NHLCA Female Coaches Spotlight

Lindsay Berman graduated from Northeastern with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2011. While completing her undergraduate degree, Lindsay played professionally for the Boston Blades in their inaugural season of 2010-2011. She continued playing for the Blades of the CWHL through the 2014 season while taking on the assistant coach role at UMass Boston in that same span. Lindsay took a year off of her playing career in 2014-15 when she moved down to Providence to coach at Brown University. The head coaching job opened up at UMass Boston the following season, which brought her back to Boston for the next three years. In her first season as head coach, Berman led the Beacons to the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) tournament title and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament. Berman then guided the team to a program-record 19 wins in 2016-17 and was named the NEHC Coach of the Year in 2017-18 after helping the Beacons back to the conference title game. Lindsay was granted the opportunity of a lifetime in 2018 to return to her alma mater as an assistant coach. She has remained in that role since and is very much looking forward to her 4th season back on Huntington Avenue.

Dr. Lorenda Beuker is a mental skills expert with ice hockey goaltending experience with Team Canada and NCAA collegiate coaching experience at Princeton and St Lawrence University. Dr. Beuker has delivered mindset performance training for athletes, coaches, and teams at the professional (NHL, NHLCA), collegiate (NCAA, NAIA), amateur, and national (USA Hockey) levels. Through her coaching Dr. Beuker shares valuable insights and strategies aimed at optimizing athletes’ mental fortitude and performance under pressure.

Dr Beuker is an established speaker on sports mindset and has active research on mindset performance training aimed at bolstering athlete coping skills, resilience, and overall performance. Dr. Beuker specializes in a three-session workshop implementation and mindset performance tracking to add to any team environment. Preliminary research findings from her work have highlighted advancements in athlete coachability and empowerment as well as team dynamics.

Originating from Saskatchewan, Canada, Dr. Beuker played for Team Canada in the 1999 Three Nations Cup (now the Four Nations Cup) and debuted with Team Canada playing in the 1999 U22 Christmas Cup in Germany. Dr. Beuker currently resides in Florida yet connects with athletes and teams across North America, applying her expertise in mindset performance training to navigate pressure and performance situations effectively.

Dr. Beuker completed her education at the University of Calgary (Calgary, Canada), Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY), and the United States Sports Academy (Daphne, AL).  Dr. Beuker is a professor of sports management and performance consultant at Keiser University (West Palm Beach, FL).

For the past two years, Carley Blomberg has contributed as an Assistant Coach at Brock University while also leading the U22 Fort Erie International Academy Female Hockey Program. Her coaching approach is centered on supporting athletes in their holistic development, both on and off the ice, helping them reach their fullest potential.

Carley’s university career culminated in 2022 with an OUA Conference Championship with Brock University and a trip to the Women’s National U-Sport Championships in PEI. As a U-Sport Academic All-Canadian from 2017 through 2022 and a key member of the Badgers’ Leadership Group from 2018 to 2022, she demonstrated her commitment to excellence in both academics and athletics. In 2021, Carley was selected as one of six student-athletes named to Hockey Canada’s Creating Coaches Mentorship Program.

In addition to her university achievements, Carley served as an Assistant Coach with the Stoney Creek Sabres, capturing the Esso Cup U18 National Championship in 2023. On the international stage, Carley and her National Women’s Team Canada crew secured Gold at the 2022 World Ball Hockey Championship and Bronze in 2024. In 2023 she assisted Canada’s U21 Women’s National Ball Hockey Team at the World Ball Hockey Championship, capturing another gold.

Carley has been coaching and teaching skills for several years, collaborating closely with True Stride Hockey Development.

Sarah Bobrowski began her first season with the Bemidji State Women’s Hockey program in 2022-23 and served as an assistant coach. She joined Bemidji State after serving as an on-ice instructor with the Ottawa Senators Youth Hockey Program since April of 2021 and played professionally in Germany for one season.

Bobrowski played three seasons at Lindenwood University from 2014-17 where she set the program’s single-season record with 19 assists and was named to the College Hockey America (CHA) All-Academic Team and the CHA Playoff All-Tournament Team. She finished her collegiate career playing one season at Hamline University, earning selections to the CCM/American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) West All-America Second Team, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-Conference Team, and the AHCA All-America Scholar Team. Bobrowski guided Hamline to its first Frozen Four appearance in program history and set an NCAA Division III single-game record with nine points.

While attending Hamline, Bobrowski began her coaching career in 2017 as a AAA girls hockey coach for the Minnesota Ice Cougars. After graduating from Hamline in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Bobrowski was an assistant coach with Mahtomedi High School from 2018-19.

Bobrowski went on to play internationally for Eisbaren Berlin in Germany from 2019-20 and finished the season tied as the team’s points leader.

Valérie Bois coaching career began 10 years ago with the Midget AA Rempart du Richelieu and the Midget AAA Territoire Nord. In her second year of coaching, we participated in the Esso Cup, which they won in 2013 in Burnaby – a first for Qc. Following this championship, she was approached by Cégep Saint-Laurent to become an assistant coach, where she spent the next five years as an assistant, including 1 season as the Head Coach. During that time, she also held various roles; she spent three years with the various Hockey Qc programs, from Video Coach for the U18 Women’s Team to Head Coach of the U16 Women’s Team, as well as the Assistant Coach of the U18 Women’s Team and was able to experience 3 Canadian Championships in a row.

Subsequently, she was approached by the Montreal Canadiennes to become an assistant coach in the CWHL and by the Forestiers, d’Amos, to become their video coach. This season they ended with an appearance in the Clarkson Cup final.

With the CWHL closing that same year, she continued my journey with the Montreal team in the PWHPA while helping the Bishop’s University program start a new program in women’s hockey. Valarie had the chance to participate in two Team Canada training camps that took place in Montreal.

The last season marked the Bishop’s Gaiters’ entry into the U-SPORTS network and a 4th place playoff spot for such a young program. At the beginning of the season, she had the chance to participate in the Sherbrooke Phoenix LHJMQ camp and to be able to assist in an exhibition game as their video coach. Additionally, in conjunction with the Gaiters season, Valarie was the video coach for Collège-Français in the Junior AAA league of Quebec. Finishing 1st in the regular season standings, we continued our journey by winning the playoffs. At the same time, she was lucky to be the first woman to be able to lift the NAPA Cup as a coaching staff member. A few weeks later, they finished the season in the Final Four at the Centennial Cup in Saskatchewan.

Coaching Highlights
– 2022: NAPA Cup Champions with College- Français QMJHLAAA and a top 4 finish at the Centennial Cup
– 2019: Clarkson Cup finalist with Les Canadiennes de Montréal / HP2 Accreditation
– 2017: U18 National Finalist with Team Qc
– 2015: RSEQ Collegial Champions with Les Patriotes du Cégep Saint-Laurent
– 2013: Esso Cup Champions with Midget AAA

Kristen Bowness graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in physical education. During her time at UA, she played for the women’s hockey team for three seasons and earned her master’s degree in Sport Management and Athletic Administration. After graduation, she taught physical education for six years and was awarded Rookie Teacher of the Year for Arizona. Bowness was the manager of diversity development and sled hockey for the Tampa Bay Lightning for five seasons. She created, managed, and coached various levels of girls’ hockey throughout the Tampa Bay Area. She coached sled hockey teams and won 3 national championships while helping to establish Southeast region girls and sled hockey leagues with 6+ teams in each. She is a USA level 4 coach.

Megan Bozek is a 2x Olympic Silver Medalist for Team USA. She graduated from University of Minnesota with a Sport management degree. She won back to back national titles while at school. She is a 5x World Champion, and currently lives in Waterdown, Ontario.

Megan is also a desk analyst for the Vegas golden Knights and a TSN panelist for women’s international games. In 2023, she joined the New York Rangers for development camp as a guest coach.

Bethany Brausen is the assistant women’s hockey coach at the University of St. Thomas. The 2021-22 season marks Bethany Brausen’s sixth year coaching at the D1 level and her first with the Tommies. Brausen has helped lead St. Thomas in their transition from D3 to D1 hockey in the fall of 2021. Previous to St. Thomas, Brausen was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Brausen, a native of Little Canada, Minn., competed for the Gophers from 2010-11 to 2013-14, where she won two consecutive national titles. Brausen also served as a two-time captain in her junior and senior years. She has a wide range of coaching experience with youth hockey, high school, MN development programming, and USA Hockey.

Bethany is responsible for recruitment as well as on and off-ice development with student-athletes. In addition, Bethany helps oversee many areas within her current program, including academics, strength and conditioning, compliance, and logistics for the incoming players. During her first year with St. Thomas, she served as the acting head coach while Joel Johnson, head coach of the Tommies, was with the Olympic program.

Bethany has a background in psychology, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota in 2014. She is also trained in mental health counseling, earning a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in 2017. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership Policy & Development. She is passionate about the fields of organizational leadership, sports coaching, executive coaching, counseling, and teaching.

Amy Brolsma is one of the premier power skating coaches in the Midwest. With 30 years of coaching experience, she has taught skaters from the beginning mite level to the NHL. Over the years, Amy has worked with many hockey players, associations, and teams in Wisconsin for 25 years and now in the Minneapolis area. 

Training under the tutelage of Olympic figure skating coaches, she accomplished two US figure skating gold medal tests. As a Master Rated figure skating professional, Amy has presented at state and regional workshops and has been highlighted on figure skating websites for her skill teachings.

Personal Background:
B.S. in Human Biology with an emphasis in Exercise Science from UW-Green Bay
Sports Psychology certificate from US Sports Academy
Master Rated US Figure Skating Professional 

The past 5 years she has worked closely with teams in the area including leagues USHL, NAHL and Division 1. Individually, her work includes skaters at all levels from mites through NHL. Using her talents to develop hockey players into efficient skaters.  

Mackenzie Bruch was hired by Minnesota State in April, 2024 and will be in her first season as Women’s Hockey Assistant Coach in 2024-25. Bruch came to the Mavericks from Yale, where she was the women’s hockey goaltending coach since 2021.

During her time at Yale the Bulldogs achieved program records – culminating in the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four National Semifinals, ECAC Regular Season Championship, Ivy League Championship. Her goaltenders earned season and career shut-out record, season and career GAA records, ECAC Goaltender of the Year, Top-10 National Goalie of the Year, and Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalist, and set the record for quickest goaltender to reach 50 wins in a career.

She is USA Hockey’s U18 Women’s National Team’s Goaltending Coach for the 2025 and perviously held the same role for the U22 Women’s National Team in both 2022 and 2023.

Bruch’s career also includes serving as a guest goaltending coach for the Red Wings’ Development Camp in 2024, consulting/scouting for the Omaha Lancers (USHL) and the Chicoutimi Saugeneens (QMJHL), and goaltending coach stints with Albertus Magnus College (Men), Wesleyan University (Women), Bemidji State University, and Pro Crease Goaltending.

A native of Powder Springs, Ga., Mackenzie played college hockey at Bemidji State University.

Jessica Campbell served as an Assistant Coach for Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship, becoming the first woman to join the coaching staff of a national team participating in the World Championship. This past season, Campbell joined the Tri-City Storm, USHL development program, actively heading the Windy City Storm Girl’s Hockey program in Chicago while also serving as an assistant coach and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

As a player, the Rocanville, Saskatchewan native represented Canada in two Under-18 World Junior Championships, serving as captain at the 2010 event, scoring the gold medal-winning goal, and earning tournament MVP. She also played five games for Canada at the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship.

Campbell played three seasons (2014-15 – 2016-17) for the Calgary Inferno of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), winning the Clarkson Cup in 2016. Prior to playing professionally, Campbell skated four years (2010-11 – 2013-14) at Cornell University, serving as captain in her senior season.

Alyssa Cecere was appointed interim head coach of the McGill University women’s hockey team in September for the 2020-21 season. A fluently bilingual 32-year-old native of Brossard, Que., she had served as a full-time associate coach with the Martlets since August 2014.
Cecere replaced Peter Smith, who stepped down on Sept. 2, 2020, after 20 seasons behind the Martlets bench. She received a BFL Canada female coach-of-the-year award in May 2020 as the high-performance nominee from Hockey Quebec. She was an assistant with the Quebec under-18 female team at the 2019 Canadian championship in Manitoba. She is a Hockey Canada Skills Certified coach.

Cecere belongs to a rare group of players to reach the national gold medal game in five consecutive seasons. A member of five RSEQ conference championship-winning teams at McGill, she collected three gold medals at Nationals (2008, 2009, 2011) and a pair of silvers.
A product of Centennial Regional high school and Dawson College, where she captained the Blues, Cecere skated for five seasons with McGill before earning a physical education degree in 2011. A forward who led the Martlets for three years as an alternate captain, she tallied 43 goals and 110 points with 118 penalty minutes in 178 games overall. In 2009, Cecere played for a Canadian university all-star squad that won gold at the FISU Winter Games in Harbin, China. After concluding her collegiate career, she toiled with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, helping them win a Clarkson Cup national title in 2012.

