By Matt Foster

For coach Laura Schuler and the women’s hockey team, there are really just two goals for the 2005 season.

Fewer distractions and more wins.

The transfer of eight returning players and the graduation of now-Olympian goalie Chanda Gunn handicapped the team at the beginning of last season. A young squad and a new system resulted in confusion on the ice and a difficult first year for Schuler.

“I was so excited about coaching,” said Schuler of her first season at Northeastern. “The kids were very excited, unfortunately they had a tough time. We had a lot of losses, but we kept getting better.”

The Huskies finished the 2004-05 campaign 3-25-4 overall with a 2-15-3 record in Hockey East play. The team showed improvement as the season progressed; something the players hope will translate to the beginning of this year.

The first week of last season included an 8-0 beating at the hands of New Hampshire in October. By February, the team had improved dramatically, losing to that same UNH lineup by a slim margin of 2-1.

“We lost eight games in overtime,” sophomore forward Nikki Petrich said. “We have a slight taste of winning, and want to win again. We have a sense of urgency that has carried over to this year.”

The team hopes to rely on its depth at forward and dominance in net to succeed. Marisa Hourihan, the senior goalie from Hanover, lead the nation in saves and set a Northeastern record with 1,235.

“Marisa is the number one goalie in the country,” Schuler said. “That experience is a real plus.”

Also looking to contribute is Petrich, who led the team in scoring her first season.

“Nikki did very well her first year and will continue to dominate,” Schuler said. “The team is pretty young. We do have great leadership although the core is pretty young. Last year we only had one senior; now we have eight, and more experience always makes it a lot easier.”

Another young player who hopes to make a quick impact is freshman forward Colleen Sanborn, the all-time scoring leader in Woburn High School history.

“Colleen has tremendous skill and will be a force to be reckoned with,” Schuler said.

The preseason coaches’ poll picked the Huskies to finish sixth in the Hockey East out of eight.

Based on the progress of Schuler from last year, junior forward Amy Goodney and her teammates see a lot of success in the future.

“Our coach came in last year in August,” Goodney said. “She didn’t know the team and no system was in place. By January we had the system figured out, and now most of the team is on the same page.”

The first matchup with Boston University on Friday and the 2006 Hockey East tournament at Matthews Arena in March give the players a little incentive to play harder.

Schuler likes the makeup of her team.

“The girls on this team are prepared, they never give up and they have a willingness to do what it takes to win,” she said.