Northeastern captain Lily Shannon is heading into her final NCAA postseason and hopes to lead the No. 5 team to victory once more. She talks about what made an impact this season and what her future holds.
Northeastern is firmly back in the race for the 2026 NCAA women's hockey championship and a Hockey East title – a lot of that is on Lily Shannon’s shoulders.
Shannon not only captains the young team, she's among the Huskies' leaders in goals (19) and total points (41). And like any good captain, Shannon comes through when they need it the most leading the team game-winning goals at five.
Shannon’s collegiate career has been building to this. After nearly being redshirted her rookie season, to scoring more in her third year than her first two combined, Shannon's production has been at an all time high this season. She credits some of that upward mobility to working as a wing last season next to Skylar Irving, who’s now in the PWHL with the Montreal Victoire. Now that she’s returned to center, Shannon has used the experience to build her hockey IQ and know where her wingers are at all times.
Rookie Stryker Zablocki is playing on her right this year, and the two are the highest-producing duo on the team. '
“We're always able to find each other,” Shannon said.
At 5-foot-10, Shannon is aware she’s one of the tallest women on the ice, and she makes sure her opponents know it too.
“I try to use my body really to my advantage [through] protecting the puck or even like forechecking really hard or pushing girls against the wall,” she said.
In the last few weeks of the regular season, the Huskies have had to cope with the loss several of top producers, including Éloïse Caron, Holly Abela, Jaden Bogden, Peyton Compton and Alessia Baechler due to injuries and Baechler’s Olympic run. In their second conference loss all season, the Huskies came up short in overtime against Boston College after only being able to run three lines. Northeastern held its own, though, besting Boston College in shots on goal 38 to 32.
It was a test of the Huskies’ resiliency and scrappiness going into the end of the season.
“Watching the BC game over again, I think we had a lot of heart and desire out there. Even though by the time you sat on the bench, you were basically up again,” Shannon said.
Sure enough, Northeastern found its footing the next weekend when the team beat out its toughest competitor in Hockey East, the No. 6 University of Connecticut Huskies 3-2 in overtime Feb. 20, with just Compton back in the mix, and then doubled up Providence 4-2 the following day.
“It's a lot of skating, a lot of forechecking, so it's definitely really tough. But I think, this team, we have the ability to be able to do that,” Shannon said.
What’s special about the Huskies is their depth, Shannon said. It’s what’s gotten them through theshorthanded stretch and has built them into one of the best teams in the country.
“You'll see some teams that only have like one or two girls on their team that basically score all the goals… our team’s scoring comes from all over, not just forwards, it's also on the D side too,” she said.
Shannon has been a defining piece of the power play unit this season. She started out by the net, where she scored four power play goals, and has since switched to her one-time side. The key has been “moving that puck fast enough to get people out of position.”
As for her leadership, Shannon isn't always one for a lot of words. “I think people really listen when I do have something to say, because I don't talk that often," she said.
She hopes to be a role model and guide for the underclassmen, but also has faith that they don't always need it.
“If they have questions or even if they do need someone to look up to for anything, I'm always there.”
Shannon might be a favorite to enter the 2026 PWHL Draft, but her focus right now is on finishing strong in the red and black. Her eyes are on the upcoming Hockey East and NCAA tournaments, which she wants to win.
“I'm not super worried about my future, whatever happens, I'll figure out after the season,” Shannon said.