A long-time instructor at the Martlet Hockey School, Cecere served as an assistant coach at Dawson for three years prior to rejoining the McGill program in 2014.

Kori helped lead Team Canada to an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games and a Gold Medal at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championships in Calgary.

Kori Cheverie joined the men’s hockey coaching staff as a full-time assistant in August 2016.

Cheverie became the first female to be named a full-time assistant with a men’s hockey program in U SPORTS history.

In 2019 Cheverie was on the coaching staff for the gold medal-winning U18 Canadian national team at the U18 World Championship in Japan. She was also the gold medal-winning head coach of Team Ontario at the 2019 National Women’s U18 Championship.
Cheverie led the U18 Team Ontario squad at the 2019 national championship in Manitoba. In early 2020, she continued her work with Hockey Canada staff at the West Coast Rivalry Series.

History was made again by Cheverie on November 1, 2019, when she stepped in to coach the Rams to a 2-1 victory over Laurentian. In Head Coach Duco’s temporary absence, Cheverie was the first female to individually coach a men’s U SPORTS hockey team to a win. She helped Ryerson finish the 2019-20 season with a 20-5-3 record.

Prior to joining the men’s team, Cheverie spent three years at Ryerson as the Skate Training Specialist, working with the Rams hockey teams and external clients on stride mechanics and enhancing all-around hockey skills.

Cheverie played six seasons in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) with the Toronto Furies. Before that, Cheverie was a three-time AUS first-team all-star, team captain, Academic All-Canadian, and two-time female athlete of the year when she played at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.

Claire has workedImpact Hockey Academy, where she worked her way up the rankings of the staff for the past 8 years. Starting off as a Jr instructor, to instructor, to then lead in instructor. For past two years the position she has held is director.

Her journey in hockey began with multiple appearances at the national camp during her youth career, culminating in a 3rd place finish in the national championship with the Chicago Young Americans, where she also thrived as the team captain. Working alongside AHL, WHL, and OHL players during her career, Claire honed her skills and elevated both her game and hockey IQ.

Claire pursued her education and athletic career at the University of Maine at the NCAA D1 level, showcasing her versatility as a utility player for two years. Later, she concluded her collegiate journey at the University of Augsburg, where she excelled as a forward while pursuing a degree in Marketing and Management. Her leadership extends beyond the rink, as she holds the position of Leadership Chair on the Student Athletic Advising Committee.

Claire just graduated in the spring of 2024 and took a coaching position with the New Hampshire Mountain Kings of the North American Hockey League. Where she will work with all the teams in the academy as the assistant coach as well as skills coach for the whole organization.Claire brings with her a wealth of experience from over 100 collegiate games played. Also, this past summer she worked alongside the Minnesota Wild staff at the Development camp.

The fifth head coach in the modern history of the women’s hockey program, Stacey Colarossi, joins Carleton Athletics for the 2022-2023 season.

Colarossi joins the Ravens after serving as the Associate Head Coach for China Hockey and the Chinese Olympic Team at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. Colarossi was previously the Head Coach of the Laurentian Voyageurs, where she served in the role from 2012 to 2021. Colarossi joined Laurentian after spending eight years as an assistant coach with the York Lions.

In addition to her Olympic experience, Colarossi served as the Head Coach for Team Canada at the 2019 FISU Games, earning a silver medal. In 2017 and 2018, Colarossi was the Head Coach for the USPORTS All-Star Team at the Hockey Canada Summer Showcase. A current member of the NHL Female Mentorship Program and a Chartered Professional Coach, Colarossi has also served as an Assistant Coach for Team Canada at the 2011 FISU Games and with Team Ontario U18 from 2009 to 2011, capturing a national championship in 2010.

Colarossi is Hockey Canada High Performance 2 certified and is currently completing the Hockey Canada Women Master Coach Developer program.

Delaney is from Pilot Mound, Manitoba. She played in 5 IIHF World Championships, winning gold in 2000, 2004, and 2007 and silver in 2005 and 2008. After retirement, Delaney coached NCAA Division 1 hockey at Mercyhurst University from 2011-2016.

Delaney was the Assistant Coach for Canada’s Development Team or U18 National Team from 2013-2017 and the Head Coach of the U18 National Team in 2018. She is a certified skills coach through Hockey Canada and worked as the IIHF U18 (female) lead skills coach in 2018 and 2022.

Delaney is currently dividing her time between the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation and the Nashville Predators. She is in her second season as the Assistant Coach of the Hungarian National Women’s Hockey Team and continues to be the Ambassador for Female Hockey for the Nashville Predators. She is also a skills coach for the girls and boys in the Jr. Predators program.

For more than 20 years, Amy de Bree has been learning and teaching the game of hockey and the skills it requires. Her coaching career started on the skills side of the game with a strong focus in power skating and then when her playing career ended, she made the shift to team coaching.

Amy holds a Master of Education in Coaching Studies for the University of Victoria. It is through this Master’s program that she created her website athletetransitions.ca, which is a website dedicated to helping athletes prepare for and navigate their way through the transition away from competitive sport.

Amy is also the founder of the Women in Sport Speaker Series, which is a platform used to elevate the voices of women working in all aspects of sport. She is a strong advocate for creating equal opportunities and accessibility for women in sport.  In 2022, Amy won the Bobbie Steen Legacy Foundation Award for her work with the Speaker Series and work to advance gender equity in sport.

In addition to her coaching, Amy is a High School Home Economics Teacher, the Camps and Clinics Programmer for the Vancouver Thunderbirds, and an Executive Director for the UBC Women’s Hockey Alumni Association.

Coach Lilah Dima is the Head Coach of Georgia Southern University’s inaugural Women’s Hockey Team, building the first women’s CHS program in this region. Coach Dima also serves as a Lead Instructor for Savannah Ghost Pirates Ice, developing skating and hockey in a new program affiliated with the first ECHL program in Savannah. Relocating south from New York, she plays a pivotal role as a Level 5 Coach in expanding the reach and accessibility of the sport by mentoring new youth hockey instructors.

With over 20 years of coaching experience on Long Island, Coach Dima led numerous Tier 1&2 girls and boys hockey teams, created and ran women’s, girl’s and adult hockey development clinics inclusive of foundational power skating fueled by figure skating roots. She was an active player for 20+ seasons with the LI Hurricanes, the first Women’s Hockey Team on Long Island. Lilah also served as Head Coach for Jr. Rangers Girls and Jr. Islanders programs, led local Middle and High School Hockey Teams and worked as a successful skating program director in Port Washington NY. She has coached and advised players recruited to D1, D3, BCHL, ECHL, CHH, USPHL, ACHA, CHS programs.

Beyond on ice coaching expertise, Lilah is a Registered Nurse and Nationally Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She works strategically with junior and college athletes to hone performance mindset, confidence growth, and optimal health. This essential practice encompasses mind body connection, food as medicine principles and empowering habit strategies to bridge gaps as players meet and prepare for challenges on and off the ice.

Patricia “Paddy” Elsmore-Sautter boasts an impressive career in playing and coaching. Hailing from Schaffhausen, Switzerland, she made her mark by competing in the Adult Men’s League and representing the Swiss National Team at just 13 years old, paving the way for many others. Her successful journey continued at the NCAA Division 1 University of Minnesota Duluth, where she earned League honors and clinched multiple National Championships. Paddy’s career extended to various World Championships and International Tournaments worldwide. A significant highlight was in 2006 when Team Switzerland qualified for the Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, a pinnacle moment in her career, alongside a gold medal at the World Championships, 3rd place at the European Championship, numerous All-Star Team recognitions, and more than 250 appearances for her country.

Beginning her coaching career at UMD with a Coaching minor, Paddy ventured into coaching the Roseau Rams while preparing for the Olympics. She served as the Goalie Coach for the Roseau Ram’s Girls Highschool Team, contributing to their 3rd place finish at the MN State Highschool Tournament in 2008, with her goalie earning a spot on the all-tournament team. The same year, she was invited to coach the Swiss National Team at the World Championships in Beijing, China. Upon returning to the Duluth area, Paddy spent five seasons as an assistant Coach at the College of St. Scholastica. She also coached with Cloquet-Esko-Carlton Girls Highschool team helping them on a State run in 2020 and various youth teams within the CEC Organization, actively involved in goalie development and on the CEC board. In addition, she leads as the Head Coach of the Girls High School team at Rock Ridge on the iron range. Paddy is a regular at the Minnesota Hockey Dave Peterson Goalie Camp, contributing to the Minnesota HP15 program. Holding a USA Hockey Level 4 coaching certification, she plays a role in the Minnesota USA Hockey development team as a GDL (Goalie Development Leader) with a Silver level Goalie coaching certification.

In her full-time role, she works as a physical education teacher, assisting PreK through 6th-grade students in their development both inside and outside the classroom. Married to her husband, Steve, for two decades, they have two children, Anika and Neil, and reside in Esko, Minnesota

Emily Engel-Natzke is entering her first year with the Capitals as a video coordinator. Engel-Natzke, 31, previously served as video coach for Washington’s AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

With Hershey, Engel-Natzke was responsible for producing opponent pre-scouts and coaching reports, as well as in-game and postgame video breakdowns.

The Fort Collins, Colorado native previously worked with the University of Wisconsin’s men’s and women’s hockey teams as video coordinator from 2015-2017 and as assistant director of operations/ video coordinator with the men’s team from 2017-2020. In addition, Engel-Natzke has worked with USA Hockey as a video coach for the U18 and Senior Women’s National Teams. Engel-Natzke was part of the gold-medal winning staffs for the U18 team at the 2018 Women’s World Championship in Dmitrov, Russia, and for the Senior Women’s team at the 2019 World Championship in Espoo, Finland.

Engel-Natzke and her wife, Spencer, reside in Vienna with their dog, Hat Trick, and two cats, Sophia and Juusto.

Heather Farrell, a veteran coach with 20 years of coaching experience at all levels of the game, joined the Orange program as associate head coach in October 2022. Farrell’s resume includes stints as a collegiate head coach, collegiate assistant coach, secondary school head coach, administrator and teacher.

The 2004 graduate of Ohio State is coming to Syracuse after 11 years as the head coach at St. Paul’s School, a college preparatory boarding school in New Hampshire.

In her 11 years at St. Paul’s, Farrell guided the program to a 203-51-7 record, including New England Championships in 2015 and 2020. She was also the associate dean of admissions, director of office management, an advisor for students, and participated in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Alliance and Affinity council.

Prior to her work at St. Paul’s, Farrell was an assistant coach at Bemidji State University from 2007 through 2011, where she was responsible for planning team development, including individual skill and team systems/concepts, leading the penalty kill unit which led the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) with a 90.5 percentage and serving as the academic advisor for the team. She was also a physical education health and sport instructor and served on the Student Affairs committee at BSU.

Farrell began her collegiate coaching career at Bowdoin College in 2004 as an assistant coach. In 2006-07 Farrell served as the interim head coach when the head coach accepted a position at USA Hockey. During that season, she led the Polar Bears to a 17-7-2 record (11-3-2 NESCAC). Bowdoin lost in the NESCAC Tournament semifinals in overtime. In her two years as an assistant at Bowdoin in 2004-05 and 2005-06, the Polar Bears posted a 54-21-4 record, including 38-7-3 in NESCAC play and played in the 2004-25 NCAA Tournament. She also served as the events/game manager at Bowdoin in 2005, including as the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament liaison that fall.

Farrell, who earned a B.S. in sports studies with a minor in coaching and sports performance at Ohio State, played 132 games for the Buckeyes and help lead OSU to a berth in the WCHA semifinals as a senior.

Rachel is in her 2nd season as Assistant Coach with the PWHL Toronto Sceptres. Previously, she coached for 16 seasons at the University of Guelph, winning a USports National Championship in 2019 along with multiple OUA Championships (2016, 2017, 2019) and Coach of Year awards (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021) . Her overall record with the Gryphons was 267-96-21 through her 16 seasons in charge.

Rachel has also worked with Hockey Canada in a number of roles since 2010, including Assistant Coach with the Senior National Team (2023, 2024) and the National Development Teams (2011, 2012, 2022, 2023, 2024). She represented Canada in 2013 as an Assistant Coach for the Gold medal-winning Canadian FISU team (Italy) and in February of 2017 served as Canada’s Head Coach at the FISU games in Kazakhstan, leading the team to a silver medal.

Rachel presents regularly at the High Performance Level 1 Coaching Clinic and recently presented at The Coaches Site Live @ St Andrews College.

Rachel graduated from U of G in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Kinetics. During her playing career as a Gryphon she earned OUA all-star status while captaining the women’s hockey team for two of her five years. Following graduation, she received her Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University, and completed her Masters in Leadership at the University of Guelph’s Lang School of Business and Economics in 2019.

She lives in Guelph with her husband, Jeff, and 2 boys (14 & 10).

