Five Burning Questions From Hockey East

Who will score for Northeastern? Can Ida Kuoppala continue her hot start? And more...here's five burning question from Hockey East's first month.

Hockey East's schedule has only one weekend left in their opening month. The league, consistently dominated by Northeastern in recent seasons, looks to have undergone a power shift with the graduation of Northeastern's superstars.

One month into the season, here's a look at five burning questions from Hockey East's women's hockey league:

Who will score for Northeastern?

The good news is, few can score against Northeastern with Gwyneth Philips in net. The bad news is, few are scoring for Northeastern regardless of who is in the opposing net. To some extent, this was to be expected. You don't lose Alina Muller, Chloe Aurard, Maureen Murphy, and Maude Poulin-Labelle without a blip in offensive output. In fact, any avoidance of an all-out nose dive off a cliff in offense after losing that group would be a huge victory. In Northeastern's first nine games, they've only scored more than two goals three times. Right now, the team's leading scorer is third year forward Skylar Irving who has 10 points in nine games, although only one of those was a goal. In terms of goal scoring, Taze Thompson and Peyton Andersen share the team lead with four goals each. With their stars advancing to pro hockey this season, Northeastern is going to need to score by committee.

Will more European players flock to Hockey East?

Hockey East has always been one of the more heavily European conferences in NCAA women's hockey with programs like Vermont, Maine, and Merrimack relying heavily on European players every season. This year, it's standouts like Natalie Mlynkova (Czechia), Ida Kuoppala (Finland), and Nadia Mattivi (Italy). With the launch of the PWHL in North America, there's a possibility that more European players will choose to come to North America to play in the NCAA rather than staying in domestic leagues. In this year's PWHL Draft, Hockey East's European ties were well represented with players like the aforementioned Muller (Switzerland) and Aurard (France) being chosen, as well as Theresa Schafzahl (Austria) and Sandra Abstreiter (Germany) being chosen directly out of Hockey East programs last season. As well, alumni Tereza Vanisova (Czechia), Dominika Laskova (Czechia) and Denisa Krisova (Czechia). With multiple Hockey East programs already welcoming a regular flow of European players, could we see more interest in the coming recruitment cycle?

How far will the Watchorn effect take Boston University?

It's been a slow start to the season for Boston University, guided by new head coach Tara Watchorn. Watchorn took over the program with the intent of building a championship program at Boston University, one that matches the longstanding success of BU's men's program. It will take time for the Terriers to turn the ship, but if anyone can do it, it's Watchorn. The young core is there in Mari Pieterson in net, Brooke Disher on the blueline, and Alexandra Law up front, but this season will continue to be a challenge as BU also lacks veteran punch. The team got a boost through the transfer portal bringing in Luisa and Lilli Welcke from Maine, but this year they'll lose captain Nadia Mattivi. Watchorn's process won't be quick, but Boston University fans should remain hopeful.

Can Ida Kuoppala continue her torrid pace?

When Ida Kuoppala entered the NCAA, she scored 48 points in her first 51 games. Since then the Finnish player's out put dropped as the program itself struggled, with Kuoppala scoring 39 points in her next 70 games. This season, the fifth year player is piling up the points with 11 in her first seven games, almost equalling the 15 she scored in 35 games last year. Kuoppala, 23, will play professional hockey in North America or Europe next season, and will likely draw interest from Finland's national team with her hot start. Kuoppola is currently on pace for 55 points this season, a total that would be the best of her career, and is a scoring rate similar to the achievements of Muller, Murphy, and Aurard last season...but without the elite supporting cast.

How good is Vermont?

Vermont is toying with being a nationally ranked program, and for good reason. They have a group of highly skilled, veteran players including Natalie Mylnkova, Lara Beecher, Krista Parkkonen, and netminder Jessie McPherson, who is one of the best and most consistent goaltenders in the NCAA. Vermont took Clarkson to overtime and beat St. Lawrence, two nationally ranked teams, but their schedule to round out October and in early November might not be enough to get them ranked. If, however, Vermont can sweep through New Hampshire and Boston College, their record could get them there, and a win against Northeastern in mid-November would likely be enough to get them there. Vermont's weakness at this point is offensive contributions from the back end. Aside from Parkkonen, only Sara Levesque who has never scored more than two goals in her four NCAA seasons to date has scored, and Bella Parento who finished last season with five assists in 36 games is the only other defender with more than a single point on the season. If Vermont can find ways to jumpstart their offense from their own blueline, they could shock a few teams.