the Hockey East quarterfinals at Matthews Arena.

With the win, the Huskies advance to the semifinal round against No. 2 seed Boston University on Saturday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m. in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Coyne scored two power-play goals and completed the hat trick-her third of the season-at even strength with five minutes to play in the third period. Sophomore Heather Mottau and freshman Denisa Krizova each tallied three assists, while junior Jordan Krause also scored for the Huskies, who advanced to the semifinals for the fifth straight season.

After playing two close games on Friday and Saturday, the Huskies and Wildcats contested yet another tight affair in Sunday's decisive game three.

Coyne gave the Huskies the lead just 2:15 into the contest after some pretty passing on the power play. After taking a feed from Coyne at the right circle, Krizova tossed a cross-pass through the high slot to Mottau at the left dot. Mottau then finessed a soft pass back to the point for Coyne, who stepped into the shot with a hard one-timer that whizzed by UNH goaltender Ashley Wilkes (22 saves) to make it 1-0 Huskies.

The Wildcats knotted the game up at the 10:45 mark when Ali Praus scored her first collegiate goal with a wrister that beat senior Chloe Desjardins (19 saves) from the right circle.

UNH then took the lead at 5:22 of the second period on a 3-on-1 break when Hannah Armstrong fed Amy Boucher for a one-timer that gave Desjardins no chance at the right of the cage.

With their backs against the wall, Northeastern responded just 1:31 later when Krause blasted a point-shot through traffic, inside the right post to tie the score at 2-2 at the 6:53 mark of the middle frame.

The score held into the third when Coyne took over the game. On another power play, Mottau threw a pass to Coyne at the top of the right circle. With plenty of room in front of her, Coyne picked her spot and whistled a shot over the glove of a screened Wilkes to give NU a 3-2 advantage with 6:43 remaining in regulation.

Coyne then completed the hat trick on a breakaway, taking a beautiful head-man pass from Krizova and sniping a shot inside the left post to push the Huskies' lead to 4-2 with 4:56 to play.

The insurance goal proved to be important as UNH reduced the deficit to one less than two minutes later. Nicoline Jensen's original shot was blocked in front of the NU net, but Kayla Mork found the loose puck at the left of the cage and buried the second-chance opportunity to bring the score to 4-3 with 2:43 showing on the clock.

UNH then pulled Wilkes in the final minute in a desperate attempt to tie the game, but Desjardins and the Huskies' defense held strong to earn a hard-fought series victory.

Northeastern will join No. 1 seed Boston College, No. 2 seed Boston University and No. 5 seed UConn in the win-or-go-home semifinal round in Hyannis. Northeastern, BC and BU are the only three teams in the league to be making their fifth consecutive trips to the semifinals.

Game Notes

- Northeastern advanced to the Hockey East semifinals for the fifth straight year.

- The Huskies are one of only three WHEA teams (BC, BU) to be making their fifth straight semifinal appearance.

- Coyne notched her third hat trick of the season and seventh of her career.

- Coyne's three-point day gives her 51 points (28 goals, 23 assists) in only 28 games this year.

- Coyne has posted four three-point games in her last seven contests (8 goals, 7 assists during that span).

- In six games vs. UNH this season, Coyne has registered seven goals and six assists.

- Krizova extended her point-streak to seven games with three assists Sunday (4 goals, 9 assists in that span).

- Krizova posted her second career three-assist game.

- Mottau notched her second three-assist game of the season (Nov. 16 vs. Providence).