WOMEN’S HOCKEY EAST 2015-16 | MEDIA GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS GAME DAY DIRECTORY The Women’s Hockey East Association 2 PRESS BOX NUMBERS Boston College (617) 552-4747 League Directory 3 Boston University (617) 437-0102 Commissioner Joe Bertagna 4 Connecticut (860) 486-3808 Maine (207) 581-1049 Hockey East Staff 5 New Hampshire (603) 862-0735 Northeastern (617) 373-5561 Season Outlook and Coaches’ Poll 7 Providence (401) 865-1414 “Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer” 8 Vermont (802) 656-4193 Tournament Quick Reference 10 TEAM WEBSITES Boston College bceagles.com Season Snapshots 13-25 Boston University goterriers.com League Awards 28 Connecticut uconnhuskies.com Maine goblackbears.com National Awards 29 Merrimack merrimackathletics.com New Hampshire unhwildcats.com Record Book 30-32 Northeastern gonu.com Composite Schedule 33-34 Providence friars.com Vermont uvmathletics.com 2015-16 Women’s Hockey East Yearbook produced by the Hockey East Association STAFF AND CONTACT INFO Editor: Brian Smith 591 North Ave #2 Contributors: Wakefield, MA 01880 Joe Bertagna, Kevin Edelson, Nich Hall, Asha Michener, Phone: (781) 245-2122 Bobby Mullen, Doug Poole, Laura Reed, Noah Smith, Fax: (781) 245-2492 Bobby Smith, USA Hockey, and Kathy WynterS HockeyEastOnline.com Commissioner – Joe Bertagna Associate Commissioner – Kathy Wynters Director of Communications - Brian Smith Supervisor of Officials – Dave Lezenski Asst. to Supervisor of Officials – Tim Hooton 2014-5 Graduate Interns – Suzanne Friedman, Justin Martino Web Site Coordinator – Dan Parkhurst HOCKEY EAST MEDIA RELATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES For up-to-date information, including league news, standings, sta- tistics and more, check out the official league website: Press releases are sent to selected media every Monday afternoon during the season and are also available on- line for both media and public use. Any HockeyEastOnline.com member of the media may be added to our direct distribution list upon request. Player and team statistics are updated following every game. 1 WOMEN’S HOCKEY EAST ASSOCIATION The Women’s Hockey East Association celebrates its 14th the stipulation that any other Hockey East school that added a season of play in 2015-16. Over the first 13 years, the confer- varsity women’s program in the future would be freely admitted ence has emerged as one of the top women’s ice hockey confer- to the league. In 2015-16, Hockey East welcomes Merrimack as ences in the nation, having sent nine teams to the Frozen Four the newest member of the women’s ranks. and 19 teams to the NCAA Tournament. In 2011 and 2013, both Expediting the process in the interest of the participating Boston College and Boston University advanced to the women’s teams, the league, and the sport itself, Commissioner Joe Frozen Four, and the Terriers moved on to the NCAA champion- Bertagna worked with a selected task force to successfully pre- ship game on both occasions. pare the Hockey East women’s league for launch in the 2002-03 In 2015, the Boston University Terriers captured their fourth season, two years ahead of schedule. An important part of that consecutive Hockey East tournament title and fifth in the last six process was the acceptance of an invitation extended to the THIS IS WHEA years, triumphing over Boston College, 4-1. As the Hockey East University of Connecticut to join the newly formed league as its Tournament Champion, BU was presented with the recently re- sixth active member. named Bertagna Trophy in honor of the Women’s Hockey East The triumphant effort immediately afforded the participat- conference’s founding commissioner Joe Bertagna. ing administrators a stronger voice in the advancement of their The Terriers and Eagles were also well represented in the women’s ice hockey programs and alleviated the ECAC of con- three major awards at the postseason banquet, with BC’s Alex tinuing the maintenance of the ECAC Women’s Eastern League. Carpenter winning Player of the Year, BU’s Victoria Bach be- Players, fans, coaches and administrators alike anticipated the ing named Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Year honors and Eagle intensified competition created by a new circle of teams that had coach Katie King Crowley capturing coach of the year acco- already been such familiar rivals. lades for the second consecutive year. Carpenter also became In 2005, the Women’s Hockey East Association welcomed the first Hockey East player to win the top award in NCAA wom- the addition of two additional teams to its growing family: Boston en’s hockey, winning the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award after a re- University and the University of Vermont. For BU, it marked the cord-setting season with the Eagles. inaugural season for women’s hockey as a varsity sport. The A record 106 student-athletes were named to the league’s league athletic directors voted in June of 2012 to