Women Huskies win team’s final hockey game at Matthews Arena
More than 50 alumni players attend Northeastern’s last women’s hockey game at the historic 115-year-old arena. The Huskies defeated the Boston College Eagles, 4-2.
Northeastern University hockey legend Kendall Coyne Schofield returned to the 115-year-old Matthews Arena for the last time Saturday overwhelmed with emotions.
The building where she had scored so many goals, played so many games and shared so many moments with teammates will be deconstructed for a new multi-purpose athletics and recreation complex.
Coyne Schofield — a Northeastern Athletics Hall of Famer, three-time Olympic medalist and former captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team and current captain of the Minnesota Frost of the PWHL — described the feelings as bittersweet. However, she was glad she could see other former Huskies and teammates one more time in the historic building, her “home away from home.”
“Matthews Arena was so much more than a rink, it was our home, which is why this day is so meaningful for all who are here,” said Coyne Schofield, who played on the Northeastern women’s hockey team from 2012 to 2016 and still owns the program records for career goals (141) and single-season point total (84).
Coyne Schofield was one of many former players at the Northeastern women’s ice hockey team’s last game at Matthews Arena against the Boston College Eagles. The world’s oldest hockey arena will close its doors on Dec. 14 to be replaced by a state-of-the-art complex.
The Huskies won the game, 4-2, with goals from captain Lily Shannon, Jaden Bogden, Ella Lloyd and Stryker Zablocki. Northeastern trailed 2-1 after the first period but bounced back to tie it in the second and go ahead in the third.
Shannon scored the game-winner at 17:52 of the third period. After taking a pass from Zablocki in the corner, Shannon fired the winner past Boston College goaltender Grace Campbell. Zablocki added an open net goal with 39 seconds to go. Northeastern goalie Lisa Jonsson made 28 saves in the win.
Northeastern head coach Dave Flint said there was a lot of pressure to win “the last game in the building,” especially for the seniors. The team faced some adversity during the game but stepped up and had “a beautiful goal to win it” late in the third period.
Emotions were running high before the game, Shannon said, but they settled down after the first period.
“It was a great effort all around. It was a great win, especially BC being one of our rivals and being able to beat them in Matthews was electric,” she said.
Shannon has transformed as a hockey player over the past four years, Flint said, and is now one of the best players in the country.
“It was fitting for her to step up,” Flint said.
More than 50 women’s hockey alumni attended the game, including Shelley Looney ‘95, Diane DeBergosian ’81, who was the first ever Women’s Beanpot MVP; Brooke Whitney ’03; Tina Cardinale ’88; and Kelly Dyer Hayes ‘89.
“I am truly thankful for those that came before us in this sport and very proud to have been part of this team and helped kick off the winning tradition for women’s ice hockey at Northeastern University,” said Dyer Hayes.
“I remember when I walked into Matthews when I was taking a campus tour at Northeastern, I turned to my mother and told her, ‘This is where I want to play!’” Dyer Hayes said. “I come to NU often, and I still get that feeling of excitement when I walk in the building.”
She said her favorite memory at Matthews Arena occurred during the 1987-88 season when the team won the ECAC championship. The team also won the Beanpot and finished the season undefeated.
Former Northeastern women’s hockey stars Florence Schelling and Whitney handled the ceremonial puck drop before the start of the game. Whitney was a star forward for the Huskies from 1999-2002 and the first Northeastern athlete to win the Patty Kazmaier Award for National Player of the Year. Schelling was a 2008-2012 Husky goaltender, Hockey East player of the year, 2012 women’s hockey world champion and 2014 Olympian.
“There are so many favorite memories from me playing in this building, but I gotta say my most favorite thing is going into the locker room,” Schelling said. “That was the most fun, because that’s where I saw my friends, my teammates, that’s where we came together as a team and made sure that whatever happened in the locker room, we were able to bring it out on the ice and perform.”
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun visited the student cheering section known as the DogHouse, helping students pick a winning ticket in a jersey raffle. He said Matthews Arena has had many great moments over the years.
“I love this arena, I love its history,” Aoun said. “But now we have to look at the future, and we are going to build a beautiful arena, and we are going to keep the historical accents.”
The women’s hockey team has been a source of pride for the Northeastern community, Aoun said, producing outstanding leaders at the national level.
The DogHouse was as loud as ever, filling the arena with chants, waving flags and cheering every bit of action on ice. The pep band added music during breaks.
“It’s so monumentous, this is a historic day in this building for this team, and so we really just tried to give it our all, honestly,” said Ruby Rodriguez, a fifth-year mechanical engineering and design student and a part of the DogHouse leadership team.
The fan club prepared posters for the game to especially celebrate seniors on the team.
Another DogHouse leader and a data science and economics student, Misha Ankudovych, said he only missed a few home games in four years.
“We’re losing a big part of Northeastern but it’ll be worth it,” he said. “It’s exciting to see the new arena and all that’ll come with it, but it’s sad. I think a lot of my memories here, a lot of my times here as a student will be lost in a sense.”
Former Husky goaltender and 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner Aerin Frankel said her favorite memory at Matthews is winning Northeastern’s first Hockey East Championships her freshman year in 2018.
“It was just a very special moment that we shared with our fans,” she said. “Being able to do it in historic Matthews Arena is something that I’ll remember forever.”
Frankel, a goaltender for the Boston Fleet of the PWHL and member of the U.S. women’s national team, said what makes Matthews different from other hockey arenas is the history.
“You can feel it right when you walk in,” she said. “The building has so much character.”
Winning championships at Matthews was also among the “coolest experiences” for Alina Mueller, Northeastern all-time points, assists and game-winning goals leader, who is currently a forward for the Boston Fleet of the PWHL and a member of the Switzerland national team.
She recalled how during the COVID-19 pandemic the team had to play in the empty arena. Winning the 2023 Hockey East Championship the next season in the historic Matthews in front of fans, family and friends and seeing their happy faces, Mueller said, was special and rewarding.
“When people are watching, I feel like I can give something back and I feel like I can inspire others. It just gives that extra boost, especially when you’re playing at home and feel the support of the fans,” Mueller said. “That’s my biggest ‘why’ I do it.”
Mark Conti, managing editor of Northeastern Global News, contributed to this report.
