When Suffolk University women’s hockey head coach Abby Ostrom met Lily O’Neil for the first time, she figured out that O’Neil was a student athlete who was passionate about the team, knew the potential of the group and had goals of where she wanted the program to go.
When Madison Duff met O’Neil in 2020 ━ Duff’s junior year and O’Neil’s freshman year – she saw a more reserved person that she quickly learned more about once the two got to know each other better.
O’Neil was the first person Vanessa Stuart met when she arrived in Boston, and Stuart said O’Neil taking her in like she was family and showing her around the city made her notice that she had just met someone really special.
While the three had slightly different first impressions of O’Neil, they can all agree on one thing now: Lily O’Neil was the backbone of the team, and, in some cases, the team’s saving grace.
“She is the heart and soul of Suffolk hockey, and has been since she first stepped foot in that locker room,” said Stuart. “Her commitment to the team, to herself, I think is something a lot of people look up to. She’s been through a lot with injuries, but that hasn’t changed her perspective and her dedication to Suffolk hockey.”
O’Neil decided to attend Suffolk after a conversation with then-head coach Taylor Wasylk, in addition to wanting to stay close to home. Since she joined the team, she has set the program record for saves in a game with 61, allowed just one goal in two playoff games to lead Suffolk to the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship, started in the program’s first ever NCAA tournament game and is the only goalie in program history to make 1,000 saves.
One thing that’s gotten her this far is treating every game the same way and playing confident.
“I’ve learned that if I play with confidence and I play calm and collected, that translates to the rest of the team,” said O’Neil. “My mindset was always setting a strong foundation for the players in front of me and giving them the ability to trust me and be confident in me and also have that translate into their play as well.”
Duff said O’Neil’s composure in net was a big factor during games, as well as the team being able to lean on her when necessary.
“Having a goalie you can trust is the biggest thing,” said Duff. “Playing goalie is so hard, it’s so mental and she was really solid when it came to that. She never panicked, she never yelled at the defense to get in place. She always was really calm, and I think that’s why she stepped into a leadership position towards the end.”
While the Rams made their push towards a CCC championship in O’Neil’s junior year, she had plenty of battles on the ice against strong competition. She also had a separate battle off the ice, a battle with what would end up being a career-ending injury.
O’Neil was playing with thoracic outlet syndrome in her left collarbone, which occurs when nerves, arteries or veins are compressed. After they won the CCC championship, O’Neil underwent surgery to address the issue before the 2023-2024 season began.
The surgery didn’t work the way it was intended to, and it left O’Neil still in pain. During the 2023-2024 season, the condition got bad enough to the point where she couldn’t feel her glove hand during games.
During that season, O’Neil still started 20 games and was in net for all eight wins the Rams had. She delivered four shutouts and a .929 save percentage while playing injured. She returned as a graduate student this year with the goal of continuing to play, but the symptoms weren’t getting better.
Doctors told O’Neil to be prepared to not play during the season, but she wanted to skate during preseason action to see if she would be able to handle it. After an exhibition game against the University of Southern Maine, O’Neil made the difficult decision to not play, which brought her career to an end.
“As much as hockey means the world to me, [the injury] made me realize that I have the rest of my life to think about as well. It was such a hard decision to make,” said O’Neil.
O’Neil has stayed around the team as she remains a captain alongside Sammy Lassman, with Leslie Steiner and Sam Molind serving as assistant captains. O’Neil also played with the Suffolk softball team, and plans to remain around the team in the spring even though her softball career has also come to an end.
Something O’Neil has expressed an interest in is remaining involved in hockey beyond this year, particularly in a coaching position.
“I’ve been coaching in the summer for five years, and I could definitely see myself coaching at whatever level,” said O’Neil.
Stuart believes that O’Neil’s hockey sense would make her a good coach in any role, whether it’s as a goaltending coach, an assistant coach or head coach.
“I think the way she sees the game, she thinks from different perspectives and I think that’s very important when you’re a coach,” said Stuart. “I think she would be very good in that role and I think players would really enjoy having her as a coach.”
For now, O’Neil remains a student-athlete looking onto the ice from behind the glass as Katelyn Michals has taken the reins as Suffolk’s starting goalie. Ostrom is happy with how Michals, a transfer from Assumption University in Worcester, has played so far this season.
“I’m excited about her playing style. I think she’s super athletic, she moves well, when she’s dialed in she really controls rebounds and controls the game to an elite level,” said Ostrom. “Obviously we miss having Lily back there, but at the same time Katelyn’s done a great job of stepping in and holding down the fort.”
Ostrom appreciates O’Neil being a leader for the hockey team when she arrived on campus and pointed out how much of a team player O’Neil is.
“She’s not the most vocal person, but she leads by example,” said Ostrom. “She always does the right things and she wants what’s best for the program and she wants what’s best for every individual.”
As for Stuart, she credited O’Neil for being her best friend during their time at Suffolk and believes she deserves lots of credit for the program being in the spot it is now.
“Lily being my best friend throughout my three years there really made my time that much more special,” said Stuart. “I’m really grateful for the three years we had together, I wish we could’ve had more. I think she deserves all the recognition in the world for everything she’s done for the program and to get the program where it is today.”
Duff was very appreciative of O’Neil’s kindness as a person, describing her as someone who doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and someone she gravitated towards in her final few years at Suffolk.
As for O’Neil herself? She’s happy that she’s found a welcoming community and second family she can be a part of forever.
“I want to mention how appreciative I am of this program and the athletic staff as a whole for being so supportive of not only me but our program,” said O’Neil. “I know that I’ll have this community for the rest of my life, and it’s given me so many opportunities and helped me build a family that I’ll have forever.”
RGN • Dec 11, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Very nice article on the Goaltender/O’Neil by Michael Najarian. Well written and you were able to let the quotes which were very thoughtful and pointed..tell the story. Well done!