COURTESY PHOTO
Matt Filipe (#17), a Lynnfield native, is starring in his freshman season for the Huskies.
By HAROLD RIVERA
Lynnfield native Matt Filipe grew up around the hockey community at Northeastern University. His father, Paul, played for Northeastern from 1978-1982 and often brought his son to catch games at Matthews Arena. Now Matt’s following his father’s very large footsteps.
It’s only natural that the younger Filipe, a freshman at Northeastern, is playing a key role for the Huskies this season. The left wing has seen action in all 22 games this season, earning the trust of Huskies coach Jim Madigan, a former teammate of Filipe’s father.
“It means a lot to me that the coaches trust me,” Matt said. “They put me on the ice a lot. It was a tough adjustment to the college level at first. It means a lot that they can trust me in different situations. If they need me to grind it out in the corners or score some goals, I can do that too.”
Filipe played three seasons at Malden Catholic before joining Iowa’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the USHL.
Filipe spent a season with the Roughriders, his first experience away from home. He played in 56 games, scoring 19 goals and 17 assists.
“It was really different living out there, away from home,” Matt shared. “It was a cool experience, being able to go through it with those guys. It was my first experience away from home, but it was special.”
At the finish of his season with Cedar Rapids, Filipe, who was drafted in the third round (67th overall) of last year’s NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, decided to return home and follow in his father’s footsteps at Northeastern.
“My dad had a big influence on me,” Matt said. “I grew up going to Northeastern games as a kid. I grew up around the team at Matthews Arena, going to all those games. Northeastern’s where I wanted to be all along.”
After spending a year 1200 miles away from Lynnfield, Filipe’s decision to join the Huskies was much to his father’s liking.
“He (Matt) was so far away last year at Cedar Rapids,” Paul said. “A lot of his buddies from high school went to colleges far away. For me and my wife, this is easy because he’s only 20 minutes away. It’s nice that he’s close by and his games are a close drive.”
Paul added, “It’s real exciting. The first game was down at Quinnipiac so me and my wife went down there. I used to bring him to Northeastern games so watching him wear that jersey is really special.”
Last Saturday, Filipe and the Huskies took the ice at Fenway Park against New Hampshire. Filipe previously took part in Frozen Fenway as a sophomore at MC, making Saturday his second time doing so.
“It was awesome,” Matt said of the experience. “No matter how many times you play there it’s special every time. There’s so much history in that ballpark.”
Among those rooting for Filipe in the Fenway stands were a handful of his former USHL teammates and family members. The pregame ceremony also hit home for Filipe as his father was called upon to drop the ceremonial first puck.
“That means a lot,” Matt, who started at left wing, said. “My family didn’t get to see me play a lot last year. It was pretty cool that my dad dropped the ceremonial puck, that was a special moment.”
Saturday’s game ended in a 2-2 draw and Northeastern currently stands at 7-10-5. Filipe and the Huskies are gearing up to make a late-season run.
“The last few years, Northeastern’s been known to be a second half team,” Matt said. “We show up everyday to the rink and work hard. If we keep doing that we’ll be alright. I think we’ll hit our stride soon and hopefully make a run.”
As Northeastern readies for the season’s closing stages, Filipe has placed himself in position to make an impact on the team’s fate. Along the way, he’s impressed his biggest fan.
“He’s playing well,” Paul said. “He’s doing a lot of the little things he needs to do. The coaches trust him in critical situations. Goals and assists are great but being a hockey guy myself, I know the little things mean a lot in winning games.”
Aside from hockey, Filipe has enjoyed his early college experiences. The freshman is now in his second semester at Northeastern.
“Everything’s going great,” Matt said. “Academics come first, it’s a really good school in both academics and athletics. The community is really tight here. Everybody supports one another athletically and academically.”
In following his father’s journey, Filipe knows he’s facing a tall order. Fortunately, tall orders don’t intimidate the 19-year-old NHL prospect.
“I have a lot to live up to with him, he accomplished a lot,” Matt said. “I try to do whatever it takes to represent the team. He’s helped me a lot with advice and coaching me. Just to be able to play where he played and to try and make a mark like he did is something I’m looking forward to.”
Harold Rivera can be reached at [email protected].
