By: Alex Faust, News Staff
It’s well understood that Northeastern is a global institution. We hear it all the time from Northeastern President Dr. Joseph Aoun: International students, study abroad opportunities, international co-op, yada, yada.
Even when it comes to sports, you can’t help but be amazed when looking at the home towns of so many of our student athletes. These players aren’t gimmicks, either. Greta Samuelsdottir and Sandra Magnusdottir, both from Iceland, are key impact players on the women’s soccer team. Les Williams, from Toronto, is the baseball team’s top pitcher, while Vinny Lima of the men’s basketball team hails from Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa.
Northeastern’s men’s hockey players are no different. These guys come from every corner of the continent now. Many hail from Western Canada, a few from New York, and the rest are sprinkled about the lower 48. Only five are from Massachusetts. At least head coach Greg Cronin still keeps close to his New England roots – the team’s scrappy, aggressive style of play comes as no surprise given that he grew up in Boston, and he still carries an unmistakable New England accent.
So it’s refreshing to see that the new Northeastern men’s hockey recruiting class included a few local products – freshman forward Rob Dongara of Scituate and freshman forward Cody Ferriero of Essex. Given how many other choices are out there, I had to ask both of them why Northeastern?
“It’s a great place to play, and I love the city,” Dongara told me. “I grew up right around here and always wanted to play in the Beanpot.”
Though Dongara did not mention whether other Beanpot participants were calling his name, he said there’s something intangible about playing here that made the decision easy.
“There’s something about this place, Matthews Arena, the history, the campus,” he said, “I just feel really comfortable here.”
Ferriero, who originally committed to playing for Boston College, said something similar in a September interview with The Huntington News.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the Hockey East and in the Beanpot,” he said. “It means a lot to me to play in my home town, around my friends.”
First thing on the minds of these local kids is the Beanpot and Hockey East. Maybe that’s the secret to BU and BC’s success – growing up around hockey, local kids know about the Beanpot, they’ve followed national championship runs, they’re conditioned to the prestige and tradition of New England college hockey.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad when we can snag a recruit who grew up thousands of miles from Boston. It says a lot about the university. I’m not advocating that the school halts recruiting outside New England. But the Huskies still need athletes who embrace the local, working-class roots of this institution. It’s important to have home-grown guys who grew up in the midst of Boston’s college hockey scene. Perhaps more than anyone, they know what a Beanpot or Hockey East championship for the Huskies would mean to this city and this region.
Hopefully, they can make their hometown proud this season.
