NU confident in its title bid vs. UConn
Dave Flint never counted out his Northeastern women’s hockey team. Over the years, the coach has shown great game planning, but his strength might be more in the mind-set he instills in his players.
“It’s reassuring for me as their coach to see the confidence level on that bench,” said Flint after NU’s 4-1 victory over New Hampshire Wednesday night in the Hockey East semifinals. “Our fifth-year kids have won four championships, so they know what it takes to get it done.”
But those years of dominance haven’t been formed in a player-only vacuum. As second-seeded NU heads into its eighth straight appearance in the Hockey East championship game Saturday against top-seeded UConn, it will turn to Flint, who in his 15 seasons has built the league’s most impressive coaching résumé.
A former goaltender at North Adams State, Flint arrived at NU in 2008 after establishing the women’s hockey program at Saint Anselm. A certified athletic trainer and a sought-after goaltending coach, he had a pedigree well-suited for rebuilding a struggling program. Though NU was one of the area’s first women’s hockey programs, the Huskies struggled with the growth of the sport, the addition of more teams, and the NCAA’s support.
By 2011-12, Flint’s abilities to build and lead were evident. The Huskies went 15-3-3 in Hockey East, winning their first regularseason title. They won their first Beanpot since 1998. Kendall Coyne Schofield, who would become one of the most important players in the development of the sport’s popularity in the US, was a freshman, an example of Flint’s recruiting prowess.
The next 14 years, NU became the standard-bearer for Hockey East, winning six league titles. The Huskies made their first NCAA championship appearance in 2016, and soon became regulars at the Women’s Frozen Four, making the last three.
So much of NU’s success is built on confidence and resilience, with the current season serving as a perfect example. By the end of November, the Huskies had lost eight games, as many as they had lost in the previous two seasons combined. With a top line of superstars having graduated, many thought NU’s reign atop Hockey East had come to an end.
“They could have packed it in and we could have had a very average season,” said Flint. “But they didn’t. They chose the path that they wanted to go and they came together and they worked hard. I think they found their identity.”
NU went on a run that saw it win the Beanpot in overtime, 2-1, against Boston University, defeat the league’s top two teams in UConn and Boston College, and now end up on the precipice of another Hockey East title.
One reason NU was able to rejuvenate its season was the play of goaltender Gwyneth Philips, a graduate student.
Playing for a coach who was a goaltender is not always easy, because the feedback can feel too critical or there can be perceived pressure because of the coach’s intimate understanding of the position.
Flint convinced the sought-after Philips to stick around and wait behind Aerin Frankel when she could have transferred and been a fiveyear starter elsewhere. The NU faithful are happy she did, as she provided defensive support this season while the rest of the team retooled. Her .953 save percentage and 1.19 goals against average have her in the conversation for National Goaltender of the Year and the Patty Kazmaier Award.
“The one thing I have always said about Gwen is she reads plays really well,” said Flint. “She’s a step ahead of the shooters. That’s what makes her so good, plus the fact that she’s just so competitive. That’s why she’s the best goalie in the NCAA.”
Philips’s steadiness gave NU time to reclaim the season. Now that it is back on track, can it stop UConn’s stellar run?
Winner of the regular-season title, UConn has won six of its last seven games, boasts of an extremely strong goaltender in 2022 Olympian Tia Chan, and 13 players who have scored in double digits.
“Going into the year, I knew we had the talent, ” said Flint. “With our fifth-year players and the experience they have, I was confident we could get back to the championship.”