expand the 2014-15 All-Academic Team. Each student-athlete achieved a playoff format, allowing all eight teams within the conference to grade point average of 3.0 or better in each of the two academic qualify for the playoffs beginning after the 2012-13 regular sea- periods during which she was actively competing. Five wom- son. The significant jump was contrasted with six teams and four en achieved a perfect 4.0 to share honors as the Hockey East teams in previous seasons. Top Scholar-Athlete: Maine’s Jessica Hall and Katy Massey, While the Women’s Hockey East Association is still in its New Hampshire’s Brooke Avery, Providence’s Haley Frade and infancy, its member programs have storied histories that include Vermont’s Kourtney Menches. The league also honored nine several championships and individual awards at the highest student-athletes that received “Distinguished Scholar” status. levels of play. The first 13 ECAC championships were shared Those earning “Distinguished Scholar” status achieved a 3.0 or among New Hampshire, Northeastern and Providence, all char- better in each semester over four varsity seasons, and 18 others ter members of the Women’s Hockey East Association. North- are three-time honorees. eastern forward Brooke Whitney was named the recipient of the In February 2007, the league debuted its inaugural “Skat- 2002 Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation’s top female collegiate ing Strides Against Breast Cancer”. The one-day event was player, an honor first won by New Hampshire’s Brandy Fisher hosted by Hockey East schools as a way to establish a greater in 1998. Had the award been in existence beforehand, it surely fan base, to raise needed funds, and to work with the specific would have been won at some point by Cammi Granato, a three- charities to raise awareness for both the league and the specific time ECAC Player of the Year who led Providence to back-to- cause. In the initial year, close to $20,000 was donated back to back championships in 1992 and 1993. Five years later, in 1998, local breast cancer charities Friends of Mel’s Foundation and alongside nine other alums of what are now Women’s Hockey the American Cancer Society, vastly exceeding expectations. East Association programs, Granato captained Team USA to Last year the league raised over $30,000 to bring the nine-year the Olympic gold medal during the first Olympic tournament that total to over $260,000. “Skating Strides” has won two national featured women’s ice hockey as a medal sport. Granato was awards at NACMA in the “Single Day Attendance Promotion” inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in October of 2010 category in 2007 and 2009. The 10th annual “Skating Strides for her contributions to the sport. Beginning in 2009, the WHEA Against Breast Cancer” will have an event on each WHEA cam- athletic directors voted to honor the league Player of the Year pus this season, as well as participation by all of the Hockey with the Cammi Granato Award. East men’s teams over the course of two weekends. Perhaps the proudest legacy that the Women’s Hockey As women’s ice hockey steadily expanded from its original East Association has established is the Hockey Humanitarian status as an emerging sport to its current position as an es- Award. The most prestigious off-ice honor, and arguably the tablished NCAA championship sport, it became apparent that highest overall honor in the sport, the Hockey Humanitarian Hockey East needed to consider sponsoring a separate league Award recognizes college hockey’s finest citizen each year and to accommodate its five member schools that initially had varsity encompasses both male and female athletes in all divisions. Its programs for women: Boston College, Maine, New Hampshire, winners have demonstrated outstanding contributions to soci- Northeastern and Providence. Discussions about this proposed ety through leadership in charity work and volunteerism. North- league continued until a split in the Eastern College Athletic eastern senior forward Missy Elumba was the 2009 recipient, as Conference grouped the five aforementioned programs into the fifth Hockey East student-athlete to receive the prestigious a separate league alongside three other unaffiliated program. honor. Elumba was the 14th all-time recipient and joined for- This newly formed eight-team division was dubbed the ECAC mer Husky goaltender Chanda Gunn, who received the award Women’s Eastern League. Seeking league solidarity, adminis- in 2004, as the second athlete in Northeastern women’s hockey trators from the five Hockey East institutions acted. history. BC’s Sarah Carlson received the award in 2005, making In September of 2001, the long-incubated idea became a Women’s Hockey East the first league to boast back-to-back reality when the athletic directors voted to found the new wom- winners. # en’s league under the existing Hockey East banner, with play scheduled to begin no later than the 2004-05 season.