Northeastern had a goal in mind when the transfer portal, according to head coach Jerry Keefe: get a little older, a little harder to play against, and bring in players who will be excellent leaders and additions to the locker room. The Huskies appear to have done that again, with the addition of Patrick Dawson coming in as a graduate transfer student.
A native of Medway, MA, Dawson stands six feet tall, weighs 190 pounds, and shoots lefty. He just finished four years at Sacred Heart University in Atlantic Hockey, where he was assistant captain during his senior season. He played 112 games for the Pioneers, tallying 23 points (6 goals) in that span. Prior to Sacred Heart, he played for Odessa in the NAHL, and played at the Westminster Prep School and Neponset Valley River Rats programs. He was also a former captain at Westminster.
Sacred Heart head coach CJ Marottolo called Dawson “the heart and soul of our team” in an interview with the New England Hockey Journal. “He plays physical, doesn’t give an inch out there to anybody…he’s someone that we look to to be the standard of hard to play against.” Marottolo, a 1989 graduate of Northeastern University, has been the head coach at SHU for 14 seasons, and has seen his fair share of players in and out of college hockey, so he knows what to look for in terms of quality on and off the ice. In the same video, Dawson describes his game as “holding guys accountable on and off the ice, trying to lead by example” and lets his play talk for itself.
Looking ahead to 2023-24, we would expect Dawson to slot in as a competitor for the 6th or 7th defenseman role, assuming Northeastern rolls with seven defensemen on a regular basis. With starting lineup spots seemingly locked in by returnees Hunter McDonald, Vinny Borgesi, and Jackson Dorrington, as well as transfers Pito Walton and Matt Staudacher, we expect Dawson, returnee Braden Doyle, and freshman Michael Fisher to compete for the last two starting defensemen roles. Whoever does not get into the starting lineup will be a quality depth piece for the coaching staff if one of their teammates falls to injury or needs a night in the stands.
Welcome Patrick to the Northeastern family and program.
As always, go Huskies!