Janelle Forcand enters her 6th season coaching with the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy (WJHA). For the 2021-2022 season, Janelle made the transition to coaching the boy’s U13 WJHA team with the goal of increasing female visibility on the bench for men’s hockey. Prior to assisting with the male program, Janelle served as the Head Coach for the U11 Female team & was the Female Hockey Coordinator for the WJHA program from 2018-2021. Her time with the WJHA involved planning and executing on-ice sessions for students from early years to high school, and she worked closely with WJHA female players as she managed all three female minor hockey teams. By fostering strong relationships and providing mentorship, and coaching resources, Janelle played a significant role in the successful restructuring of the female minor hockey teams. As a result of the reorganization, the WJHA was able to incorporate an all-female coaching staff for each female team by 2019, which continues to this day.

In addition to coaching with the WJHA, Janelle has over ten years of experience working as a skating and skill development coach in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Throughout her years, she has worked with various hockey programs, including Canlan Ice sports, community hockey teams, and the St. James Assiniboia Hockey Academy, which was the first officially licensed Hockey Canada Skills Academy in Canada. Most recently, Janelle coordinated the St. James Minor Hockey Initiation program, which is a seven-week structured learn-to-play-based program for five and 6-year-olds.

With a passion for teaching hockey at the grassroots level, Janelle accepted the role as the Grassroots Program Coordinator for Hockey Winnipeg in the summer of 2021. In her current role, Janelle implements and oversees all grassroots hockey initiatives for the ten minor hockey associations in Winnipeg, using her skills to further her passion and continue to grow the game of hockey.

Janelle currently serves on the St. James Assiniboia Minor Hockey Association Board as the Clinic Coordinator. Her time and dedication to the sport of hockey were recognized when she was awarded the Provincial and National Community Coach of the Year Award by BFL and Hockey Canada in May of 2021.

Growing up, Jordan was a defenseman in Massachusetts playing for the Boston Iceman Boys AAA at the Brick Tournament in Edmonton and for the Middlesex Islanders Boys AAA in the Quebec Peewee Tournament. She was coached by NHL Alumni Randy Wood, and current General Manager of New Jersey Devils, Tom Fitzgerald. She played for Assabet Valley from 2008-2011, winning two USA Hockey National Championships in that time. Jordan played her last year of youth hockey with the U19 Little Caesars, and in the same year played for the U18 USA Women’s National 2012 Team at the World Championship in Zlin, Czech Republic.

Jordan played NCAAA Division I for the University of North Dakota and graduated in 2017, after graduation she played Professionally for the Boston Blades and Toronto Furies in the CWHL. She is currently a Michigan Area Scout for the Windsor Spitfires and is the Girls Director for Little Caesars AAA Hockey, along with coaching at U12, U16 & U19. She coaches alongside her husband, Tom. Tom played in the USHL and played division one college at the University of Vermont.

Jordan resides in Northville, Michigan with her husband, Tom, and their two huskies Caesar and Augustus.

Katie has extensive experience in hockey as both a player and a coach. She is a level 5 USA Hockey certified coach and also a USA Hockey coach developer. Katie has been coaching girls travel hockey for 9 years in Maryland and Wisconsin, although has coached all ages from the youngest kids through high school.

As a player, Garrison started when she was five years old. As a freshman in high school, she played in the New England Prep School League for Tabor Academy and during her senior year, she was invited to the U18 USA Hockey National Development camp. Katie went to play one year of NCAA division 1 hockey at the University of New Hampshire before transferring to the University of Michigan joining the club hockey there for 3 seasons, becoming captain in her senior season.

In her eighth season as the head coach of the Ephs, Meghan Gillis had two players earn All-NESCAC honors and one earn the New England Hockey Writer’s DII and DIII All-Star award. In the 2018-19 season, Gillis led her team to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division III tournament with a 21-5-3 record. Sophomore forward Meghan Halloran was named to the AHCA All-American Second Team and was also NESCAC Player of the Year. 

Meghan Gillis was named the head coach of women’s ice hockey at Williams College on May 27, 2011. In her first year at the helm of the Ephs Gillis fashioned an overall record of 11-14 nearly tripling the win total of the Ephs in 2010-11 (4-17-1).

Gillis would take the program to the next level in 2014, leading the team to the first NESCAC championship title in Eph history. The team would be crowned at home in Lansing Chapman Rink after earning the right to host the championships for the first time in the history of the tournament. The notable season would come to an end in the national quarter final game with a loss to the evental 2014 national champion, ending the Eph season with 15 wins.

Before Williams, Gillis spent two years at Pomfret School (Pomfret, CT) as an assistant director of admissions, head girls’ ice hockey coach, and assistant softball coach. Pomfret compiled a 21-16-9 record during Gillis’ tenure. In her first year as head coach, Pomfret advanced to the Division I playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Prior to Pomfret, Gillis spent one year as an assistant women’s ice hockey coach at Amherst College, where the Jeffs captured the program’s first NCAA Division III Championship. While at Amherst, Gillis received her Master’s of Science in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management.  

A native of Whycocomagh, Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia), Gillis graduated from Bowdoin College in 2007 with a major in government and legal studies and a minor in English. A highly decorated women’s ice hockey player at Bowdoin, Gillis was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2004, as her 24 goals and 19 assists left her with the highest point total both on her team and among conference rookies.

In her four years on the ice, Gillis earned three All-NESCAC Team honors and one All-America selection, graduating from Bowdoin with 154 career points, good for third on the program’s all-time scoring list.  The Polar Bears were a combined 75-26-1 (.740) during Gillis’ time, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament twice, advancing to the NESCAC finals three times and winning the conference title once.

Bertha González is a current ice hockey coach based in Mexico City. She works at Club Osos in charge of the minor hockey development. She is also Head Coach of the U16 Womens Mexico National Team.

Before that Bertha worked in the Mexican Ice Hockey Federation, her responsibilities spanned areas such as recruitment, development, and sports organization. Over the course of 12 years, Bertha has honed her leadership and project management skills working and simultaneously engaged in the realm of hockey, wearing multiple hats as a player, coach, and contributor to the growth of the sport.

Bertha holds a B. in Nutrition, and is currently studying an MBA at Universidad Anahuac México.

• Goaltending Coach with over 12 years experience at Local Minor Hockey, Provincial, National, University, and Professional Levels.
• Member of Hockey Canada Goaltending Advisory Board
• Member of CCM Goaltending Advisory Group
• Goaltending Coach, Canada’s National Women’s Development Team
• Goaltending Coach & Assistant Coach, University of Guelph Gryphons
• Former Goaltending Coach at Canada’s National U18 Selection Camp
• Former PWHPA Goaltending & Assistant Coach
• Former U SPORTS student-athlete
• NCCP, High Performance 1 Certified Coach
• NCCP Goaltending Level 3 Certified Coach

A native of Plainville, MA, Kathy’s first coaching job was at 14 years old as an assistant for a local boys’ 12U travel soccer team.  She is currently the Head Coach of The Green Vale School Hockey, The Town of Oyster Bay Girls and Adult programs, and The Junior Rangers Girls.  She is also actively working to build College Club Hockey opportunities for women on Long Island. Previously, she acted as a coach for East Woods School and myriad school, community-based, and travel organizations. She submitted her Level 5 USA Hockey Coaching Certification project for review this past winter.

A high school league all-star in softball, recognized by King Philip High School and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a top scholar athlete, she thought her involvement in organized sports was over upon graduation.  Serendipitously, during the 2012 NHL lockout, the New York Islanders Coaches hosted lunchtime clinics for adults at her local rink and she was given a fast-track education into the fundamentals of ice hockey.  She has taken that knowledge and used it to grow the sport at the developmental levels ever since.

In her time away from the bench she is an active player on the ice participating in both competitive tournament women’s hockey and rec level coed leagues, she is a result-driven management consultant for small business owners, a goalie mom, champion of female athletes, a frequent marathon participant, fledgling nutrient dense food chef, animal rescue supporter, and admirer of Nikola Tesla. 

Kathy holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an MBA from Hofstra University, an ERYT 500 Hour Yoga Certification, and is working towards completing a certification in Systemic Constellations.  She is dedicated to increasing opportunities for girls within hockey as well as bringing back fun and positive life lessons to youth and adult sport. It’s amazing what people can achieve when they don’t know they can’t. 

Taylor Ham is entering her third season as assistant coach at Connecticut College, a D3 NESCAC School in New London, CT. At Conn, she is primarily responsible for their video and scouting breakdowns, defensemen, and penalty kill. She also participates in USA Hockey Camps as an evaluator and coach.

Before her arrival at Conn, Taylor attended Manhattanville University (class of 2022) and helped lead the team to two conference championship game appearances, while captaining the team for two seasons and earning a spot on the All-American Scholar Team. She graduated with honors with a bachelors in marketing and mathematics. Throughout college she worked as an athletics coach at Rye Country Day School working with their middle school and varsity ice hockey and softball teams.

Beth Hanrahan joined the Brown women’s hockey program as an assistant coach ahead of the 2022-23 season.

A graduate of Providence College, Hanrahan returned to Rhode Island after previously serving as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst University for four seasons.

At Mercyhurst, Hanrahan led recruiting efforts, video sessions and on-ice skill development. During her tenure, the Lakers made three appearances in the College Hockey America conference tournament, capturing the 2020 CHA tournament title to earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Elite 8.

Prior to Mercyhurst, Hanrahan spent one season as an assistant at Lindenwood University, assisting the head coach in recruiting and evaluating of prospective Division I student-athletes, providing film analysis and scouting reports, and running the team’s social media accounts.

Hanrahan began her coaching career during the 2016-17 season at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minnesota, one of the most successful girls’ hockey programs in the country. She helped develop elite talent at the U16 level to prepare players for the college level by implementing both on-and-off ice training, monitoring academic progress, and coordinating practice and travel plans.

Prior to embarking on her coaching career, Hanrahan played one season for the New York Riveters in the inaugural 2015-16 season of the Nationals Women’s Hockey League.

Vanessa Hettinger is a highly respected and recommended coach and business consultant. With over 20 years of coaching and leadership experience, Vanessa knows how to identify and develop elite talent. She has worked with thousands of athletes and won 3 WHL Championships and a Memorial Cup Championship as Skating Coach with 3 separate WHL organizations.

As a Master Coach for Hockey Canada, Skate Canada, and businesses in the private sector, Vanessa has mentored, evaluated, and inspired hundreds of coaches, helping them reach new heights in their careers. Her passion and motivational skills have made her a prominent figure in sports leadership and coaching.

In business, Vanessa has been involved with numerous start-ups in the hockey world and ran a well-renowned business for 20 years. She has contributed to a range of innovative technologies and initiatives, worked alongside leading coaches and trainers in the industry, and has served as an expert witness for legal teams.

Vanessa has recently joined ZerOne as the CEO of Hockeyology, where she will lead the launch of a state-of-the-art 16,000-square-foot training facility. Scheduled to open in October 2024, Hockeyology will introduce a groundbreaking non-linear training approach, featuring advanced equipment, a top-tier coaching team, personalized assessments, and data-driven programming.

Zoe Hickel is a Player Development Coach in Alaska who provides local teams with on ice coaching, private skills groups and personal and group training. Currently Zoe holds the following roles in addition to providing services through her company ZoPro, she is an Assistant Coach with USA Hockey U18 Women’s National Team and serves on the Player Development Committee for USA Hockey as the national female representative.

Zoe is s a two-time World Champion with US Women’s National Team, a former professional hockey player, and a former NCAA player and captain. After her playing career, she took an Assistant Coach position at Ohio State University with the Women’s Hockey team from 2020-2022, winning a National Championship in 2022. Following the 2022 season, she took a position in the AHL, working for the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Hockey Development for the Iceplex youth programs and Community Relations.

She enjoys developing and directing programs, inspiring others through teaching and example, from grassroots development to elite-level athletes, and coaching in a variety of sports and forums.

Sarah Hilworth is the current Head Coach for the University of New Brunswick REDS located in Fredericton, NB. A native of Vancouver, BC, Hilworth has had 10 years of professional coaching experience and has been involved in volunteer positions for over 15 years. Her current role sees her as an ambassador to the game of hockey in Fredericton, and she has brought success back to the UNB campus in a short period of time.

In 2021-22, Hilworth coached the REDS to the AUS regular season title and the league championship, the first in UNB women’s hockey history. She was named the AUS Coach of the Year, becoming the first REDS coach to earn the honour. In June of 2022, she was named the recipient of Hockey Canada’s BFL High-Performance Female Coach of the Year Award.

Hilworth led UNB’s return to Atlantic University Sport and U SPORTS competition in 2018-19, guiding the REDS to a 4th place regular season finish and a second-round playoff berth. In 2019-20, Hilworth and the REDS again finished 4th in the AUS and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

In two seasons of competition under Hilworth’s direction, the Reds are 46-23-8 in regular season play and 10-7 in post-season (AUS & U SPORTS).

She came to UNB after an extensive playing and coaching career in western Canada.

