You've got one more day to vote for NC Women's Hockey Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year, if you haven't already. Now it's time to check out which coaches led the rest of the pack this season.
Vote for the Fan Choice Coach of the Year in the poll at the bottom of the page. You can vote up to once per hour until the poll closes Tuesday, March 21 at noon Pacific, so be sure to get your vote in on time and share with friends so they can vote as well. Let's do it.
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Maura Crowell – Minnesota Duluth
In her second season as the head coach of the storied Minnesota Duluth program, Maura Crowell led the Bulldogs to a 25-7-5 overall record, third place in the national rankings, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Despite a disappointing first-round loss to longtime rival Minnesota, this is a team poised to achieve greatness.
Under Crowell’s leadership, several Bulldogs put up career years, with senior forward Lara Stalder leading the pack. In 35 games, Stalder racked up 56 points, a career-best for the Olympic bronze medalist. Sophomore netminder Maddie Rooney, who joined the team in Crowell’s first season as the head coach, posted her best collegiate season yet with a .942 save percentage and a 1.65 goals-against average.
Five-time national champions already, the Bulldogs will be eager to find a way to improve once again to hopefully make it back to the biggest stage in women’s college hockey, this time led by Crowell.
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Doug Derraugh – Cornell
Despite a disappointing loss to Clarkson in the NCAA Quarterfinals, Cornell posted one of its best seasons in recent memory with a 20-9-5 record and its first national tournament berth since 2014.
At the fore of this impressive year was head coach Doug Derraugh. In 12 seasons with the program, Derraugh has led the Big Red to 222 wins, 135 losses, and 33 ties. In large part, Derraugh’s recruiting skills have brought fortune to this team, with players like Paula Voorheis, Hanna Bunton, and Kristin O’Neill leading the charge.
Netminders Voorheis and Marlene Boissonnault backstopped one of the nation’s top-ten defenses, with an average of 1.68 goals per game allowed.
With eyes on next season and a bevy of promising young talent, the Big Red will be looking to finally call themselves National Champions.
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Katie Crowley – Boston College
One season removed from a near-spotless result, the Eagles are back in the Frozen Four, looking for redemption. One of the most elite programs in the nation is led by head coach Katie Crowley, a former U.S. National Team player. Under Crowley’s guiding hand, Boston College has become a preeminent force, setting program records with most wins in a season several times over, plus lengthy unbeaten streaks.
This season wasn’t as dominant for the Eagles as last year’s sublime effort, but a 28-5-5 record is nothing to scoff at. The team’s ultimate test will come this weekend as the Eagles meet first-ranked Wisconsin for the chance to take a second consecutive trip to the national championship title game.
Under Crowley, Boston College boasts the sixth-ranked offense and fifth-ranked defense in the nation. Goaltender Katie Burt is sixth-ranked in save percentage with .933 and tied for fourth in shutouts with eight. Six Eagles appear on the nation’s scoring leaders board, with senior forward Andie Anastos leading the pack.
With a team so well-stacked, Crowley and the Eagles will be confident heading into this weekend’s semifinal round.
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Mark Johnson – Wisconsin
It’s not surprise that at the helm of the best team in hockey this season is one of the best head coaches in hockey. Since Mark Johnson took over the Wisconsin program 13 years ago, the Badgers have amassed four national titles, six WCHA playoff titles, and five WCHA regular season titles.
A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team — does Miracle On Ice ring a bell? — Johnson is no stranger to winning. This season, the Badgers compiled a 32-2-4 record. The last time Wisconsin earned double-digit losses, it was a 24-10-2 season in 2012-13.
With players like Annie Pankowski, Sarah Nurse, and Emily Clark in his arsenal, Johnson has plenty of talent to work with. One of the best players in hockey this season was netminder Ann-Renée Desbiens, who topped the nation in save percentage (.963), shutouts (16), goals-against average (0.691), and wins (28).
Entering the Frozen Four this weekend, the Badgers will look to earn their first national title since beating Boston University in 2011.
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Chris Wells – St. Lawrence
In his ninth season as the head coach at St. Lawrence, Chris Wells led the squad to a 26-6-4 record and a spot in the sixth rank in the nation. Despite a 6-0 loss to Boston College in the NCAA Quarterfinals, this was a historic season for the Saints.
The team opened the year with a program-record 17-game unbeaten streak. The Saints earned wins over Northeastern, Clarkson, and Princeton during that span before finally succumbing on December 3 to Clarkson in a 4-1 defeat.
Through the season, St. Lawrence earned a top-ten spot in both team offense and team defense with an average of 3.19 goals scored per game with just an average of 1.61 goals allowed. Sophomore netminder Grace Harrison tied for second in the nation with nine shutouts, and earned a 1.6217 goals-against average for 12th in the NCAA.
Forwards Brooke Webster and Kennedy Marchment tallied 57 and 56 points for third and fourth in the nation respectively. Three different Saints ranked in the top-five in the nation in assists.
Plenty of great Saints are returning next year, so Wells will have much talent to work with as his team makes another run at postseason success.[divider]
Who’s your Fan Choice NC Women’s Hockey Player of the Year?
