Four Northeastern women’s hockey alumnae and assistant coach Melissa Piacentini were named to Team USA for the upcoming 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
Northeastern is tied with Boston College for the third-highest number of alumni in the 23-person team. The Huskies and Eagles sit behind the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, which have six and five alumnae, respectively.
Goaltenders Aerin Frankel ‘21 and Gwyneth Philips ‘23 have been staples of the national team for the past two years, but the upcoming Olympic Games will be their first. The roster has not changed much since the 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation, or IIHF, Women’s World Championship, where the U.S. won gold. Although Frankel is usually the starting goaltender, both played in last year’s gold medal win over Canada.
Kendall Coyne Schofield ‘16, who has been making waves as captain of the Minnesota Frost, will make her fourth Olympic appearance this year. She earned the Patty Kazmaier award in 2016, becoming one of three Northeastern recipients alongside Frankel. She finished her Northeastern career as the all-time leading scorer in Hockey East play with 91 goals and 167 points in league games.
Montréal Victoire’s Hayley Scamurra ‘17 will make her second Olympic appearance. She previously earned a spot on seven IIHF Women’s World Championship teams from 2019 to 2025. In her time in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, she’s played for the Ottawa Charge and the Toronto Sceptres — scoring eight total goals. At Northeastern, she was named the Best Defensive Forward in the Women’s Hockey East Association.
Piacentini coached both Frankel and Philips and played in the NCAA at the same time as Schofield and Scamurra. She remains Syracuse University’s all-time leading scorer. Since starting as director of hockey operations in 2018 and her promotion to assistant coach in 2023, Piacentini has led the Huskies to five straight Hockey East Championships, three straight frozen four appearances and four Beanpot titles. She will be joining Team USA as a video coach.
Team USA opens Olympic competition with a preliminary round game against the Czech Republic Feb. 5 at 4:40 p.m. local time (10:40 a.m. EST) at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.