Hilworth attended the University of Alberta from 2008 through 2013, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sport, Recreation, and Tourism.
She played five seasons with the Pandas women’s hockey team, accumulating 100 points (50 goals and 50 assists) in 100 games, helped Alberta win a national championship in 2010, and captained the team in her final season. Hilworth returned to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach with the Pandas, helping guide the team to consecutive first-place finishes and the 2015 Canada West title. Later that year, she was named the first coach of the Olds College Broncos, of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference.

Hilworth spent two seasons building the Broncos. On top of coaching at Olds College, Hilworth pursued a Master of Science in Coaching Education from Ohio University and graduated from the program in 2017.

Venla was born in Tampere, Finland, and has lived the past eight years in North America. Her values that she lives by are hard work, honesty and team first mentality. Those values heavily reflect on what she learned through growing up in Finland and playing for the Finnish National team for 13 years. She began playing hockey at the age of 4 and has been living and breathing the game since. Venla was a fast, dynamic, two-way forward who took pride in doing whatever it takes for her team to be successful. She retired from playing 2019 after playing her last game in a historical gold medal game against USA in front of a home crowd.

Venla is recently starting a new position at Harvard University as an Assistant Coach. At Harvard, she will be in charge of the team’s offensive performance including the power play as well as recruiting and supporting the student athletes. Last season she made her pro debut as the Head Coach of the Metropolitan Riveters in the PHF. With the Riveters, on top of building a fully new and competitive team in New Jersey, she took pride in raising the level of professionalism within the league, her staff and her athletes. Prior to her pro experience, she Head Coached the female U17 prep team at Okanagan Hockey Academy for two years. She also gained experience in Winnipeg working as an On-Ice Instructor for the Jets Hockey Development while assistant coaching the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Venla has gained experience coaching players of all ages and skill levels, both female and male players. She is also the founder and director of VH Hockey, which is a training platform for athletes in Finland, including hockey camps and a future mentorship program. VH is a way for Venla to bring her coaching knowledge back home and give back to the community she grew up playing in.

Her interest in coaching started during the last years of her extensive playing career; She is now able to use her own experiences to help players reach their full potential, and pave the way for young girls who dream about playing and coaching at the highest levels.

Playing career highlights

• Three-time Olympian, Team Finland 2010, 2014, 2018
• Two-time Olympic Bronze medalist 2010, 2018
• U SPORTS National Champion 2018 with the University of Manitoba Bisons
• IIHF Women’s Hockey World Championships medalist 2008, ‘09, ‘17, ‘19
• CWHL Canadian Women’s Hockey League Clarkson Cup Champion 2019
• Three-time Finnish Women’s National League Champion 2006, 2010, 2011

Sheri Hudspeth, a native of Aurora, Ontario, Canada, is currently the Director of Youth Hockey Programs and Fan Development for the Vegas Golden Knights. Sheri oversees the youth hockey initiatives focusing on on-ice programming, including NHL Learn-To-Play, Lil’ Knights, and Mites at Knight for VGK and the Henderson Silver Knights. When not on the ice, Sheri assists with the team’s marketing, sponsorship, and community outreach initiatives. The 2023 Stanley Cup Champions have helped spark a 260% increase in the state’s hockey participation since the team arrived in 2017, the nation’s largest percentage growth in that time. Sheri is a Level 4 USA Hockey Coach and the USA Hockey Girls Development Representative for Nevada. She played her competitive hockey with the Toronto Aeros and accepted a full scholarship to play NCAA college hockey at Minnesota State University. Sheri resides in Summerlin with her husband James and corgis Auston & Jaxon.

Kirsti Hussey is in her third season on the Maine Women’s Hockey staff in the 2024-25 season.

Previously, Hussey served as an assistant coach of the Brown University women’s ice hockey team. Hussey was responsible for practice planning and implementation, NCAA compliance, and spearheaded the program’s recruiting.

Before her time at Brown University, Hussey served for three seasons as the head coach of the girls’ ice hockey team for St. Mark’s School as well as serving as Assistant Athletic Director.

Previous to arriving at St. Mark’s, Hussey held previous assistant coaching positions at the University of Connecticut and Hamilton College.

In addition to her years of college coaching experience, Hussey worked for USA Hockey Girls’ Player Development Camps from 2009-2024. Her various roles at the camps have included head coach, assistant on-ice director, and on-ice skills coach and evaluator.

Before moving on to coaching, Hussey played for the Oakville Ice and the Ottawa Raiders of the National Women’s Hockey League in Canada from 2005-07.

As a collegiate player, Hussey began her career at Bowdoin College (2001-03) where she guided the Polar Bears to two NCAA Frozen Fours while earning First Team All-American, NESCAC First Team and Rookie of the Year honors. She was also tied for first in Division III for defenseman scoring. Hussey finished up her collegiate career at Dartmouth College (2003-05) where she again led her team to back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four appearances as well as an Ivy League Championship in 2004.

Hussey has participated in the USA 18’s and 19’s Junior National Camp and was twice a part of the USA Women’s National Team Festival in 2002-03.

Whitney Juskiewicz, Founder of Fire and Ice Hockey Development

Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, hockey has always been a part of Whitney Juszkiewicz’s life. She was an athlete in the first all-female Hockey Academy at St. Francis Xavier High School, a school known for its prestigious hockey development programs. Whitney played for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Hockey, and for Team Alberta Senior Women’s team in the ESSO Women’s Nationals in 2005.

Now living in Vancouver, BC, Whitney’s career has turned to training and developing athletes to advance their game. She founded Fire and Ice Hockey Development in 2015. Her experience, training, and certification have made her valuable to coaches and athletes, their development, and the game. Whitney has her HP1 Coaching certification and Hockey Canada Skills Instructor and Female Master Coach Developer training.

She was the Program of Excellence Coordinator for BC Hockey (2016-2020) and the Hockey Operations Coordinator for NVMHA (2017-2020). In that time, Whitney acted as Head Coach for several teams, including the Male U15AAA (NVMHA), Female U15AAA (PCAHA), and Female U13AAA(NSFIHA). She was also a Female Coach Mentor with the Vancouver Canucks.

Whitney has been working with Vancouver and Lower Mainland athletes for over ten years. Through her hockey academy, Fire and Ice Hockey Development, she can see a player’s potential and turn their deficiencies into strengths. Her development camps offer a direct and disciplined approach to hockey instruction, and they are a lot of fun too.

Whitney is passionate about hockey. Her goal is to see athletes improve, grow, and succeed, from beginner players to high-performance athletes.

Liz Keady Norton was named head coach of the Dartmouth women’s hockey team in May of 2021. She is the Big Green’s 11th head coach in the program’s 44-year history.

Keady Norton comes to Dartmouth from Boston University, where she spent two seasons as assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in May of 2019. Under her tutelage, seven forwards were selected as Hockey East All-Stars, five different forwards matched or exceeded their career-best point totals, and two Terriers were named top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

Since Keady Norton’s arrival ahead of the 2017-18 season, the Terriers went 59-39-18, with a shortened 2020-21 season affected by COVID-19. BU made it to the Hockey East quarterfinal her first year, the semifinal in 2018-19, and the quarterfinal the next two seasons. The Terriers went 8-1-1 against ECAC Hockey opponents during those four years, defeating Brown, Yale, Harvard and Union multiple times while only being stymied by Princeton.

No stranger to ECAC Hockey, Keady Norton spent one season as an assistant at Union (2014-15) and two years at Harvard (2015-17) before making her way to BU. During the 2015-16 season, she helped guide the Crimson to six wins over ranked opponents. Prior to entering the Division I coaching ranks, she served as head coach for the girls’ varsity hockey team at Andover High School (2012-14).

She graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a degree in psychology. A native of Braintree, Massachusetts, she ended her career with 79 points from 38 goals and 41 assists in 118 games. Named team captain for the 2007-08 season, she led the team in plus/minus (+15) in 2004-05, short-handed goals in 2006-07 and game winning goals in 2007-08.

Keady Norton was also named the team’s MVP and Most Improved Player following the 2004-05 season and earned All-ECAC Hockey Honorable Mention and All-Ivy Second Team accolades that same year. She took the 2005-06 season off from Princeton to train with the U.S. national team, appearing in 16 games during the team’s pre-Olympic tour.

A second year member, Kristi Kehoe is entering her first year as the Director of the Anaheim Lady Ducks. In this role she is responsible for creating a Player Development plan, coaching education, and building on the 24 year history of the program. She also currently the Director of Girls’ Player Development for the New England District with USA Hockey.

Prior to joining the Anaheim organization, Kehoe has a wealth of experience from 12 years of coaching and development. From 4 years as NCAA D1 Associate Head Coach to IIHF, helping guide Hockey China to its best finish at the World Championships in 5+ years. She has also been an NCAA D3 Head coach, and still is very involved in the U18 USA Hockey Development camp process.

During her playing career, Kehoe was a four-year standout for Northeastern University. Kehoe registered 135 games played, scoring 45 goals and dished out 43 assists.  Kehoe was an all-rookie selection and rookie of the year for Northeastern in her first season. Kehoe led the team in scoring for three seasons (Goals/Assists/Points) and was named to the Northeastern’s Hockey East All-Decade Team.

Katie Lachapelle enters her fifth season as head coach of the Holy Cross women’s ice hockey team, and seventh as a member of the coaching staff, in 2023-24. She spent her first two seasons with the team as associate head coach. 

In addition to her time at the collegiate level, Lachapelle has extensive experience coaching at the national team level. Most recently, she led the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team to a bronze medal in January 2023 and a silver medal in 2022. She was named the head coach of the team in 2021; she had previously been named the team’s head coach on May 6, 2020, but the 2021 IIHF Women’s World U-18 Championship was canceled due to COVID-19. She additionally worked as an Olympic team camp coach and evaluator at the 2022 U.S. Olympics team tryout camp from June 1 to 7, 2021.

Lachapelle came to Holy Cross after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at perennial national power Boston University from 2008-2017. She helped guide the Terriers to five Hockey East titles and six NCAA Tournament appearances, two trips to the Frozen Four in 2011 and 2013, making the national title game both times. In 2013, she received the Women’s Ice Hockey Assistant Coach Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association, honoring her complete body of work as an assistant coach.

In addition to her recent work with the U.S. Olympic Team and U-18 Team, Lachapelle has held numerous additional coaching positions throughout the U.S. Women’s National Team organization throughout her career. In August of 2018, Lachapelle was named an assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s National Under-22 team and was selected to serve in that role again in 2019. Lachapelle served as a Camp Coach at the U.S. Women’s National Team’s September Camp and the Winter Training Camp in December of 2018. She got her start at the national level in 2013 when she was named an assistant coach of the U.S. Women’s National Under-18 Team, a post she held through 2017. During her first year with the U-18 Team, Lachapelle won a silver medal, followed by helping lead Team USA to three-straight gold medals at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship. Additionally, Lachapelle has coached at various Girls’ Select 14, 15 and 16 Player Development Camps.

Prior to her time at Boston University, Lachapelle spent four years as an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2004-2008, with the Buckeyes going 67-65-15 during her tenure. She previously served as an assistant coach at Niagara for three years from 2001-2004, with the Purple Eagles posting a 49-49-8 overall record and advancing to the 2002 NCAA Frozen Four. Lachapelle began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Union for two seasons from 1999-2001. 

Lachapelle is a 1999 graduate of Providence with a bachelor’s degree in social science. She was a four-year letterwinner for the Friars, serving as an assistant captain her junior year and a captain her season year. She was also selected to the 1997 ECAC All-Star team.

Allie LaCombe is the Co-Founder, Assistant Hockey Director and Head Coach for the Nashville Warriors Hockey Club in Nolensville, Tennessee. LaCombe is entering her third season as a Head Coach and Warriors Skills Coach.

Allie is a former collegiate and professional hockey player from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. During her professional playing career, LaCombe most recently signed with the Connecticut Whale in the NWHL. Previously, she played semi-professional in the European league, EWHL, for the Vienna Sabers in Austria and with Almaty Aisulu in Kazakhstan. LaCombe played four years of collegiate NCAA Division I hockey at Syracuse University in Upstate New York, where she obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management.

LaCombe has also trained NHL, AHL, USPHL, and NCAA players in on ice skill development. Allie resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kate Leary is in her second year as an assistant coach at Boston College. Prior, she spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Merrimack College, and the 2020-21 season at St. Anselm College. For the 2019-20 season, Leary was the head coach of Walpole Express Girls juniors’ team and served as the Director and Advisor for Trax Academy in Walpole, Mass.

Leary played four seasons for Boston College and was a part of four NCAA Tournament teams and three Frozen Fours while winning two Hockey East regular season titles along with the 2014 Beanpot championship. She skated in 149 career games with 42 goals and 43 assists for 85 points, recording a career-high 17 goals and 31 points as a senior in 2014-15.

The Seabrook, N.H. native played professionally for the Boston Blades in the CWHL (2016-18), the Hockey Club Ladies Lugano in Switzerland in the SWHL A (2018-19) and then for the Metropolitan Riveters in the NWHL (2019-21). Leary was named NWHL Newcomer of the Year for the 2019-20 season.

