HOCKEY EAST HEADLINES

Northeastern earned is fourth consecutive Hockey East Tournament title with a 6-2 win over Providence on Saturday night. Maureen Murphy (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored the game-winning goal on the power-play while Aerin Frankel (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) made 29 saves. Frankel was named to her fourth All-Tournament Team and awarded her third Tournament MVP award after backboning the Huskies to their 15th consecutive win in the Hockey East Tournament. Frankel is a perfect 15-0-0 in the postseason in her career. Head Coach Dave Flint earned his 26th and 27th career wins in the league postseason, the most of any coach in league history.

Hockey East has earned three bids into the National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament for the first time in league history. Northeastern has been selected as the top overall seed while Boston College and Providence have earned At-Large bids into national tournament. Quarterfinal play begins March 15 with the entirety of the national tournament will take place in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Huskies advanced to the title game after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over UConn in Wednesday’s semifinal, needing a shorthanded goal from Chloe Aurard (Villardde- Lans, France) with just 3:38 left in the game to secure the win. Skylar Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) set up the decisive strike and finished the weekend with 20 career points (8g, 12a) in the Hockey East Tournament, tied for fifth most of any skater in league history and tops among blueliners. Her eight power-play points (4g, 4a) are the most of any player in tournament history.

Providence advanced to the title game for the first time since 2012, toppling #5 Maine in a 1-0 overtime affair in the semifinals. Hunter Barnett (Caledon, Ont.) buried the winner after getting a diving, no look pass from Giana Savastano (Mapleville, R.I.) Friars netminder Sandra Abstreiter (Freising, Germany) pitched a 33-save shutout in the semifinal before posting 41 saves in the championship game.

Named to the 2021 Hockey East All-Tournament Team were Frankel, Fontaine, Aurard, and teammate Alina Mueller (Winterthur, Switzerland) and they were joined by a duo of Providence Friars in rookie blueliner Brooke Becker (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and junior forward Caroline Peterson (East Falmouth, Mass.)

ARMY ROTC HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Aerin Frankel - Northeastern

Aerin Frankel (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) was named to her fourth All-Tournament Team and awarded her third Tournament MVP award after backboning the Huskies to their 15th consecutive win in the Hockey East Tournament and their fourth straight Bertagna Trophy. Frankel is a perfect 15-0-0 in the postseason in her career.

PRO AMBITIONS ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Molly Griffin - Northeastern

Molly Griffin (Arlington, Mass.) helped lift Northeastern to the 2021 Hockey East Tournament title, scoring a goal in the championship game that gave the Huskies’ a three-goal lead just 2:01 into the third period. She fired two shots on net in the title contest while the marker was the second of her first-year campaign.

HOCKEY EAST WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Skylar Fontaine - Northeastern

Skylar Fontaine (East Greenwich, R.I.) set up the decisive, shorthanded strike in the Huskies’ 2-1 semifinal win over UConn. She added a goal and an assist in the championship game. The senior defenseman finished the weekend with 20 career points (8g, 12a) in the Hockey East Tournament, tied for fifth most of any skater in league history and tops among blueliners. Her eight power-play points (4g, 4a) are the most of any player in tournament history.

HOCKEY EAST TOP PERFORMERS

Loryn Porter, ME (Sr., G; North Bay, Ont.) Stopped 22 of 23 shots she faced in a 1-0 setback in the Hockey East Tournament semifinals. She now sits in the top five on several all-time leader boards for the Hockey East Tournament, including goals against average and save percentage, among all goaltenders with at least 100 minutes of postseason work.

Chloe Aurard, NU (Jr., F; Villard-de-Lans, France) Named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team after scoring four points on three assists and scoring the game-winning goal in the semifinals. Alina Mueller, NU (Jr., F; Winterthur, Switzerland) Named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team as she registered four points (2g, 2a) including a game-winning assist in the semifinals, to help the Huskies capture their fourth consecutive Bertagna Trophy.

Hunter Barnett, PC (Jr., F; Caledon, Ont.) Scored the overtime game-winning goal in the semifinals to send the Friars to the championship game for the first time since 2012 in a 1-0 win. Sandra Abstreiter, PC (Sr., G; Freising, Germany) Pitched a 33-save shutout in the semifinal before posting 41 saves in the championship game.

Brooke Becker, PC (Fr., D; Orchard Park, N.Y.) Named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team after scoring the opening goal of a 4-3 win over BU in the quarterfinals, the first-ever postseason win for the Friars over the Terriers. She added two assists and finished with an even plus-minus rating in three tournament games.

Caroline Peterson (Jr., F; East Falmouth, Mass.) Named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team for her effort in lifting Providence to the Hockey East Championship Game for the first time since 2012. She scored two goals, including the game-winner, as part of a three-point night in the quarterfinal win over BU before finding the back of the net again in the title tilt.