The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

After suffering a heartbreaking (yet historic) loss to the upstart Clarkson Golden Knights in the championship game of the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four, it would prove to be a very long offseason for a very proud Minnesota Golden Gophers program. Having earned a national title as a freshman in 2013, Hannah Brandt’s aspirations for a second straight title were dashed.  With the absence of Amanda Kessel during the 2013-14 season (due to the Sochi Winter Games), it only compounded the impact of the losing. For Brandt, the responsibility of leadership and the need to anchor the team’s offensive attack, runner-up was not the desired outcome at the Frozen Four. Also finishing as the runner-up in voting for the 2014 Patty Kazmaier Award to Clarkson’s Jamie Lee Rattray was another blow that added to the disappointment. Heading into the 2015 edition of the NCAA playoffs, the level of pressure was greater than ever for Brandt. While there were many significant milestones during her junior ...

Carrying on in the tradition of elite goaltenders at Northeastern, Taylor Crosby joins the program in the autumn of 2014. Starting with Chanda Gunn, who would play for the United States national team, other prominent goaltenders included Leah Sulyma (who once made 100 saves at the Canada Winter Games), Florence Schelling, who earned a bronze medal at Sochi 2014, and current backstop Chloe Desjardins. The younger sister of Sid “The Kid” Crosby, she is doing more than following in his footsteps. Of note, her father, Troy was a goaltender drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. Eight years younger than her brother, she began playing at the age of 10, while her brother was competing with the Rimouski Oceanic. Coincidentally, future Clarkson Cup champion goaltender Jenny Lavigne attended the Oceanic training camp. Despite the age difference, Sidney would shoot pucks at her while she was 14. Prior to Northeastern, she would compete at the prep school level at Shattuck St. Mary’s,...