Leary graduated from Boston College in 2015 with bachelor’s degrees in Applied Psychology and Human Development and History. She went on to earn a master’s degree from BC in Sports Administration in 2021.

Gosia currently serves as the Head Coach for the U14 team at Nacka HK in Stockholm, Sweden, where she is responsible for both of the ice practice and physical development of young athletes. With over 15 years of experience coaching children and youth in Denmark and Sweden, she has established herself as a seasoned Mental Performance Coach in the field.

Gosia holds a strong background in sports education and nutrition, as well as a master’s degree in coaching and communication. In addition to her coaching role, she runs her own business as a Mental Performance Coach, specializing in helping ambitious junior hockey players enhance their skills and mental resilience.

With more than 30 years of active involvement in sports, particularly ice hockey, Gosia has been deeply engaged in the sport. Before turning 17, she was a significant member of Denmark’s National Team for over 15 years. Her extensive experience also includes work as a Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, and Fitness Instructor.

Born in Brampton, ON, Amanda began playing with the NorthWest Sports at age 3; Chinguacousy Blues at the age of 5 before switching to the Brampton Canadettes at age 7, winning multiple Ontario Provincial Championships. She won the 1992 Citizen’s Award for Sports Achievement from the City of Brampton just before her family moved to Port Moody, BC. In BC, she transitioned back to integrated PeeWee Rep at Port Moody Amateur Hockey Association (PMAHA) and was named the PMAHA Player of the year for the 1993-94 season. She then moved to Senior AAA Women’s hockey with the Killarney Knights as a 13-year-old in an 18+ division, earning spots attending multiple Sr. Women’s AAA Canadian National Championships and Hockey Canada camps, including playing with Team BC U18 at the 1999 Canada Winter Games.

Amanda earned a full scholarship to St. Lawrence University, where she and her team advanced to the Innagural NCAA Div. 1 Frozen Four Tournament in 2001. Despite a disappointing Championship loss to UMD, Amanda scored two goals and one assist in 3 games, was named to the All-Tournament Team and scored the first goal of the Championship Game. She earned other honours during her time at SLU, including SLU Rookie of the Year 1999-00, being named to the 2001-02 ECAC All-Star team (played Team USA), Lake Placid High Peak Tournament MVP, ECAC All-Academic Team and the SLU leading scorer in 2001, 2002, 2003, ECAC All-Conference Honourable Mention 2002-03, SLU All-Time leading scorer (broke previous record of 135 career points) and in 2017 she was inducted into the St. Lawrence University Hall of Fame with her 2000-01 teammates and coaches. In four years, she played 139 games and tallied 142 points (65 Goals, 77 Assists).

After finishing her B.Sc. in Psychology and Sports Exercise Sciences, minoring in Education, Amanda chose to stay at SLU to focus on her education and complete her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. She then taught high school in New Hampshire before moving back to British Columbia. She continues her career as an educator, teaching K-12 mainly as a Special Education teacher.

Amanda started coaching minor hockey with the Tri-City Female Ice Hockey Association (TCFIHA) as a Head Coach in 2016 and was named Coach of the Year in 2017. She has coached U7, U9, and U11 as Head coach and was elected to the Board of Directors for the 2020-21 season. She currently serves on the Coaching Committee for TCFIHA and represents TCFIHA on the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA) Female Development Sub Committee. Amanda also has been a Head Coach with the Coquitlam Minor Hockey Association (CMHA) since 2018, coaching H1, H2, and H3 teams. During Spring hockey Amanda has coached two spring elite development programs, the BC Prospects and BC Jr. Steelers, since 2018 and has also coached numerous development programs, including Canucks Learn to Play.

Tessa Lowry is currently an assistant coach for the SAIT Trojans Women’s Hockey Team in the ACAC league. She is also pursuing a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology. Tessa played NCAA DIII hockey for four years while obtaining an Elementary Education degree from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

She found a passion for coaching while in high school as she coached with her school’s spring hockey program. During her time at the Edge School she had the opportunity to volunteer with a program called Heros Hockey. Heros Hockey provides at risk children and youth with a free hockey program with the goal of creating a safe environment for growth and learning. After College Tessa decided to continue coaching with the elite female minor hockey program in Calgary, Alberta. Her passion and excitement for coaching continued to grow and she moved on to work with SAIT. This upcoming season will be her third year on the coaching staff.

In 2024, Alicia was a mentee coach in the AHL during the All-Star Skills Competition and All-Star Game in San Jose, being behind the bench for the successful win for Team Pacific. She is currently the Head Coach of Team Atlantic competing at Nationals later this fall. She is also the AC of Tripen Ice in the Female U18 AAA Hockey League in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), winning provincials over the unbeaten 1^st place team best 2 of 3 to head to Atlantics later this spring. She was also the AC for Team Eastern in the NL Winter Games, finishing 4^th place of 9 teams.

In the 2022-2023 season, Alicia was with the ECHL NL Growlers as an Apprentice Coach; Head Coach of the Female Under 14 Team NL for the Atlantic Challenge Cup; Assistant Coach of Female Under 18 Team Atlantic at Nationals in BC; and AC of Team NL at the Canada Winter Games in PEI in 2022.

Alicia has been behind the bench for over 22 years and was recently awarded with Hockey Canada’s Female Coach of the Year through BFL. This is her second year involved in the NHLCA female development program, and holds many non-coaching skills. Alicia was a scout for the Maritime Hockey League and competent with hockey analytics such as XOs, Steva, TPE, and Instat. Alicia also is a Skill Development Coach for the province of NL, travelling to various associations, teaching the importance of skill and development in hockey players to coaches. Her Instructional Skills Certification with Hockey Canada is in progress, as she furthers her education in skill development. Scholastically, she has her Master’s in Nursing, previously working as a Nurse Practitioner in ruralNL, and is also a trained Massage Therapist.

Alicia is also an advocate for Sport for Life and Physical Literacy for Communities. She is extremely passionate about physical literacy and mastering certain movement skills and fundamentals (including hockey), to encourage children to move confidently and be active for life. Currently the Physical Literacy for Communities mentor, Alicia strives for active life-long physical activity and improved health and well-being for all children and youth in her community. She is also in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Port Rexton Pride committee.

Alicia a long time player, has won many NS provincial titles over the years and after finishing minor hockey and attending university Alicia took an interest in teaching and coaching. Beginning with female youth, Alicia has coached in NS both at the minor and high performance levels, including many Atlantic Challenge Cup wins, Canada Winter Games coaching staff in 2011, and Team Atlantic staff in 2005. After a change in careers, Alicia moved to NL and continued coaching at the high performance level. Alicia MacDonald (she/her), born in Truro, NS, now resides in Port Rexton, NL, Canada, where her day job is co-owning and operating a small microbrewery in rural Newfoundland.

Amy Maitre is the assistant coach of the University of Windsor Women’s Hockey team and a player development coach at Prospects Athletics. She played for the University of Windsor Women’s Hockey program from 2016-2021, where she earned a Bachelors of Human Kinetics – Movement Science. Maitre has remained with the program since and is entering her first season as an assistant coach where she looks to use her own student-athlete experience to support their current athletes along their university careers.

In Amy’s role at Prospects Athletics, she works with a variety of skill levels from beginners to university athletes. Amy works with athletes ranging from 3 years old to adults both just learning how to skate and looking to develop their skills. This has allowed her a greater understanding of communicating and teaching skills at an appropriate level. With her role at the University of Windsor, Maitre helps with the team’s community involvement where they seek to improve the women’s hockey game and serve as positive role models for young female hockey players. Being from the Windsor area, supporting the ongoing development of female hockey in the area is something she is passionate about.

Amelia Matheson joined the Newcastle Northstars coaching staff in 2020, and is thriving in her first complete Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) season, making her the first woman to reach this achievement. Matheson began her coaching career in 2008 after being inspired by another female icon in Australian ice hockey, Dawn Watt. Prior to reaching the AIHL, Matheson broke ground coaching the NSW State Team in the Browns tournament. Matheson’s coaching career now spans 14 years, and has experienced many a challenge behind the bench.

Kim McCullough is the Director & Founder of Total Female Hockey. For the past 20 years, I’ve been empowering coaches, players, parents, teams and associations with the tools, information and inspiration they need to take their game to the next level on and off the ice. I pride myself in creating great experiences with every group I have the privilege of working with by making things easy to understand and easy to use, while simultaneously encouraging people to push outside of their comfort zone and challenge themselves so that they can reach new heights in their performance.

– Founded Total Female Hockey back in 2008 after a 6 year professional hockey career and 4 years of playing NCAA D1 Hockey at Dartmouth (captain and leading scorer)
– 20+ years experience as a bench coach, on-ice skills instructor & off-ice strength and conditioning coach
– 15 years experience as a coach educator/developer with Hockey Canada and dozens of hockey organizations across North America
– Hockey Canada High Performance 1 & 2 and Certified Skills Instructor
– Currently Head Coach of Team Iceland’s Under 18 Women’s National Team & Assistant on their Senior National Team
– Director of Coach & Player Development for Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association (the largest girls hockey association in the world)
– And most importantly, Head Coach of two Under 9 Competitive teams for my daughters at Toronto Leaside (as well as a proud mom of a non-hockey playing son)

Kelly McDonald became the Varsity Blues women’s hockey full-time assistant coach in August 2023. She and the Blues earned a silver medal at the USports National Championship in 2024.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she served as the Director of Women’s Hockey at a private school in the GTA, while also working as a teacher and guidance counselor. She had spent seven seasons with the Etobicoke Dolphins program, serving in such roles as Director of Player Development, head coach with the under-15 and under-18 teams, and assistant coach with the under-22 squad.

At the provincial level, McDonald has worked with the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) and Team Ontario as a video coach and assistant coach, while serving as head coach at the 2018 and 2022 Ontario Summer Games.

As a player, McDonald was an NCAA Division I athlete competing for the University of Maine Black Bears. In her senior year, she was a team captain and letter winner, while also earning the Distinguished Scholar academic award. Following her collegiate career, McDonald also played professionally in National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL).

Jodi is entering her 16th season as head coach at Division III Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she also serves as a strength and conditioning coach.

Prior to Wesleyan she spent 9 years as an assistant coach at Division I St. Lawrence University. In that time, St. Lawrence made three Frozen Four appearances, including finishing as runners-up in the inaugural NCAA-sponsored championship in Duluth, MN in 2001.

In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Jodi has been in the coaching pool with the US National Teams. In 2008 she started with the National Team evaluation camps, was an assistant coach with the 2009 National and 2010 Olympic Teams, and served as head coach of the 2011 U18 National Team.

Jodi was a 4-year letter winner as a defenseman at Brown University, playing in the final of the inaugural AHCA-sponsored National Championship game her senior season in 1998.

Marlie is originally from Ottawa where she played her minor hockey career before moving to Toronto for university followed by 5 years of coaching experience. Marlie began at the University of Toronto in 2019 playing five years with the Varsity Blues, two as an Assistant Captain. Not too long after Marlie stepped into the world of coaching joining the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association as an Assistant Coach with the U15 AA team for 3 years. Marlie then coached with the Etobicoke Dolphins Hockey Association for 2 years at the U18 AA level and has recently returned to Leaside as an Assistant Coach with the Leaside Jr. Wildcats U22 Elite. Marlie’s specialty is working with defense and is passionate about everything that relates to seeing the game from the eyes of a defenseman.

In addition to coaching Marlie currently works on the corporate side of the hockey world with Molson Coors specializing in sponsorship and strategy with NHL properties.

Dollee Meigs enters her fourth season as Associate Coach of the Women’s Hockey program. Meigs joined the Warriors as a student-athlete in 2017-18, taking the Recreation and Sports Business program while finishing her final year of eligibility as a Warrior during the 2018-19 season.

Since coming over to join the Warriors Meigs has taken her path to become a coach very serious putting in time to earn her coaching certifications and learn coaching tactics from Coach Reagan. Meigs has worked with the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) coaching the highest achieving young female hockey players in Ontario at the Team Ontario Identification and Selection Camps for both U18 and U16 levels. She has also coached at competitions including two Summer Games and at the 2019 Nationals, where Team Ontario were National Champions.

Through this development Meigs was accepted and is going into her third year as a member of the NHLCA Female Coaches Development Program. This program consists of around 50 Female Coaches across North America. The purpose is to develop coaching, build a network and to give the group exposure to hockey and coaching at the NHL and AHL levels.

Amanda Michaud is head coach of the Jacksonville Lunas Hockey Club, the first and only all-girls hockey program in Northeast Florida. Amanda played a large role in developing and growing the program prior to its inaugural season 2023-24. Prior to the Lunas, Amanda was head coach and on-ice skills coach for the Jacksonville Jr Icemen organization as well as Learn to Play and Learn to Skate programs. Prior to coming to Florida, she was an assistant coach and on-ice skills/development coach for the Arizona Kachinas, Small Frys, and Little Howlers programs in Scottsdale, Arizona and surrounding areas.

