Head coach Dave Flint is changing the positions of the members of the women’s hockey team – both in their heads and on the ice.
Flint is entering his first year at Northeastern after four years as head coach at St. Anselm in New Hampshire. He posted an 88-15 (.854 winning percentage) record as he took over a team that was in the process of transitioning from a club team to a varsity program.
“I’m going to take [this year] as a positive approach,” he said. “We have a long way to go to get to where we need to be. We have a good core of kids and for me it’s just changing the culture of the team,” Flint said.
The Huskies finished tied with Vermont for sixth in the eight-team conference and were picked sixth in the 2008-09 preseason coaches’ poll after going 7-24-3 (6-14-1 Hockey East) last year.
“I’ve got to teach them what I expect out of each player, what their commitment level should be and how hard they need to work day in and day out,” Flint said. “Get them to start believing in themselves a little bit. You have a team that hasn’t won a lot, so maybe they don’t have the most confidence in themselves.”
In addition to changing his players’ mindsets, Flint said he is installing a new defensive system to help bolster a backline that gave up 1,204 shots on goal and allowed on average 3.5 goals per game last season. Both marks ranked second to last in the conference.
Flint’s system consists of an unusual 2-3 setup, two forwards and three-person defensive line.
“It’s the first time for me [playing this type of defense],” said junior defender and assistant captain Erin Reil. “A few people had played it before. We’re just getting the hang of it. The players have adjusted really well.”
The Huskies unveiled their new defensive scheme during a 4-2 exhibition loss to Dawson Sept. 27 at Matthews Arena.
“We started off a little slow [during the exhibition],” said senior forward and co-captain Colleen Sanborn. “Once we settled in, it was really strong.”
The Huskies started out down 2-0 in the contest, but evenly played Dawson 2-2 the rest of the way.
Sanborn said playing farther back in her own zone as a forward was an adjustment, but it didn’t completely neutralize her attack.
“Just because you’re back doesn’t mean you’re solely on defense. Backs can also join up and play offense,” she said.
Flint’s defensive wizardry was evident last year as St. Anselm allowed just 0.92 goals per game en route to a 23-2-1 record.
While the Husky defense has a lot to live up to, Flint said he expects the blueliners to be the backbone of the team.
“For me, our main focus is defense,” he said. “We’re not going to win shootouts this year, 7-6 or 6-5. We’re going to win games 2-1 or 3-2 or 1-0. I think we are really strong in goal, we have a good defense, so we’re going to build off of that.”
The Huskies will return sophomore goalie Leah Sulyma (7-21-3, 3.12 goals against average.) Despite a pedestrian 3.12 GAA, she led Hockey East with 973 saves and was fifth in the conference and 16th nationally with a .912 save percentage, a testament to the sheer volume of shots she faced. Junior Stacey Arbelbide and senior Stacy Scott (0-0, 6.00 GAA) return as the backups. They are joined by freshman Florence Schelling from Sweden, who competed in the 2006 Olympics in Torino at the age of 16.
Up front, the Huskies return sophomore Kristi Kehoe, who led the team in scoring last year with an 11-14-25 line. Her performance ranked her ninth in the nation among rookies and earned her Hockey East All-Rookie honors. Northeastern lost some firepower with the departure of sophomore Chelsey Jones (13-9-22), who transferred to Minnesota, and graduated senior Nikki Petrich (11-9-20). Sanborn (2-3-5), sophomore Alyssa Wohlfeiler (6-7-13), and junior co-assistant captain Annie Hogan (3-6-9), round out the top returners for the Huskies. Senior Cassie Sperry (1-9-10) will redshirt with an injury, but walk-on freshman Karoline Perdios made an immediate impact with a goal against Dawson, and should see significant playing time, Flint said.
Junior Lindsay Berman (6-11-17), who has split time between forward and defense, will be a key player on the Husky defense. Reil (3-1-4) and junior co-captain Katy Applin (1-12-13) also return. Flint mentioned sophomore Julia Marty, a transfer from New Hampshire, and freshman Stephanie Gavronsky as players who could also make a contribution on the ice.
“We’re going to rely on all of them to be successful,” Flint said of his defense. “The older kids need to step up and be leaders and hopefully the other kids can follow.”
Players said they have quickly accepted Flint’s new attitude and system.
“He continues to gain our respect,” Reil said. “He really knows what he’s talking about, he’s had success in the past, and so far everyone’s really accepted the new system and philosophies.”
No matter what the game situation is, Flint said he is looking for the same fire out of his team.
“I told the team the other day, ‘All I want you guys to do is to find a way to play hard and compete every day.’ No matter what the score is, if we are up five, down five, or if it’s a tied score, they’ve got to learn to play at the same level for sixty minutes of hockey.”
While Flint can help them, he said the burden is on his players to come through.
“The bottom line is to find a way to win hockey games and play hard. I can help them do that but ultimately it’s up to them,” he said.
The Huskies open the season on the road against Rensselaer Oct. 3. Their home opener and conference opener is Oct. 18 against Providence at 1 p.m.
