When Shane Henry played his first season for the UMass Lowell Chiefs in 1990-91, they struggled to a 10-23-1 record. By the time he had ended his senior season, the team enjoyed a 25-10-1 finish - then its best season in Division I - which included an appearance in the Hockey East Tournament Championship game and a trip to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinal.
Henry was not known for doing one thing well. He did many things exceptionally.
"Shane was one of those guys who you knew what you were getting from him every time over the boards," said former UML Head Coach Bruce Crowder. "He was always out there killing penalties. He was at the top of the umbrella on the power play. He was very good at seeing the ice.
"Shane was a real complete player," Crowder added. "You always got a lot more out of him than you thought. He was a guy who just played hard."
It is 15 years after Henry played his last game for UMass Lowell, but his name remains very prominent in the record book. He played 141 of 147 games in his career, pitting him 15th all-time.
Perhaps more impressive, he compiled 56 goals and 102 assists (158 points) for his career which is currently third on the all-time list.
Henry enjoyed his best seasons as a junior and senior, the former in which he compiled 23 goals and 15 assists. As a senior he registered 11 goals and 37 assists and helped lead the Chiefs to the Hockey East Tournament final and to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Michigan State (4-3) but fell to Minnesota (2-1) in double overtime in the quarterfinal.
An additional telling statistic is Henry's eight game-winning goals, which ranks 10th on UMass Lowell's all-time list (third among Division I players).
The recipient of many postseason honors, Henry is one of 16 players - six from the University's Division I era - to earn All-America status, which he did as a senior.
Additionally, Henry was a two-time Hockey East all-star, earning second team as a junior and first team as a senior.
Henry was also responsible for some of the greatest single-game performances in the program's history. In a Nov. 7, 1992-93 win at No. 5 Clarkson, Henry's goal 51 seconds from time capped a four-goal third period and ensured a 4-3 victory.
Later that season, he enjoyed a five-point night (three goals, two assists) in an 8-5 win over Northeastern on Jan. 23. The effort came in the midst of a 13-game scoring streak.
"Shane Henry was the consummate hockey player, not flashy, but rather smooth, graceful and extraordinarily effective," said Bob Ellis, radio voice of UMass Lowell Hockey for 25 years. "He could put the puck in the back of the net or make the play that gave a teammate a scoring opportunity. Henry raised the level of those players around him on the ice and off."
From 1994-98, Henry enjoyed a brief career in the minor leagues, which included stellar seasons with the Richmond Renegades of the ECHL, in which he compiled 22 goals and 47 assists (69 points) in 57 games; and the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks the following year, where he registered 15-38-53 in 47 games.
A native of Langley, British Columbia, Henry resides in Orlando, FL.
