It’s not a secret that Northeastern University is a gold mine for goaltending.
From the likes of Kelly Dyer Hayes and Erika Silva Adams in the 90s to Olympic bronze medalists Chanda Gunn and Florence Schelling in the 2000s. Don’t forget current U.S. national team starters Aerin Frankel and Gwyneth Philips in back-to-back succession between 2017 and 2024. Huntington Avenue has a knack for producing top talent in the crease.
One of the latest in that long list of talented netminders is Sweden’s Lisa Jönsson. Originally from Stockholm, Jönsson recently had the chance to play on the senior national team for the first time in her career. She led the team to a 5-0 win over Switzerland, making 15 saves en route to the shutout.
“Obviously I’m really grateful to be able to have that chance,” said Jönsson in a conversation with The Ice Garden. “It was really fun to finally play senior national team hockey.”
“I think it’s different because international hockey is such different play, because we play on bigger rinks. And especially on a European team, I would say… they usually pass a lot. Like on a 2-on-1, they would pass. But here in the U.S., they would shoot. So I had to adjust my playing style based on that,” she added. “But I felt like I could come in and use the tools that I had, the core that I built here, I could use on the national team. And that felt very great, because I know that even though the conditions are different, I know I can come in and still play my style.”
And once she returned from Lahti, Finland, Jönsson didn’t miss a beat with her North American program. The junior made 26 saves in a shutout win over Providence to open Hockey East play. Shefollowed it up with 52 saves in a 1-0-1 weekend against then-ranked-fourth Quinnipiac. After her first four games, Jönsson had a .970 save percentage, with two shutouts and a sub-1.00 goals against average.
Jönsson, who turned 22 this past August, first joined the Huskies in the fall of 2024. She made her first start against BU on Oct. 12, and solidified herself as Northeastern’s No. 1 after a dominant weekend performance against UConn that November. By the end of the season, Jönsson averaged a .938 SV%, with seven total shutouts. In the two seasons before moving to Boston, Jönsson averaged under 700 total minutes.
As a freshman, she played over 1,500.
“In the beginning, I was used to being on the bench, so I was just trying my best in practice, because I knew that if I get the chance, I have to be ready and show my worth basically,” Jönsson said of her freshman season. “And then I was able to take the chance when I got it… That was my main goal the entire time, just be there and be ready because anything can happen, especially in a goalie position.”
While her freshman campaign put others on notice, her sophomore campaign arguably exceeded expectations. In 29 games, Jönsson went 21-7-1, finishing with 803 saves and a .939 SV%. What was the largest difference from one year to the next was how the season finished – something she herself noted.
“What I liked about last season more than my freshman season was that I was able to perform better in the second half. My first year, I felt like I came in so hot that I kind of had a dip in the end. But last year, I was able to perform when we needed it, which was a great improvement from the season before,” Jönsson said.
Not only is Jönsson a force on the ice — she’s also a fantastic individual off of it. In March she was named the 2026 Elite Scholar Athlete Award recipient. She had the highest grade point average of any of the players at the Frozen Four. Then, just a few weeks later, it was announced she would be one of the assistant captains for the 2026-27 season. She’s the lone third-year athlete in the Huskies leadership group.
“It’s an honor to be a part of [the leadership group],” Jönsson said. “I was just so grateful that my teammates wanted me to have the letter on my chest. I mean, goalies in Sweden are not allowed to wear a letter, so I’ve never worn one before. So it was very special to me and to be a part of this group with [Kristina Allard], and Ellie [Mabardy] and Rylie [Jones] just feels so great… I think we complement each other very well.”
“I think I bring a lot of energy, and I care about people a lot,” she added. “And I know the others do too… It’s more responsibility than I’ve ever had before. But I think it’s fun to learn and be in a new role this year.”
To be eligible to receive the Elite Scholar award, one has to make their sport’s respective championship weekend. Without Jönsson, Northeastern would not have made it to the Frozen Four. Between the Hockey East quarterfinal, and the regional final the Huskies won over Minnesota (four games), Jönsson made 158 saves — good for a .963 SV%. In that win against the Golden Gophers, she made 45 stops to smother one of the best offenses in the country.
“I just heard a quote from [Calgary Flames’ netminder Devin Cooley],” Jönsson said. “He said he was playing in his non-conscious part of his brain. I love that quote because it definitely explains how it feels when you’re in flow state. And that’s how I felt in those games. You feel like you are, no matter what you do, you’re just in this flow state and you don’t even think. You just go.”
“I was able to hit that flow state more times in this season than in my freshman season. Which was really nice,” she continued. “It’s always a nice feeling when you play those games, you know: nothing can stop me.”
There’s obviously been a bit of noise surrounding Northeastern so far in 2026-27. The Huskies are without their home rink for a full season — in case you hadn’t heard that one. Plus, there was the loss to RPI in overtime to open the season, the first opening game loss for the Huskies in nearly a decade.
But there have been the positives too, including a milestone win for the program’s leader. With the victory over Quinnipiac, head coach Dave Flint secured his 400th victory with Northeastern.
“We had no idea that his next win was going to be his 400th,” Jönsson said with a laugh. “That’s such a huge accomplishment… It just shows how much he means to this program and I just think it’s awesome. He’s an amazing person and he deserves it so much.”
Flint, a former netminder himself, has had a hand developing many of the aforementioned goaltenders at Northeastern. His long history of success on the ice speaks for itself. But so does what his players have to say off of it — players including Jönsson.
“Having [Flint] behind me and having him trust me has been the biggest thing for me,” she said. “We’re working on details and goalie stuff, but I feel like anyone can do that. The thing that makes him stand out is the fact that you feel like you have someone that really believes in you. And that’s part of the reason why I came here. Because he said ‘I believe in you, I want you here. I think that you can be really great for this team.’ And that’s something that really motivated me to come here.”
Northeastern is just starting their season. There’s plenty left to prove for the Huskies. And their roster, according to their netminder, is capable of more than some may think.
“I think people should look at the depth of our team,” said Jönsson. “I think last year, we had a really good team. But I think we have shown this year too that we have a lot of people that can step forward. It’s not only our two top lines. It’s our third, and fourth, and all our D-pairs are playing, we’re playing everyone. I trust everyone in front of me. And I think that’s something people should notice.”
Jönsson and the Huskies continue game action in Hockey East throughout the rest of the fall. Be sure to check out theixsports.com throughout the 2026-27 season for more NCAA coverage.
* Note: quotes have been edited lightly for length and clarity.
