Paul T. Filipe has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for his achievements in the sport of hockey.
Filipe, Class of '83, went from a questionable Div.1 recruit to an All-New England defensemen who earned four varsity letters from 1979-82. He was a product of Hudson High School, where his team won the 1978 Massachusetts State Hockey Championship. He was voted MVP of the title game. That year he was selected to six All-Star teams, including the Boston Globe and Central Massachusetts squads.
In his freshman season, Filipe was a surprise selection to the varsity. He proved coach Fernie Flaman's faith in him was correct by scoring four goals and 15 assists to finish as the Huskies' highest scoring defensemen. That year NU finished 12-15 and just missed the ECAC playoffs, losing to Providence in the final game of the season. Filipe was named the Huskies' Rookie of the Year.
In Filipe's sophomore year of 1979-80, the team finished a disappointing 7-20, but two of those seven wins were the most important in NU hockey history. Northeastern upset Boston University, 5-4, in overtime in the first round of the Beanpot Tournament. They then defeated the East's No. 1 team, Boston College, in another overtime thriller. The Beanpot victory was Northeastern's first in the 28 years of the tournament. Filipe had three goals and 12 assists on the season.
As a junior, Filipe earned assistant captain honors and helped NU to a 13-13 record. For the first time in 14 years, NU earned a place in the ECAC playoffs. The season might have been the most bizarre in NU history as the team won its first 12 games then lost its last 11. Filipe tallied five goals and 17 assists that year.
The season of 1981-82 was arguably the finest in Northeastern's 76 year hockey history, and the six-foot, 190-pound defenseman enjoyed his finest year. As assistant captain again, he led the team to the ECAC championship, the first ever for NU. Then, in the Huskies first-ever NCAA appearance, they lost to eventual champion North Dakota, 6-2, and defeated New Hampshire to finish third in the nation. NU's final record was 25-9-2, and Filipe registered six goals and seven assists. He closed his career with 18 goals and 55 assists for 73 points, the second most for a defensemen. That year he was the team's Most Improved Player and was voted All-New England.
The next year he signed with the Boston Bruins and spent one year in pro hockey. He is currently regional sales manager for AppIQ and resides in Wakefield, Mass., with his wife, Judy, and their three children: Samantha, Matthew and Hanna.