Born and raised in Lewiston, Maine she played youth hockey with Casco Bay Hockey Club before eventually playing varsity hockey for Lewiston High School Lady Blue Devils. Amanda received undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA, where she played NCAA DIII Softball and Club Ice Hockey. Her coaching career began while attending graduate school at Midwestern University/Arizona College of Health Sciences in Glendale, Arizona. Amanda also earned her doctorate degree in 2022. In addition to coaching, she has practiced medicine as a physician associate in allergy and clinical immunology for the last 12 years. Within her specialty, she holds numerous leadership and board positions and is an invited speaker at national and regional conferences.

Amanda is especially passionate about making the game of hockey more accessible for girls everywhere.

Cara Morey is in her sixth year leading the Princeton women’s hockey program in 2022-23. Since Morey was announced as head coach on June 12, 2017, the program has won its first ECAC tournament title, won an Ivy League championship, qualified for two NCAA quarterfinals, set the program wins record, and established itself as a regular inclusion in the national top-10 rankings.

Through four seasons of competition, Morey’s teams have a 73-43-15 record overall and 52-28-8 in ECAC Hockey. During the 2022-23 season, Morey became the second-winningest coach in program history, behind only the 327 wins over 21 seasons by predecessor Jeff Kampersal ’94, under whom she served as an assistant coach for six seasons.

From 2012-17, Morey assisted the Tigers to five ECAC quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal appearance in 2017. In 2016, she was instrumental in Princeton’s run to the Ivy League championship and at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. During her time as an assistant coach, Morey had nine All-ECAC and 18 All-Ivy League selections.

In addition to her coaching at Princeton, Morey has coached with Team Canada at the 2016-17 U-18 World Championships, helping the Canadians to a silver medal, and served as an assistant coach for Canada during the Feb. 2019 installment of the Rivalry Series with Team USA. Her international experience includes a gold medal as a player with Team Canada at the 2000 Nations Cup, two years experience as a player in the national program and gold as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Women’s Development Team at the 2015 Nations Cup in Germany. Morey was also a coach at the National Development Team Camps in 2012, 2014, 2019, at the 2014 National Women’s Team Fall Festival and at the 2016 National Women’s Under 18 three-game series with the U.S.

During the summer of 2021 and 2022, Morey was the first female to be an on-ice coach with the Philadelphia Flyers as a Development Coach. She was in charge of helping develop the on-ice skills of the Flyers top draft picks and rookies working with all positions on technique and strategy, introducing them to the style of play required for the NHL.

A 2001 graduate of Brown University, Morey (nee Gardner) was a two-sport athlete playing, both hockey and field hockey. An All-ECAC and All-Ivy League defender, she helped the Bears to three AWCHA National Championship tournament appearances, including two runner-up finishes. 

She earned All-Ivy and All-America honors in both sports and was the 2001 recipient of Brown’s Bessie H. Rudd Award, which is given to the female varsity athlete that has done the most to promote female athletics through spirit, enthusiasm and leadership. She also represented Brown at the NCAA Leadership Conference in 2000.

She then played two seasons in the NWHL with the Montreal Wingstars and the Brampton Thunder.

Morey graduated from Brown with a degree in human biology and earned a Master’s of Education from Arizona State in 2010.

• Head Coach, Long Island University (July 2022 – Present)
• NEWHA Conference Coach of the Year (2023-2024)
• NEWHA League Championship (2023-2024)
• NCAA Tournament Appearance (2022-2023)
• NEWHA Conference Championship (2022-2023)
• NEWHA League Championship (2022-2023)
• Associate Head Coach, Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation (July 2022 – April 2022)
• Athlete, Metropolitan Riveters of The National Women’s Hockey League (September 2017 – March 2020)
  Isobel Cup Championship (2018-2019)
• Assistant Coach, Princeton University (July 2017 – June 2019)
  NCAA Tournament Appearance (2018-2019)
• Assistant Coach, The University of Vermont (July 2013 – May 2017)
  HE Conference Tournament Appearance (2013-2014; 2016-2017)
• Athlete, The University of Wisconsin – Madison (2007-2011)
  NCAA National Championship (2007-2008; 2010-2011)

Charice Paoli is the lead supervisor and head coach of the Little Blackhawks program and all introduction to hockey initiatives at Glacier Ice Arena. With degrees in education and computer science, she has served as a classroom teacher for nine years while simultaneously balancing her coaching duties at various ice arenas across Illinois. Charice is now committed to Glacier, a rink partner of the NHL Blackhawks, where she passionately develops the athletic pursuits of all skaters.

A native of Bellingham, Wash., Katelyn Parker is returning to her home state after spending the last three seasons coaching for the Division I NCAA University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies Women’s Hockey program. Parker helped guide the Huskies to playoff appearances in all three years including the Hockey East finals and Semifinals the past two seasons. Prior to joining the Huskies, she coached two seasons as an assistant at Brown University.

Before becoming a collegiate coach, Parker was a member of the Colgate Raiders women’s hockey team, where she served as the team’s captain.

In addition to her duties with the Kraken, Parker serves as the Girls’ Hockey Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association (PNAHA).

Kelly Paton is the Manager of Women’s Hockey Operations and Head Coach of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Kelly oversees all aspects of the women’s hockey program, including team management, strategic planning, recruitment and player development. Under Kelly’s leadership, the Golden Hawks have seen significant improvements in both team performance, team culture and player growth.

Kelly has over 12 years of coaching experience across a range of sport ages; from U22 high performance to University (NCAA & USports) to NHL development camps. Kelly has been in involved with three USports Team Canada FISU teams (2017, 2023, and 2025) and holds multiple skill certifications with Hockey Canada. With a reputation of dedication, strategic insight, and a genuine passion for the sport, Kelly is highly regarded in the hockey community.

Current Assistant Coach and Goaltending Coach for the University at Buffalo men’s hockey ACHA DI program and Goaltending Coach for the Hilbert College women’s hockey NCAA DIII program. Currently in her final year of law school at the University at Buffalo. Owner and Director of Elite Concepts Goalie Training. Professional experience playing in North America and Europe. Played her college hockey at Colby College and holds a Master of Sports Leadership from Northeastern University.

College & Professional:
In 2011 Amanda started her career at the University of Vermont. She left her career holding the most goals, assists and points in UVM’s history and captained the team in her last two years. Once she graduated, she moved to Boston to train and play for the Boston Pride in the NWHL. On June 22, 2015, Pelkey became the first player ever to sign with the Boston Pride, signing prior to the 2015-16 inaugural NWHL season. She played for the Boston Pride for three years with a gap year for the 2018 Olympics. She has played the last three seasons in the PWHPA. Amanda will return back to the PHF to further her professional career with the Metropolitan Riveters for the 2022-2023 season.

Team USA
Amanda’s USA Hockey career began when she was 15 years old. She won two gold medals and one silver with the U-18 National Team. Pelkey made her first women’s roster in 2015 for the Four Nation’s Tournament. Since then, she made every roster moving forward up to the 2018 Winter Olympics including two gold medals in the IIHF World Championships in 2016 and 2017. Amanda is a 2018 Olympic Gold medalist.

Coaching Career:
Amanda is the founder and director of AMP Hockey which is a developmental program for athletes established in 2018. Her hockey camps are spread throughout the United States in various locations including Texas, Vermont, North Carolina and Colorado. Amanda has also coached at the Junior girls level from 2016-2022 serving as both a head coach and assistant coach. She has evaluated for USA Hockey’s Under 18 National Team along with New England Development camps. Most recently she was the skill development coach for the the Okanagan Hockey Academy and the Penticton Minor Hockey Association in British Columbia, Canada.

Michelle (Shelly) Picard joined the coaching staff for Princeton University Women’s Hockey team for the 2021-2022 season.

Prior to joining Princeton’s coaching staff, the former NWHL All-Star was named Deputy Commissioner/Director of Player Development for the National Women’s Hockey League in December 2019. In her role, Picard’s responsibilities included player development, free agency, game and event schedules, grassroots programs, and building on the league’s relationships with national governing bodies and collegiate hockey programs.

Picard was also the Director of Girls’ Hockey with the New Jersey Colonials and is a volunteer coach with Hockey in New Jersey, which provides children the opportunity to play hockey for free.

With the U.S. National program, Picard was a member of Team USA that captured silver at the 2014 Olympics and won gold in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019 at the World Championships. Picard was a team captain as a junior and senior at Harvard. In her senior season, she was named All-Ivy League first team and was an ECAC defender of the year finalist.

She played three seasons in the NWHL with the Riveters, winning the Isobel Cup in 2018 and serving as team captain in 2018-19. She was also the captain of Team NWHL – a collection of top players who played the U.S. Olympic Team in two exhibition games in 2018 – and a recipient of the NWHL Foundation Award for her work in hockey at the grass-roots level.

A native of St-Albert, ON, Canada, Edith Racine enters her 14th season as a member of the Cornell coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach for ten years before being elevated to associate head coach in 2018. In addition to working with the goalies, Racine is also responsible for the recruitment, defenseman, and penalty kill for the Big Red. Cornell advanced to the national title game in her first season, starting a run of three consecutive NCAA Frozen Four appearances (2010, 2011, and 2012), in addition to another appearance in the national semifinals in 2019 and being ranked #1 in 2020 as the COVID-19 Pandemic began. The Big Red has won seven Ivy League titles, five ECAC Hockey regular season crowns, and four ECAC Hockey tournament championships in Racine’s 13 years on East Hill.

Racine graduated from Elmira College with a degree in business. She is a four-year member of the Soaring Eagles, backstopping them to a pair of national titles, and has been instrumental in the continual development of the Big Red’s netminders.

Internationally, Racine was invited to Team Canada’s U-18 summer camp as a developmental coach this past summer.

Alex recently finished her playing career where she split her time between Plymouth State University in the NCAA and the University of Regina within U Sports. She graduated with a bachelors of Kinesiology with a Human Kinetics major in the spring of 2022.

Growing up in Windsor, Ontario she has been coaching with Prospects Goaltending & Athletics since she was 16 years of age and more recently other goaltending and player development programs in Saskatchewan. While in university she found a love for coaching, where she was fortunate enough to be an Assistant Coach of the U13 and U15 Regina Rebels teams as well as the Regina Colts program.

Since graduating she has been the goaltending coach for a A21 Prep Academy as well as instructing goaltenders on-ice and training athletes and teams off-ice at Prospects.

A native of Bowmanville, ON Canada, Karen Rickard played competitive youth hockey with the Toronto Aeros before accepting a full scholarship to the University of Wisconsin (2004). While at Wisconsin, Rickard received the prestigious Jeff Sauer Award, WCHA Player of the Week (twice), WCHA All-Second Team, Big Ten scholar-athlete, and WCHA All Academic team. She began her coaching career in Dallas, TX with the Dallas Stars Elite while working full time with the Dallas Mavericks (NBA). In 2015 she moved to Denver serving as the Assistant Director and 19U Head Coach for the Colorado Select. Rickard joined Team Colorado in 2017 serving as the Head Coach for the 16U AAA team and the 14U AAA tournament team. A USA Hockey Level 4 certified coach, she has worked at multiple USA Hockey Player Development camps. Along with her degree from Wisconsin, Rickard earned a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University.

Carolyn Ross is in her second season as an Assistant Coach for the University of Minnesota Women’s ACHA Hockey Team. She specializes in coaching the defensemen and penalty kill, and established a data analytics system to track key player and team metrics and guide strategic decisions. Ross also contributes to program marketing and supports recruiting efforts, particularly in the western region.

Before joining Minnesota, Ross was an Assistant Coach at Northeastern University. Her leadership as the Defense Coach led to a runner-up finish at the 2023 ACHA National Championship. Ross has also been involved in national-level coaching, including her role as a USA Hockey Intern Coach at the 2024 Girls Player Development Camp and her selection as a USA Hockey Coach Developer starting in summer 2024.

Ross earned a BA in Neuroscience from Boston University in 2014 and an MS in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University in 2023. She served as a nuclear officer in the U.S. Navy for six years, including two deployments, and brings a unique perspective from her decade of experience in corporate engineering management and military leadership. Inspired by Rod Brind’Amour’s philosophy of authenticity, hard work, and positivity, she integrates these principles into her coaching, focusing on integrity, hustle, and serving others. As a former player, Ross competed at the 19U Girls Tier 1 level and proudly represented the U.S. Navy in the 2018 Army-Navy hockey game.

Roth joins the Crimson staff after a four-year tenure as the associate head coach at the College of the Holy Cross. Prior to her time in Worcester, Roth was the head coach at St. Norbert College, a DIII school in Wisconsin. With her at the helm, the Green Knights enjoyed great success, playing their way into the NCHA Championship game in 2016.

Previously, Roth coaches at Providence College in two stints from 2006-10 and 2012-15. In between her time with the Friars, Roth was on staff at Cornell University, and helped the Big Red reach the Frozen Four twice from 2010-2012. Roth’s first head coaching job came in 2004 when she was appointed the leader of the Shattuck St. Mary’s School U-16 team.

