Shelley R. Looney, a native of Brownstone Township, Mich., has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of ice hockey.
A 1995 graduate, Looney was the scoring ace of the Huskies from 1991-1994. She then went on to win a gold medal with Team USA in the first-ever women's ice hockey Olympic competition. It didn't take long for Looney to establish herself with the Huskies. As a freshman, she provided instant offense, scoring 11 goals as the team finished 20-7 and advanced to the ECAC final. Looney's production jumped to 15 goals the next year and the team improved as well, ending with a 20-5-2 mark.
Her progress continued as a junior when she earned a spot on the ECAC All-Star Team after netting 20 goals and leading the Huskies to a 14-7-3 year. NU lost in the ECAC semifinals to New Hampshire, 6-5 in overtime, despite Looney's three goals and two assists. Her performance was so spectacular that she received Tournament MVP honors although appearing in only one game. As a senior, she repeated as an ECAC All-Star and added a conference Player of the Year trophy to her growing collection. Her 22 goals led NU to 11 wins in 12 league games and a 19-6-3 finish. In the playoffs, Looney scored the game-winner as the Huskies defeated Brown to advance to the ECAC championship game for the second time in her career.
NU's record during the Looney era was 73-25-8, good for a .726 winning percentage. Her career totals of 68 goals and 127 points ranked fifth and sixth respectively among NU's all-time leaders. She remains on the team's top 10 lists for goals, assists and points in a career.
Looney's talent had not gone unnoticed in the international world of hockey. Before her collegiate career was over she had won a silver medal with the US team at the World Championship. With her Husky playing days behind her, she became a permanent member of the US national team. She has played in 15 World Championship games and in 1997 garnered an Outstanding Performance Award.
The highlight of her young career was saved for the final game of the first-ever women's hockey Olympic competition in 1995. After playing silver to Canada's gold in all five World Championships, the US won the inaugural Olympic gold medal, 3-1. Looney scored her team's second goal, which proved to be the game-winner.
