Donna-Lynn Rosa has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of hockey.

Rosa elected to Hall of Fame
April 29, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Donna-Lynn Rosa, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of hockey. Rosa, Class of 1990, will be inducted along with six others in formal ceremonies at Northeastern’s Curry Student Center in Boston, Mass., on May 21.

Rosa became the leading defenseman of her era and led the Huskies to two Eastern College Athletic Conference titles.

Rosa arrived at Northeastern in 1985 to a program that was already one of the nation’s finest, and made it even better. Her freshman year, the Huskies went 19-4-1 and battled to the finals of the ECAC only to bow 6-3 to New Hampshire.

Her sophomore year, the team eclipsed the 20 win mark for the first time with a 23-3-0 record. They went to the ECAC championship game again, losing to New Hampshire 3-2 for the second time. That year Rosa scored 16 goals with 17 assists for 33 points.

Her junior season was the finest in Husky hockey history. NU went undefeated with a 26-0-1 record and won the ECAC Championship for the first time with a 5-3 win over Providence. Rosa opened the game with a hat trick in the first period to spearhead the victory. For the season, she scored 22 goals and had 21 assists for 43 points and was voted All-ECAC.

In her final season she was elected captain and the team went 22-3-0. They clinched their second straight ECAC title with a 4-2 win over Providence. Rosa had 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points and was once again selected All-ECAC.

Over her four-year career, Northeastern had 90 victories to only 11 defeats and three ties. Rosa had 56 goals, then good for sixth in the Huskies’ archives, 65 assists, again good for sixth, and 121 points, good for fifth. All those marks were best for defensemen.

Upon graduation, Rosa played seven years in the National Women’s Hockey League. She won a NWHL championship with the Toronto Aeros and finished her playing career with the Brampton Thunder. She then coached the Thunder to two NWHL titles. Just last year, she was named the team’s General Manager.

In 1997, Rosa was the last player cut from the Canadian National team in preparation for the first ever World Championship. However, she served as an analyst for the TSN telecast.

Rosa currently resides in Mississauga, where she is the Head of the Parks and Recreation Department for the city of Brampton.

Joining Rosa in NU’s Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be Dan Walsh (rowing), Dave Klemic (football and track), Dan McGillis (men’s hockey), L.J. McKanas (football), Laura Kelso-Shiman (swimming), and Jennifer White-Richardson (field hockey).

Tickets to the induction ceremony can be purchased by calling George Makris at (617) 373-4821.