HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES
#4 Boston College visits #1 UConn on Wednesday at 7pm in the Hockey East Women’s Tournament semifinals on NESN. The Eagles and Huskies have clashed 10 times prior in the post season, including three semifinal match ups. BC holds a 6-4 overall record with a 2-1 mark in the semifinals. Boston College seeks to return to the title game for the first time since 2019 while UConn has advanced to the final game of the season three times in the past six years.
#3 New Hampshire returns to the semifinals for the first time since 2020, traveling to #2 Northeastern at 4:30pm on NESN. The Wildcats downed the Huskies in the 2004 semifinals and hold a 2-5 overall record against Northeastern in the postseason. UNH has not appeared in a final contest since 2009, the Wildcats capped a four-year run as tournament champions. Northeastern looks to capture a record seveth consecutive Bertagna Trophy.
Hockey East announced finalists for three major awards yesterday. Coach of the Year finalists are Chris MacKenize (UConn), Hilary Witt (New Hampshire), and Dave Flint (Northeastern), Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year finalists include Sammy Taber (Boston College), Sedona Blair (New Hampshire), and Audrey Knapp (Providence), and in the running for Player of the Year are Ida Kuoppala (Maine), Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern), and Natalie Mlynkova (Vermont).
The 2024 Hockey East Women’s Championship is set for Saturday,
March 9. The puck drops at the rink of the higher seed a 12 noon in
a game that will air nationally on ESPNU and stream in Canada on
TSN+.
HOCKEY EAST CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Jada Habisch -
UConn
Skylar Irving - Northeastern
Jada Habisch (Sr., F; Buffalo, Minn.) scored the shorthanded game-winning goal in UConn’s 4-2 quarterfinal win over Holy Cross and assisted on another tally. She was named First-Team All-Hockey East last week.
Skylar Irving (Jr., F; Kingston, Mass.)
tallied two goals and one assist to lead
Northeastern to a 4-1 Hockey East Quarterfinal victory over Merrimack. Irving’s
three points and two goals led all Hockey East players in Quarterfinal games.
She scored the game-tying goal, then
assisted Katy Knoll’s game-winner and
finished with an empty netter to ice the
game for NU.
PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sammy Taber - Boston College
Sammy Taber (Fr., F; Tewksbury, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to deliver the Eagles a 2-1 quarterfinal victory
over Providence. She was unanimously named to the Pro Ambitions
All-Rookie Team last week.
ARMY ROTC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Megan Carter - Northeastern
Megan Carter (Gr., D; Milton, Ont.) posted two assists to guide Northeastern to a 4-1 Hockey East Quarterfinal victory over Merrimack.
Carter’s two assists led all Hockey East players in Quarterfinal games.
She has a career-high 20 assists on the season which ranks second
among all Hockey East players. She was named Hockey East Best
Defender for the second year in a row last week.
STOP IT GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Sedona Blair - Boston College
Sedona Blair (Fr., G; Eden Praire, Minn.) recorded her fifth career
shutout with a 15-save effort that backstopped UNH to a 3-0 victory
against Vermont in Saturday’s Hockey East quarterfinal. She broke
the program’s single-season saves record with her 13th stop of the
game at 10:58 of the third period and has 889 saves this season.
Blair, a hockey East Third Team All-Star and All-Rookie Team selection, surpassed the mark of 886 established by then-freshman Ava
Boutilier in 2018.
HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS
Chavonne Truter, UNH (Sr., F; Uxbridge, Ont.) Gave UNH a 1-0 lead in the second period and that proved to be the game-winning goal in the Wildcats’ 3-0 victory against Vermont in Saturday’s Hockey East quarterfinal. Her other stats included one block and a plus-two rating. Truter broke the scoreless tie when, from the low slot, she redirected Rae Breton’s shot from the right point between the UVM goalie’s legs at 7:22. She finished the game with three shots.
Rae Breton, UNH (Gr., D; Brighton, Ont.) Lifted UNH to a 3-0 Hockey East quarterfinal victory against Vermont with an assist, four blocks and plus-three rating. It was Breton’s shot from the right point that was redirected in for the first goal of the game at 7:22 of the second period, and that tally proved to be the game-winning goal. Breton, a Third Team All-Star, is tied for second in the nation with a league-leading 87 blocks.
Ella Blackmore, NU (Fr., F; Northville, Mich.) Scored her first career playoff goal in the Huskies 4-1 victory over Merrimack in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
Gwyneth Philips, NU (Gr., G; Athens, Ohio) Recorded 21 saves and allowed just one goal in the Huskies 4-1 Hockey East Quarterfinal victory over Merrimack. Philips owns a 1.20 GAA and .953 save percentage, both tops among goaltenders nationally that have played in over 20 games.