In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Roth has been heavily involved in USA Hockey, in particular its U-18 program. She was recently named as an assistant coach for the United States U-18 Women’s National Team for its 2023-24 season and will coach the group at the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Switzerland. Roth was also with the group during its Gold medal run in the 2020 IIHF World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. She has been integral in the success of the U-18 program since coaching at her first camp in 2006.

A talented skater herself, Roth was a four-year member of the Providence Friars women’s ice hockey team and was a two-time captain. In her four years, the Friars captured three conference championships, one in the ECAC (2002) and two in the Hockey East (2003, 04).

Roth graduated from Providence in 2004 with a degree in social science before going back to school at the State University of New York – Cortland, where she earned a master’s degree in sports management.

In addition to her formal education, Roth was also recently selected to attend a Diversity and Inclusion Scouting Mentorship Program, hosted by the Boston Bruins, during the 2021-22 season. During the nine-month program, she worked on developing skills in management, scouting, talent identification and decision-making at the National Hockey League (NHL) level. Throughout the course of the program, she worked closely with contacts from the Bruins front office and regularly attended American Hockey League (AHL) and NHL games as a scout.

Melanie Ruzzi is in her second season at the helm of the Bears, after being named head coach of the Brown women’s hockey program on May 20, 2021.

In her first year as a collegiate head coach in 2021-22, Ruzzi guided the Bears to their best overall record in five years, and their most ECAC wins since the 2008-09 season, giving them their highest finish in the ECAC standings in a decade. The team went unbeaten in seven of its final nine games, which included a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents in No. 9 Quinnipiac and No. 7 Yale, an eventual national semifinalist. Brown’s turnaround in 2021-22 also saw the team score 0.7 more goals per game and allow exactly one fewer goal per game from the previous season.

Her efforts earned her the honor of being one of three finalists for the ECAC Coach of the Year award.

Ruzzi came to College Hill after a successful two-year stint as an assistant coach at Princeton. In her time with the Tigers, Princeton set a program record with 26 wins, reached the ECAC tournament final for the first time and won the ECAC tournament title for the first time in 2019-20. Princeton finished the season with three players ranked in the top 12 in the nation in goals and points per game. The ECAC recognized Princeton’s success with both Carly Bullock and Sarah Fillier as Best Forward top-three finalists, with Fillier additionally a top-three finalist for Player of the Year. The team qualified for the NCAA quarterfinals, but the event was canceled by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 virus.

Ruzzi began her coaching career at Division III Amherst College in 2005, where she acted as an assistant coach for two seasons. From 2007-11 she was an assistant coach at Harvard before returning to her alma mater Providence College for six years as associate head coach. She then spent one season as an assistant at Yale during the 2018-19 season.

Ruzzi was critical to the turn-around of the Friars program that saw the program return to the national rankings and be one of the most competitive teams in Hockey East. She helped transform the defense from 136 goals allowed to 80 in just two seasons, while also improving the penalty kill from 78.1 percent to 87.1 percent – eighth best in the nation in her final year with Providence College (2017-18). In addition, she coached defender, Whitney Dove, to the Hockey East Rookie of the Year award in 2017.

Her involvement in hockey exceeds the collegiate ranks. She has been involved with USA Hockey since 2006, and served as an assistant coach for the Team USA U18 National Team that won the silver medal at the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships. In addition, Ruzzi has held various roles at National Development and District Camps, including as Director of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific District Development Programs.

A 2003 graduate of Providence College with a degree in finance, Ruzzi was team captain in 2002-03 and captured Hockey East Honorable Mention honors as well as national all-academic accolades. One of the most successful defensemen in program history, she helped the Friars to the ECAC Eastern title as a junior and the inaugural Hockey East title in 2003. She later earned a master’s in sports management from UMass in 2007.

Melissa Samoskevich, an IIHF World Champion with Team USA, joined the University of Delaware ice hockey program as its first-ever assistant coach in July of 2024.

Samoskevich arrives in Newark after spending the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach at Princeton. She aided the Tigers to a 14-12-6 record and an appearance in the ECAC Championship quarterfinals. With the Tigers, she assisted with video analysis, practice planning, drill implementation, special teams, and game management.

Harper is from Minnetonka, Minnesota, she is currently the Head Coach for the Park School. She started her coaching career as a student coach for the Minnetonka Youth Hockey Association in Minnesota.

She was a member of the Montclair State University Women’s Ice Hockey Team from 2015-2018. While on the MSU team she assisted in winning the DVCHC and her team making it to the national championships for the first time in program history.

In 2019 Harper started to work with the New York Rangers youth programs. Here she was a head coach for the newly formed all girls league. As well as a coach for the Learn to Play and Rookie League programs.

In 2021 she started coaching with the Peabody Youth Hockey Association as an assistant coach for their Squirt B team. In 2023 she took over as the head coach for the Park School located in Brookline MA. In her time off the ice she works with 3d Lacrosse and enjoys reading, baking, and exploring Boston.

Laura Schuler became the third head coach in the 25 year history of one of the most successful programs in all of Division I women’s college hockey on July 10, 2024 after finishing her third consecutive season with the Bulldogs in 2023-24 as an associate head coach. Her return to UMD bench in 2021-22 helped result in an NCAA championship title game appearance and three-straight NCAA Tournament berths for the Bulldogs.

A part of six NCAA Tournament teams at UMD in all, including three NCAA Frozen Fours and an NCAA championship title in 2010, Schuler has spent a total of 10 seasons on the bench of the Bulldogs over her coaching career in Duluth, and helped those 10 UMD teams to a record of 187-105-29. Schuler not only coached all 13 of the Bulldog’s PWHL draft picks over the past two drafts during her time with the UMD program, but has also coached 25 of UMD’s 41 Olympians.

Schuler notably owns an extensive resume of coaching and playing with Hockey Canada, and an international background that has spanned over two decades. Named the head coach of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey team during the 2015-16 season, Schuler was again tabbed for the job over the 2016-17 season. Schuler was then chosen to lead the Canadian Olympic women’s team in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. Schuler and Team Canada went on to face the United States where Canada took home the silver medal in a 3-2 shootout loss.

Additionally, the Scarborough, Ontario native has spent a decade coaching all three of Hockey Canada’s High Performance Programs. She was as an assistant coach with the National Women’s Team in 2010-11 (Four Nations Cup – Gold); a head coach of the U-22 National Development Women’s Team in 2011-12 (Meco Cup – Silver);  an assistant of the Canadian U-18 National Team in 2012-13 (Worlds – Gold) and a head coach of the U-18 National Team in 2013-14 (Worlds – Gold).

As a player, Schuler competed for Hockey Canada after her collegiate career at Northeastern. She won three gold medals at the World Championships in 1990, 1992 and 1997, two gold medals at the Pacific Rim Championships in 1995 and 1996 and two gold and a silver at the Three Nations Cup in 1996, 1997 and 1999. She was also a member of the 1998 Canadian Olympic team and won a silver medal at the Winter Games.

Schuler began her coaching career in 2001 as the head coach of UMass Boston and later at her alma mater of Northeastern from 2004-2008.  Schuler became an assistant coach for the Bulldogs originally in 2008 and, over seven seasons, helped lead UMD to three NCAA Tournament berths, as well as an NCAA title in 2010. She then spent three seasons at the helm of Dartmouth College (2016-2020), with a one-year sabbatical during her tenure to guide the Canadian Olympic team in the 2018 Olympics.

Schuler graduated cum laude from Northeastern University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

As the third head coach in program history, Schuler notably has the distinction of having served as an assistant coach for multiple seasons under both of the previous head coaches at UMD – most recently Maura Crowell (2015-2023) and Shannon Miller (1999-2015).

Brittany is the Coordinator of Hockey Operations at P3 Sports Inc. in Cochrane, Alberta. She is responsible for the planning and implementation of the skill development program for all of Cochrane Minor Hockey, as well as multiple associations in Calgary. She runs many of our on-ice programs, including our Hockey Academy and Power Skating programs. In the spring and summer, Brittany is in charge of many of our elite programs. These programs include high level prospects, as well as current NCAA and professional athletes.

Brittany played NCAA Division I at Providence College, where she was captain her senior year. She then went on to play at the professional level for the Boston Blades and the Moscow Tornado. She won an IIHF gold medal at the 2014 European Championships. Brittany is passionate about growing the game of hockey and developing players of all ages and skill levels. She is keen to continuously learn and develop herself as a coach.

Jessica Scott was promoted to assistant coach in September 2022 after joining the Gopher women’s hockey staff as the program’s director of operations in July 2019.

Scott joined Gopher Athletics after most recently spending three years as the head coach of the girls’ hockey program at Wayzata High School. She was named the Class AA head coach of the year in 2018 and received back-to-back Section 6AA coach of the year honors in 2018 and 2019. She was elected as president of the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association in February 2014 and served in the role until May 2018. After joining the Gophers, Scott served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the United States’ Silver medal-winning U18 Women’s National Team at the 2022 IIHF World Championships.

Prior to her time with the Trojans, Scott served as the girls’ hockey head coach at her alma mater Coon Rapids High School for five years. Her coaching experience also includes four years as an assistant coach at the University of St. Thomas, her collegiate alma mater.

Scott brings over 15 years of experience in athletic administration to her role at the University of Minnesota. She served as the program director for Minnesota Youth Athletic Services for over seven years where she honed skills in event planning, communication and conflict resolution, marketing, and fundraising. Scott’s high school coaching roles included planning games, practices, travel, meetings, and fundraising; maintaining community involvement with area youth hockey programs and schools; and implementing programs to build and grow youth hockey.

In addition, Scott’s previous experience includes serving as a consultant for Showcase Hockey in St. Louis Park, Minn., where she served as the director for the Dynamo Prep League and was the coach and administrator for U19 teams and tours to Europe. Her experience also includes a stint at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn., where she worked in ice sports programming.

A native of Coon Rapids, Minn., Scott graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in sociology in 2004 and added a Master of Education in Sport Management from the University of Minnesota in 2022. She played hockey for the Tommies in 2000-01, where she was All-MIAC and the leading scorer, before suffering a career-ending injury; a two-sport student-athlete, Scott was a three-time All-MIAC and two-time all-region goalkeeper in soccer for UST as well.

Kahlie Singletary is the head coach for the Nashville Jr. Predators U19 team and Assistant Coach for the Father Ryan Boys Varsity team. The 2021-2022 season marks Kahlie’s sixteenth year coaching at the U19 level.

Kahlie’s passion is giving girls an opportunity to train at an elite level while developing female leaders for collegiate hockey and life beyond. Her in-season curriculum goes beyond the x’s and o’s of hockey, implementing leadership and mentorship training programs and a coaching mentorship program. She also serves as the Girls/Women’s Committee chair for the Southern Amateur Hockey Association, covering six states. Her mission is to help programs create more opportunities for girls to participate in the sport. After an unprecedented number of families were leaving the affiliate to play Tier 1 as a means to play college hockey, Kahlie started a team in 2016 with a 7-year strategic plan to allow girls to stay home and achieve their long-term goals. In just six years, eleven seniors have committed to NCAA D1 + D3 programs, and ten have committed to play ACHA.

Along with being a level 4 USA Hockey Coach and Certified Functional Strength Coach, Kahlie holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business. She is pursuing her Master’s degree in Agricultural Leadership and Education.

Kahlie is a native of Farmington, MN, and resides in Lebanon, TN, with her husband, Josh.

Alyssa played NCAA Division I college hockey at Cornell University, where she was a two-year captain and 2014 ECAC Co-Defensive Defensemen of the Year and Second Team All-American. She competed with the USA Women’s National Team from 2013-2016, including at two Four Nations Cups (2014, 2015), while playing professionally for the Boston Blades (CWHL), Boston Pride (NWHL), and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) from 2014 – 2020.

After completing her playing career, Alyssa worked for the Carolina Hurricanes organization in Youth Hockey Development, as well as coaching in the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes Tier I Girls Program, with a focus on Skill & Player Development.

Alyssa is currently an Assistant and Player Development Coach for the Rochester Jr. Americans of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

She is also a volunteer coach with the Philadelphia Flyers Warriors Veterans team. Alyssa is a board member of the PWHPA and has been a member of the NHLCA Female Coaches Development Program since 2020.

Annie Smyth-Hammond grew up in Massachusetts, playing hockey, soccer, and lacrosse, before she was recruited to play hockey at Stevenson University. Annie was a dedicated student-athlete at Stevenson University from 2016-2020. In addition to being a business communications major, Annie captained the Stevenson University Women’s Ice Hockey Team (NCAA) during her junior and senior years. She received the Mustang Award, as well as the American Hockey Coaches Association All-American Scholars award, during her time there.

After graduating from Stevenson University, Annie joined Manhattanville College Women’s Hockey (NCAA) as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Annie earned her Masters in Education from Manhattanville College. While at Manhattanville, she also coached for ProCrease, assisting in their goalie development programs. Following Manhattanville, Annie returned to her alma mater, Holderness School, to be the Assistant Director of Admissions and the Head Coach of the girls’ varsity hockey team. She also worked as a dorm parent and advisor to students on campus.

