Northeastern University Athletics

Chanda Gunn, of Huntington Beach, Calif., has been elected to the Northeastern University Varsity Club Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of women’s ice hockey. Gunn, Class of 2006, will be inducted along with four others in formal ceremonies at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass., on Friday, April 13, 2012, at 7 p.m.

Gunn is an Olympic bronze medalist who starred in goal for Northeastern from 2001 to 2004. She graduated Northeastern the owner of five goaltending records, and is one of four First-Team All-Americans, six Olympians and three Patty Kazmaier Award finalists in program history.

After seeing little time her freshman season playing behind the outstanding Erika Silva, Gunn emerged the following year to become one of the premier goaltenders in program history. As a sophomore in 2001-02, Gunn conceded just 41 goals in 31 games, and collected 23 wins with a save percentage of .950, both Northeastern records that still stand today. Although Northeastern fell to Providence in that year’s ECAC Eastern Final, Gunn was named tournament MVP. She also earned AHCA Second-Team All-America honors and was a Patty Kazmaier Award candidate.

Times were tougher as a junior in 2002-03, but Gunn led a Huskies team that averaged fewer than two goals per game with her typically strong goaltending, surrendering just 2.28 goals per contest.
Her senior year, however, cemented Gunn as one of the great goaltenders in the nation and in Northeastern history. Facing nearly 34 shots per game for a team that once again struggled to score, Gunn posted a 2.06 goals against average with a .936 save percentage and three shutouts.  For her efforts she took home a slew of awards: Gunn won the ITech Three Stars Award and was named Hockey East Player of the Year, a Div. I First-Team All-American and a finalist for the 2004 Patty Kazmaier Award, which honors the nation’s top player.

Gunn is currently second in program history in all-time career save percentage (.936) and saves (2.447). She holds Northeastern’s all-time record for single-season wins (23) and is second in save percentage (.950).

By her senior year, Gunn’s work in the community gained prominence that rivaled her prowess in net. In 2004 Gunn won the Hockey Humanitarian Award for excellence on the ice and in community service; she also took home the NCAA Sportsmanship Award as well as the Honda Inspiration Award.
By 2006, she was recognized as the nation’s finest netminder, and started four of the United States’ five games at the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Gunn, who first represented her country in 2003 and retired from international play in 2010, registered two shutouts in her four games, including a 4-0 win over Finland to win the bronze medal.

Since 2010, Gunn has served as program director at the Newton Teen Center in Newton, Mass. In addition, for the past year she has worked as director of teen services at the West Suburban YMCA in Newton. She lives in Newton.