By Max Lederman and Jeff Powalisz
Field hockey ranked 8 in nation
The Northeastern field hockey team has debuted at No. 8 in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NHCA) National Coaches Poll, released Tuesday. The Huskies are off to a 6-0 start this season, the same unblemished record as the only other New England team to be ranked ahead of them, the University of Connecticut, who ranked sixth. The two teams face off in Connecticut on Wednesday October 13, at 7 p.m.
There are three teams ranked higher than NU that have lost at least one game, no. 4 Duke University(3-1), no. 5 Wake Forrest University (6-1) and no. 7 Old Dominion University (3-1). With four games against top 20 teams remaining on their schedule, Northeastern will have plenty of opportunities to move up in the polls. This week should be a big test for the Huskies as they play two of those ranked opponents, starting when the no. 12 Boston College Eagles visit Sweeney field Wednesday at 4 p.m. followed by a trip to Michigan Saturday where they face off against the no. 9 ranked Wolverines at 10 a.m.
The Huskies have already defeated no. 19 Penn State.
Crowder names new assistant
Gene Reilly, the former recruiting coordinator and assistant coach of the Harvard University men’s hockey team, has been hired for the same duties by Husky coach Bruce Crowder, as announced Monday.
Reilly helped Harvard win the 2004 ECAC tournament title and post an 18-15-3 record, with a 10-10-2 mark in ECAC play.
Previously, Reilly spent two seasons in the Ottawa Senators (NHL) organization. He coached prospects at Grand Rapids, Mich. and Binghamton (AHL). With Grand Rapids, Reilly helped the team win the AHL’s West Division Title (42-27-11), while with Binghamton (N.Y.), the team won the Eastern Conference East Division Crown.
Reilly, a 1986 graduate of Elmira College in upstate New York, was also an assistant with the University of Maine for three seasons, including the team’s national championship run in 1999 (31-6-4).
–Sports briefs compiled by Max Lederman and Jeff Powalisz
