By Alex Faust, News Staff
Amid the vertigo-inducing headlines of conference realignment and the black hole of news related to Northeastern’s head coaching search, there was some welcome news on the Northeastern hockey front – but it wasn’t on the men’s side.
Northeastern announced July 13 that women’s head coach Dave Flint was signed to a contract extension, a much-needed validation of the hard work that he and his coaching staff have put in to turning around Northeastern’s once-beleaguered women’s hockey program. To put Flint’s work in context, and explain how much work is yet to be done, it’s worth looking back at the history of this team:
Between 1979 and 2002, the team compiled a resume of 14 Beanpot championships, two conference championships, and only two seasons in which it finished with a win-loss record below .500. Much like their counterpart on the men’s side, despite successes early into the season, the team had trouble closing and winning championships. But by and large, the team was wildly successful, and was one of the pioneers of the women’s collegiate game in New England.
Then, the team became mired in scandal and obscurity. In 2003, forward Michelle Lorion, filed a civil suit against then-coach Joy Woog, alleging that she was struck by the coach on multiple occasions, and that Woog subjected the team to “verbal abuse, rage, ridicule, and shouting.” Ashly Waggoner, then a freshman, told US College Hockey Online at the time that “no one ever wanted to be [at the rink]” for practices. Several players left the program before Woog finally resigned in 2004, with the program’s reputation in tatters. While Northeastern quickly found a replacement in Laura Schuler, things continued to get worse. In Schuler’s four seasons as coach, the program compiled a stunning 99 losses. The team had hit rock-bottom.
Enter Dave Flint. He brought talent-scouting experience as an advisor and goaltending coach for USA Hockey’s women’s national team, and knew how to build a championship program through his four-year tenure at St. Anslem in New Hampshire. Retaining Linda Lundrigan as an assistant and hiring Lauren McAuliffe to take his place while coaching at the Olympics, Flint put a quality foundation into place, and the results have shown: in the four seasons prior to Flint’s arrival, NU had a record of 23-99-10. In Flint’s three years, the team has nearly doubled its win total to 45, reached the Hockey East playoffs every year, and this past winter advanced to a conference championship game for the first time since 2002.
Unfortunately, during Flint’s tenure, the Huskies have had to play catch-up. While NU was mired in mediocrity, Boston College and UNH developed into Hockey East powers, and Boston University established a successful program that nearly took home a national championship last season. All the while, the Huskies haven’t won a Beanpot since 1998.
Despite these headwinds, Northeastern is now on the cusp of something it has never attained before, a berth into the NCAA tournament. Last season, the team barely fell short. If it can receive an at-large bid or win Hockey East this coming season, it will cap off a long journey back to prominence.
Make no mistake, Dave Flint got exactly what he deserved last week: a contract extension. And hopefully, a raise.
