Even a clumsy disc jockey hasn’t broken as many records as Aerin Frankel.
Since she played five seasons and been as consistent as New York City traffic, some of her goaltending records at Northeastern University may never be broken. Hyperbole?
Consider some of her career records:
• Games played: 139.
• Goals against average: 1.31.
• Save percentage: .949.
• Saves: 3,349.
• Shutouts: 39.
• Wins: 103.
She also holds NU’s single-season shutout mark of 11.
“She’s definitely the best goalie in women’s college hockey,” NU head coach Dave Flint said. “She’s broken about every record there is. I don’t know if some of her records will be broken. We’ve had awesome goalies at Northeastern.”
But none like Frankel, a 22-year-old graduate student from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., who saw her storied college career come to a close March 18 in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth in a Frozen Four semifinal game in University Park, Pa.
True to form, Frankel was outstanding even in defeat. She made 48 saves before a Duluth player ended the classic with a well-placed shot.
“She’s a very humble kid. She’s very, very polite. If you saw her on the street, you’d never in a million years guess what this person has done. She doesn’t walk around like she’s an elite, all-star athlete,” associate head coach Nick Carpenito said.
Frankel’s career record at Northeastern was an eye-popping 103-22-10.
“I’m a very competitive person and that shows with my style of play. I’m doing everything I can to stop the puck,” Frankel said.
To propel the Huskies into the Frozen Four, she made 39 saves in a 4-2 victory over Wisconsin. Frankel led Northeastern to back-to-back Frozen Four appearances.
Frankel won the Patty Kazmaier Award, given to the nation’s top Division 1 women’s player, last year. She was one of the 10 finalists this season, but the award went to University of Minnesota senior forward Taylor Heise.
“Her numbers are right where they were last year,” Flint said of Frankel.
Winning the top individual award in the country was fantastic. But the reason she decided to return for an NCAA-approved fifth season was the chance to win a national championship. The Huskies advanced to last season’s national title game before falling to Wisconsin, 2-1.
Northeastern bounced the Badgers in the rematch March 12. Frankel was superb, especially when she rejected a booming slap shot from the left faceoff circle by Katie Kotlowski in the third period.
Frankel stopped the shot with her left pad, but the rebound went to Brette Pettet, who wasted no time firing the puck toward the right post. Frankel, however, dove to her left, stopped the shot and corralled the puck in the blink of an eye.
“I definitely wanted to take the fifth year, especially knowing almost all of the team was returning. It was an easy decision to make … given how close we came last year. That was definitely a deciding factor for all of my teammates who wanted to take a fifth year,” Frankel said.
In a college hockey world where 5-foot-11 and 6-foot goaltenders aren’t uncommon, the 5-foot-5 Frankel stands out.
She’s certainly not the biggest goaltender in the country. But Northeastern coaches say she’s the best. It’s certainly hard to argue.
“She’s not imposing. She’s not 5-foot-11. I think a lot of schools missed the boat,” Flint said.
Given her play at Northeastern, it’s surprising to hear that Frankel was lightly recruited. She played for national powerhouse Shattuck-Saint Mary’s and the program featured such a stacked roster that Frankel was rarely tested.
“She would stop 15 shots and a lot of them were perimeter shots,” Flint said.
Flint knows a thing or two about goaltending. He formerly served as USA Hockey’s goaltending coach and was an advisor for the women’s national program. But even he wasn’t sure about Frankel. Then Shattuck head coach Gordie Stafford raved about Frankel’s character.
“She wasn’t a heavily recruited kid. A lot of schools got hung up on her being 5-foot-5, and how good is she? For me, I took a chance. I took Gordie at his word. And she’s a great kid,” Flint said.
In her freshman season, Brittany Bugalski was Northeastern’s starting goaltender. Bugalski and Frankel ended up splitting the workload, but by the end of the season it was clear Frankel was a No. 1 goalie.
She compiled a .933 save percentage and 1.97 goals against average. Then she really took off.
Frankel’s talent is on display for all to see. Behind the scenes, however, her teammates rave about her.
“She is a leader on the team and she takes that role with a lot of pride,” said grad student defenseman Brooke Hobson, her roommate for four years. “We’re lucky to have her. She is absolutely an amazing goalie. We really have so much confidence in her. It’s a good feeling to have. It’s not normal when a shot gets by her. It’s a pretty rare occurrence.
“Her personality and character are what drives her on and off the ice.”
Being named the national player of the year is heady stuff, but Hobson said awards have never inflated Frankel’s ego.
“She walks around like she’s a normal player. But our whole team looks up to her like crazy,” Hobson said.
When Frankel opted to return for a fifth season, Flint was elated. But the coach was skeptical how much she would play. He figured Frankel would be named to the U.S. Olympic team. She was not chosen, however.
Surprised, and thrilled, Flint sat his star goalie down prior to the season and told her to forget about last season, forget about the Kazmaier Award, and to not try to live up to that kind of pressure.
“Just play how you can play,” Flint said.
Mission accomplished.
"The numbers speak for themselves, right?" Flint said.
Frankel doesn’t mess around in practice.
“I’m a firm believer in how you practice translates into how you’re going to play in the game,” she said.
That means being disappointed if shots get past her. Even if they’re fired by a close friend or roommate.
“The most defining characteristic about Aerin is her competitiveness and her compete level,” Carpenito said. “She hates to get scored on and it’s not just in games.”
“That’s true,” a laughing Frankel said.
Frankel led the Huskies to five straight Hockey East playoff championships. She never lost a league postseason game, compiling a ridiculous 18-0 record.
“It’s a terrific accomplishment. We’ve definitely had such a special group for the last five years. The most special one was the first one because it was Northeastern’s first one. I think it gave the program credibility and it kind of put us on the map,” Frankel said.
Flint calls the 18-0 record astonishing.
“You would think in 18 games you would have a hiccup along the way,” he said. “For me to go 18-0 is remarkable. We won’t see that again.”
Frankel began playing hockey at age 7, two years after she learned to skate. Her parents weren’t thrilled when she played goalie one day.
“They didn’t want me in the net. They really didn’t know too much about the position. They thought as a kid I didn’t know what I wanted,” she said. “I won that fight. To be honest I liked the fact that I didn’t have to get off the ice. If you don’t give up a goal you can’t lose. I think I liked having control of the game.”
Unlike a clumsy disc jockey, that’s Aerin Frankel. Always in control.
