EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Kelly Nash's first season as the head coach of the LIU women's hockey team a season ago began with the Sharks facing a pair of top-five opponents, Minnesota Duluth and Northeastern.

The Sharks used that experience as a springboard to winning the New England Women's Hockey Alliance's regular-season and postseason titles and earning the program's first-ever National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship appearance.

Now, LIU is prepared to open its second season under Nash with back-to-back games, on Friday and Saturday night, against No. 5 Northeastern at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow.

Nash again is looking forward to the challenge of facing the highly ranked Huskies.

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In the first of two games last season in Boston between LIU and Northeastern, the teams went to the third period tied at 1 before the then-No. 3 Huskies tallied a pair of third-period goals to prevail.

"That series helped us in the long run last season," Nash said. "I think we see it doing the same thing this season, but we're a little more prepared having the experience we did last year playing those top-10 teams."

Reigning NEWHA champion LIU returns a ton of talent from last season, highlighted by junior goaltender Tindra Holm, a National Women's Goalie of the Year semifinalist in 2022-23. Three of the four double-digit goal scorers from a season ago return: Long Islander Jeannie Wallner (team-leading 15 goals) as well as Carrigan Umpherville (10) and Mikayla Lantto (10).

Lantto, assisted by Wallner and Umpherville, opened the game's scoring in the second period during last season's Sept. 30 meeting between LIU and Northeastern.

"The energy around the team, with how we finished last season, is tremendous," Nash said. "And with the incoming freshmen, everyone has been meshing very well. It's been a great environment."