When Dave Flint’s Northeastern Huskies entered the Women’s Hockey East playoffs last spring, they were a .500 team (11-11-2 in WHE). In short, they needed to win the league title to get an invitation to the NCAA tournament. Despite having an experienced junior goaltender in Brittany Bugalski, Flint turned to a freshman. And Aerin Frankel didn’t disappoint.
Frankel, a native of Westchester County in New York and a graduate of famed Minnesota powerhouse Shattuck St-Mary’s, ripped off four straight one-goal victories. After knocking off New Hampshire in the quarterfinals, 3-2 and 2-1, Frankel simply got better, beating Maine, 2-1, in the semifinals, and Connecticut in the finals, 2-1.
“Early on in the year, she won some big games for us, and then she beat Wisconsin over Thanksgiving,” said Flint. “After that, by late November, I knew this kid was the real deal. When it came playoff time, she took it even to another level.
