Back when Lily Shannon was amid her stellar hockey career at Governor’s Academy, Northeastern University women’s associate hockey coach Nick Carpenito paid a visit to watch her play.
At the time there was mutual interest in the Andover resident playing for the Huskies, but the coaching staff thought at the time that she may need another year to develop before reaching the collegiate ranks.
“She was someone who we were thinking about red-shirting,” said Carpenito. “We knew that she was athletic, but she was raw and had a lot of work to do.”
After watching her, Carpenito changed his tune.
“I remember leaving the rink and calling (head coach Dave Flint) telling him that I didn’t think Lily needed to red-shirt,” said Carpenito.
After leaving Governor’s with 147 career points, Shannon jumped right into the NU lineup as a freshman and has been there since. She has been part of an NCAA playoff team, a Hockey East playoff finalist team, playing a key role in winning the Beanpot Championship the last two years.
Last week in the semifinal of the 46th annual Beanpot tournament, she scored a shorthanded goal in the team’s 4-1 win over Boston College. On Tuesday night, Shannon and her NU (14-6-1) teammates will be back on the TD Garden ice to face Boston University with the hopes of winning three straight titles.
“There’s a little extra pressure on us just because people don’t want to see us win it again,” she said. “Honestly, I think that extra pressure is going to make us work even harder. Everyone wants to win the title, and nobody wants to see us win back-to-back-to-back titles. We need to make sure that we don’t let off the gas.”
Carpenito thought Shannon made need a red-shirt season to work on her skating.
“She needed to lengthen out her stride. It was powerful, but it was super short,” he said. “The first three weeks of practice, she’d be out there before practice working blue line to blue line to lengthen out her stride. It paid off as she got a lot quicker, a lot faster and has taken off ever since.”
She combined for nine goals and 14 assists through her first two seasons. This year, she has eight goals – including three game winners — and four assists.
“She’s super smart, she’s not afraid to go in the dirty areas and that’s where she produces most of her goals. She does have that mid-range shooting ability which is rare in women’s college hockey,” said Carpenito.
In her five Beanpot games, Shannon has a goal and three assists.
“I remember going to the Beanpot games when I was a kid. I’d just imagine being on the ice playing,” she said. “To be a part of it again (last week) was just surreal. It doesn’t feel real until you step out on the ice and even then, it still doesn’t even feel real. It’s just the craziest feeling and experience. I’m just so excited about Tuesday. I just can’t wait for it.”