Laura L. Schuler has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for her achievements in the sport of hockey.
Schuler, Class of '94, not only starred for Northeastern but also played on the Canadian National team for many years. In 1998 she represented Canada in the first-ever Olympic competition for women's ice hockey. She played six sports at Woburn High School in Scarborough, Ontario, captaining the volleyball, field hockey, ice hockey and soccer teams and garnering MVP honors of field hockey, ice hockey and volleyball.
She enrolled at NU in 1989 in the midst of a decade of women's hockey prosperity on Huntington Ave. Northeastern had won ECAC championships in 1988 and '89. During her four years, it remained a national power, going 74-24-5 and qualifying for the playoffs every year.
In Schuler's freshman season, the team went 20-5. She chipped in 23 points, with eight goals and 15 assists. Her sophomore year, the Huskies went 20-7, with Schuler registering 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points. That season she led the team in all scoring categories.
Her junior season of 1991-92, NU posted its third consecutive 20-win season, going 20-5-2. Schuler enjoyed another 20-goal season to go along with nine assists, for 29 points. Her senior year, for which she was elected captain, was bittersweet. She started the season in fine fashion, and was leading the team in scoring with 16 goals and 20 assists, for 36 points, when she suffered a season-ending leg injury with seven games remaining. Her senior highlight was a two-goal, two-assist performance in a 5-2 win over New Hampshire. The Huskies finished the season 14-7-3.
Schuler's career figures were 64 goals, good for fifth in the NU record book, 57 assists (ninth), and 121 points (eighth).
After graduation from NU, Schuler continued her studies at the University of Toronto, where she was voted All-Conference in both 1996 and '97. The whole time she was playing collegiate hockey, she was also part of the international scene. She was a member of the Canadian National Team from 1990-2001. She played on the first-ever World Championship team in 1990 and won World Championship gold in 1992 and '97.
In 1998 she had the honor of playing for Canada in the first Olympics for women's ice hockey, where she won a silver medal.
