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Northeastern University
A native of Huntington Beach, CA, Chanda Gunn is one
of the top women’s hockey players in the nation.
She rewrote the Northeastern record books as a sophomore,
and followed that up by finishing third in the nation
in save percentage (.928) and 12th in the nation in
goals against average (2.18).
Last season, she was one of the 10 finalists for the
Patty Kazmaier Award as the top women’s collegiate
hockey player in the country, while also earning Second
Team All-Hockey East honors. In addition, she made the
2003 USA National Team for the World Championships in
Beijing, China and the Four Nations Cup. This season
she is captain of the Husky team, while continuing to
put in top-notch performances starting in net.
The mere fact that she is playing hockey is remarkable,
let alone excelling in the sport. The reason is that
in the fourth grade she was diagnosed with epilepsy
and didn’t pick up hockey until she was 14 years
old. It didn’t take her long to excel, though,
and by the time she was ready for college, she matriculated
at the University of Wisconsin.
Despite posting a 3-3-2 record as well as a 1.91 GAA
and a .933 save percentage, things didn’t work
out for Gunn so she transferred to Northeastern. She
saw limited action in her first year as she was adjusting
to life at Northeastern, while beginning her course
of studies in Athletic Training and serving as the backup
goalie for Northeastern.
Then came last season and her emergence as a premier
collegiate goalie.
As committed as she has been to improve as a hockey
player, that is how focused she has been on helping
others.
Her involvement in community activities began in 1995
while still in high school in her native California.
From 1995-98, she was a volunteer coach with the local
mite and squirt teams and began teaching in the "Skate/Mommy
and Me" programs. She also began working at summer
clinics, camps, and pre-season practices for the Cal
Selects (formerly Team California) girls’ hockey
program at all age levels
She then spent a year at the Taft School before matriculating
at the University of Wisconsin. While at Taft, she worked
in a soup kitchen.
During the 1999-2000 season, she was a head coach for
the Cal Selects U12 team, and, even though she is attending
school in Boston, she continued to coach the Cal Select
U12s.
Her desire to help in the local community continued
when she began at Northeastern. During the 2000-01 season,
she began assisting the local U12 South Shore Kings
in the league’s initial season and assisted the
team with practices and in tournaments. She also participated
in the Campus Clean Up Day and volunteered for the Boston
Breakers in the initial season of the WUSA.
In 2001-2002, she organized the team to raise money
for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and she remains
active with the CFF and the Great Strides Walk, which
raises money to help cure Cystic Fibrosis. She has currently
raised over $3,000 for the Foundation. In addition,
she trained with a Hospice program to become a Hospice
volunteer, which she still does today, to aid those
suffering from terminal illnesses, most with less than
six months to live.
Last year, she was an active member of the Northeastern
Student Athlete Advisory Board. She was also a student
mentor for freshmen in the athletic training program,
and became a Big Sister in the Big Brother/Big Sister
of America Program.
This year Gunn serves as the President of the Northeastern
Student Athlete Advisory Board, founded the Inner City
Youth Hockey Program, works with SCOR Boston to provide
underprivileged kids with hockey instruction, coaches
10 and 12 Massachusetts Spitfires girls teams, raised
$1,000 for Jennifer Goulet, a Niagara hockey player,
who was diagnosed with throat cancer, works with Heroes
Among Us (Epilepsy Foundation), is a student mentor
in the athletic training program, helped with YMCA Halloween
and Christmas parties, helped with NU Student Athlete
Auction, speaks at elementary schools, is a student-athlete
at NCAA YES program and adopted a family during Christmas.
"As much as a catalyst Chanda is for our women’s
ice hockey program, she is having the same positive
impact within the community," wrote Northeastern
women’s hockey coach Joy Woog in her letter of
nomination. "Her contributions to society lead
far beyond hockey. She does so much for others in her
free time that I can’t keep track of it all.
"When a player dedicates herself to your team,
her education and ministering to others, you find yourself
cheering in her corner," concluded Woog. "Through
her search to be the best person she can, she unknowingly
challenges me to do the same. I believe she does this
for many."
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