skip navigation

Kaz Watch: BU’s Marie-Philip Poulin Does It All

03/10/2015, 4:30pm MDT
By Doug Williams - Special to USAHockey.com

Poulin is a Team Player Who Can Also be a Lethal Scorer

An award of The USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey.

Recently, Boston University coach Brian Durocher was talking about senior captain Marie-Philip Poulin, trying to explain just how good she is.

“If she wasn’t such an unselfish player, I truly believe she could add 10 to 20 points per year to her resume,” Durocher said. “She’s somebody who thinks pass first and thinks about everybody on the ice. It’s not about being a star with her, but it’s about trying to get team accomplishments.”

Sometimes, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

That’s what happened for the Terriers this past weekend in the Hockey East Tournament.

Poulin scored a hat trick in a 6-1 semifinal victory over Northeastern University, then added two goals Sunday in a 4-1 triumph over top-ranked Boston College. She had seven points over the two-game stretch and was named tournament MVP as Boston University (25-8-3) clinched its fourth straight conference tournament championship and earned a sixth straight trip to the NCAA playoffs.

“As many accolades and as much success as [Poulin] has had in the past, these two games might rival any pair of back-to-back games she has played in her life,” Durocher told the school’s newspaper, The Daily Free Press. “Against [Northeastern] she controlled the game on both ends, and then with [Boston College] she had to play against a deeper team. To come away with five goals, two assists, penalty kills and blocked shots is just amazing and shows just how much of a talent she is.”

In 31 games, Poulin ranks fifth in the country in scoring with 54 points (including 27 goals) and is averaging 1.74 points per game. She’s just one point from tying her career high in points, set last season in 35 games.

Her coach also calls her an unselfish teammate who is an exceptional three-zone player. She was voted Hockey East’s Best Defensive Forward for her work this season.

Last week it was announced that she is one of the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award given annually to the best player in women’s college hockey. She’s the first Boston University player ever to be a top-three finalist. The award will be presented March 21 at the women’s Frozen Four at the University of Minnesota.

“It’s a great honor to be nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Award, especially with two great players like Alex Carpenter (Boston College) and Hannah Brandt (Minnesota),” Poulin said. “A lot of credit goes to my teammates.”

On the ice, she’s a creative scorer, capable of rising to the occasion — whether it’s at the Olympic Winter Games or the Hockey East Tournament.

“She’s a great player,” said teammate Sara Lefort earlier this season. “She’s very innovative on the ice. There’s always something she’s pulling out of her back pocket.”

Poulin often seems more comfortable letting her game speak for her, deflecting attention to teammates and the team as a whole.

After winning MVP honors and leading the victories over Northeastern and B.C., Poulin told reporters that she’s focused on a bigger prize.

“It’d be amazing to win an NCAA title,” she said. “I wanted to come back to Boston and win one. It will take a lot of work to get there, but we’re taking it one game at a time.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.

2015 Ceremony Information

Saturday, March 21, 2015
McNamara Alumni Center- University of Minnesota
10:30 a.m. – noon

Kaz Watch Articles

Junior forward Abbey Murphy taps the gloves of her teammates after scoring in her white and maroon Minnesota jersey.
St. Lawrence junior Abby Hustler skates down the ice in her white, black, and red jersey
Penn State sophomore forward Tessa Janecke shoots the puck in her Penn State white and navy uniform.

Tag(s): Home  Kaz Watch  News