Annie is now the Girls Hockey Director at Seattle Junior. She oversees player and coach development for the girls program. She runs weekly development sessions with the rep hockey teams with Youth Hockey Director, Marty Rubin, and goalie director, Mark Sorenson.

In her free time, Annie enjoys hiking, camping, mountain biking, and really anything that gets her outside.

Olivia Soares joins the Bulldogs as an an assistant coach ahead of the 2024-2025 season, coming to Duluth from Union College, where she spent the last two seasons on the bench as an assistant coach.

Currently a USA Hockey National Development Camp coach for the past three years (2022-24), Soares helped Union College post the most overall and conference wins in a two-year stretch in the program’s Division I history and steer the program to a pair of victories over nationally ranked teams. In 2022-23, Soares had a hand in helping Union to the most wins in a single season at the Division I level (11), and the team had one of its best stretches in the month of November, winning three games in overtime as part of a four-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak, both the longest-ever in the program’s Division I history.

Prior to Union, Soares served as an assistant coach at Colby College during the 2021-22 season, where she helped to lead the Mules to the best season in program history. Colby set a program record for wins with a 16-6-1 record and earned their first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the season eighth in the USCHO.com national rankings.

As a collegiate hockey player, Soares had a successful four-year career at Ohio State University from 2016-20, playing in 142 games for the Buckeyes. Soares was part of OSU’s first-ever NCAA Tournament and Frozen Four Team in 2018, and served as both assistant captain as a junior before becoming a captain as a senior. Soares also led the team to the program’s first Western Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament championship in 2020 before the NCAA Tournament was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A WCHA Scholar-Athlete honoree in 2018 and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection, as well as a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Soares graduated from Ohio State in 2020 with a degree in education and earned her master’s degree in sports management from OSU in 2021.

Soares, notably, becomes the first Black coach in the WCHA and is just one of two Black coaches in all of Division I women’s hockey.

Ellyn Stanton brings over 20 years of experience in playing hockey and 3 years of experience in coaching. Ellyn was the goaltender for Steel City Selects and went on to play D1 ACHA at Adrian College. After graduating Ellyn served as an Assistant Coach for her former college team in the 2016-2017 season. She also served as the Video Coordinator for the 2019 USA Women’s University hockey team that played in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Most recently, Ellyn served as the head coach for Mon Valley u12 girls team in 2021-2022 and for the u12 and u14 girls teams in Morgantown during the 2022-2023 season.

A Windsor, ON Canada native, Cait has been involved with coaches goalies of all ages and levels for the past 9 years. She is starting her 4th season with the University of Windsor Lancers USPORTS Women’s hockey program in the OUA- as the full time Goalie Coach & Equipment Manager. Last year she saw her goaltender Kristen Swiatoschik win OUA Goaltender of the Year.

When she is not with the Lancers, Cait spends her time managing and coaching goalies from beginners to pros with Prospects Athletics, an all-in-one hockey training facility in her hometown. Cait oversees & organizes various hockey training programs, coaching staff, and day to day operations of the facility. Cait is also the goaltending coach for various minor hockey teams in her area. She has a passion for developing goaltenders and seeing them succeed on and off the ice!

A member of Canada’s national women’s hockey program from 1989-2008, Sunohara became the head coach of U of T’s women’s hockey program in 2011-12 after serving two years as the director of women’s hockey at The Hill Academy in Vaughan, Ont. She was previously an assistant coach with the Blues in 2004-05, as well as a camp coach with Hockey Canada’s under-18 and -19 women’s programs.

Sunohara guided the Blues to the 2019-20 OUA McCaw Cup – the program’s first provincial title since 2002-03. She was named both the OUA and U SPORTS coach of the year that season while also earning OUA female coach of the year honours across all sports.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist served as an assistant captain for seven years with Team Canada before retiring from an international competition in 2008. In addition to the 1998, 2002, and 2006 Winter Olympics, Sunohara has represented Canada in several international ice hockey competitions. In total, she won 15 gold and three silver medals as a member of Canada’s national team, finishing her career with 118 points (56 goals and 62 assists) in 164 games.

Sunohara also served as team captain for ten seasons with the Brampton Canadette-Thunder in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), leading her team to two provincial and one national title.

Sunohara is no stranger to the University of Toronto. After attending Northeastern University on a full athletic scholarship from 1988-90, she played two seasons with the Blues, winning two Ontario Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association (OWIAA) championship titles and earning rookie of the year honours in 1990-91. Following the conclusion of her hockey career, Sunohara returned to U of T and completed her bachelor’s degree in physical health education.

Miriam Thimm is currently the Head Coach for EC Bergkamen of the DFEL. In her first season behind the bench, she guided them to a fifth place finish. She also sits on the Ombudsperson in the DEL and DEL 2, an independent arbitration panel for cases of racism and sexism.

Thimm was the former Head Coach of the Women’s Bundesliga Team Düsseldorfer EG and a former German National Team player becoming the first black women to play for the National team. She previously served as part of the Coaching Staff for the professional men’s team in Germany Duisburger Füchse. In August 2021, Miriam was part of the Coaching staff as Hockey is Diversity Delegate to participate in the DEL Future Camp for U13 and U15 players. 

Miriam is a sport scientist with a specialty in Kinesiology and works as a history and physical education teacher at a high-school in Germany.

Lindsay is the owner and founder of Hockey Edge Agility Training based in Morris County, NJ. Her background in figure skating as a USFS triple gold medalist has enabled her to bring correct bio mechanics in skating to hockey players. HEAT is now an all female staffed training company providing quality instruction from stick handling and game application to proper skating technique and agility training. Lindsay was named by The Coaches Site as one of the top 10 skills instructors in 2023. She is also the former skating skills instructor for the Metropolitan Riveters of the PHF and works with a number of Pro, College, and aspiring youth hockey players year round as well as travel club programs. When not on the ice, you can find her cheering on her kids on the sidelines as a soccer and lacrosse mom.

​Laura is entering her second season as the head coach of the girls’ varsity hockey team at Choate Rosemary Hall, a college preparatory boarding school in Connecticut. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Laura provides academic support in the Teaching and Learning Center and works with the Admission office interviewing prospective students and reading applications. Laura also coaches with the Mid-Fairfield CT Stars Girls Youth Hockey Organization.

Prior to Choate, Laura spent seven years working in admissions and coaching at The Winchendon School in MA. She graduated from the Williston Northampton School in 2008 and then went on to play at Division III Hamilton College. She served as team captain and received the scholar-athlete award in her senior year. Laura has a USA Hockey Level 4 coaching certification and has worked at numerous USA Hockey National and District Development Camps. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Management.

Jenna Trubiano (New Baltimore, MI) is the head coach of the University of Michigan women’s hockey program (4th season) leading the Wolverines to back-to-back ACHA National Tournament appearances (2023; 2024). Trubiano served as an assistant coach for two seasons (2018-2019; 2019-2020) with Michigan before being promoted to head coach in 2020. She is a 2017 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Health and Fitness. Trubiano is a USA Hockey Level Four certified coach and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in December 2023 with a Master’s in Business Administration. Before four seasons as both a forward and defenseman with the University of Michigan, she played for Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club in the Metro Detroit Area and attended USA Hockey National Player Development Camp (2011; St. Cloud, Minn). In her time with the Wolverines, she averaged 1.02 PPG (47G, 42A in 87 games played). In July 2024, Trubiano was named an assistant coach for Team USA that will compete in the 2025 World University Games in Torino, Italy.

Trubiano was elected 2023 CCWHA Coach of the Year by her peers and is actively involved with the annual Michigan Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and USA Hockey selection events in Michigan.

Jess Turi will be entering her second season as an Assistant Coach with both the Men’s and Women’s Hockey program at York University. Jess joined the University, her alma mater, after winning an Isobel Cup with the Toronto Six of the PHF in their final season. Prior to that Jess spent two seasons with the University of Toronto as the Head Scout and Assistant Coach, capturing the OUA title and becoming McCaw Cup Champions in 2020.

Jess has over ten years of Head Coaching experience at the U22 OWHL Elite level (formerly the PWHL), where she was named ‘Coach of the Year’ in 2014.

Jess has also coached at four National Championships with Team Ontario of the OWHA, winning two gold medals and two silver. and two Canada Winter Games, winning silver and bronze.

Jess holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees and has been a secondary teacher for 15 years.

Ashley is in her tenth season as the Head Coach of the Winnipeg Avros and her eighteenth season as a head coach in Manitoba. She was also just recognized as the 2019-2020 BFL and Hockey Canada High Performance Coach of the Year for Manitoba. Ashley’s coaching career started after she had finished four years (2000-2004) with the University of Manitoba Bison Women’s Hockey Team .

From there, a passionate and driven Ashley entered the MWJHL (Manitoba Women’s Junior Hockey League) where she was the head coach for the Polar Ice for seven years. After several successful seasons, head coach of many All Star Games and two Provincial Championships with the MWJHL, Ashley made the jump and moved into the Provincial U18 AAA program in Winnipeg. Completing her education degree in 2007, Ashley has also spent time coaching in the WWHSHL (Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League).

Ashley also joined the U18 Team Manitoba staff as an assistant coach for the squad that traveled to Napanee in 2008 (bronze medal) and Halifax for the Canada Games in 2010. Showing her dedication to the female game in Manitoba, Ashley was selected as the Head Coach for the U18 Provincial Team that travelled to Dawson Creek, B.C. in November of 2012 where they captured silver after losing to Team Ontario in the finals. She is also the first coach in Manitoba selected to head coach the U18 Provincial team three times as she was on the bench with the squad at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, B.C. and also competed at the U18 Nationals championships in Quebec City in November of 2017.

It was this commitment to hockey, her own personal successes in sport plus her dedication to her students and time spent coaching High School Athletics (Varsity Basketball, Badminton, Track & Field and Soccer) that won her two nominations for the Manitoba Women of Distinction Award.

Vasichek enters her fourth season as the Head Coach of the College of St. Scholastica Women’s Hockey program in 2024-2025.

Vasichek has been part of the program for seven years with the last three being the head coach.

The Great Falls, Montana native played defenseman for the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2001-05. She was a member of the 2002 and 2003 National Championship teams. Vasichek earned Second Team All-America accolades in 2004 and 2005 and was part of the 2003-04 U.S. National Team.

She has been assistant women’s hockey coach at NCAA Division III Bowdoin College (Maine) in 2007-08 and was the Strength and Conditioning Coach/Hockey Equipment Manager for the 2010 UMD National Championship team.

Since earning her degree from UMD in Applied Science in 2005, Vasichek has worked as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at a variety of levels including Rochester Mayo HS Boys Hockey Team in 2012-13, for UMD’s Women’s Hockey, Women’s Soccer and Softball teams for five years, the International Ice Hockey Federation in 2011 in Slovakia, the North American Hockey Academy in 2010-11 and Czech Republic Women’s Hockey National Team in 2011.

Vasichek completed her Master’s Degree in Education from UMD in the Spring of 2021 and is currently working on a second Master’s in Exercise Physiology at St. Scholastica. Vasichek also was a member of the Eue Fellows Program last year at St. Scholastica and completed a project exploring transgender inclusion in the NCAA.

Walkland, a native of nearby Pittsford, served the past five seasons as an assistant coach for the ascendant women’s hockey team at Colgate University. All told, she has 10 seasons of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level and 13 overall in the collegiate ranks.

Over her years as a coach, Walkland has shown the ability to inspire student-athletes to excel in all areas, which made her stand out in the BK Selects’ search process.

Walkland has served many roles within USA Hockey throughout her career and, most recently, in May 2020, was named to the USA Hockey U18 staff for the 2021 U18 World Championships. The tournament was postponed and was held in June of 2022, where Walkland helped guide the team to a silver medal.

Prior to Colgate, Walkland spent five years at Robert Morris University as an assistant coach. With her leadership at RMU, the Colonials were three-time defending College Hockey America Regular Season Champions and made an NCAA Final Eight appearance in the 2016-17 campaign.

Walkland spent the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons as an assistant coach at the State University of New York at Oswego. She helped Oswego State reach new heights as a program, breaking the school record for wins in a season with 12 in 2012-13 and 17 in 2013-14. The Lakers also finished third in the ECAC West in the 2013-14 season, which marked their highest finish ever in conference play.

Walkland began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant with the Rochester Institute of Technology, helping the Tigers to a 28-1-1 record and Division III national championship in 2011-12.

Walkland played forward for the Robert Morris University Colonials from 2006-2010 and served as an assistant captain during both her junior and senior seasons. She was a three-time College Hockey America (CHA) All-Academic Team honoree and was named the team’s “Players’ Player” award three times. Walkland graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Robert Morris University in 2010 and a master’s degree in instructional leadership from Robert Morris University in 2011.

A native of Rochester, NY, Walkland grew up playing for the Rochester Americans and Rochester Edge hockey programs. She and her wife, Cobina, reside in Hamilton, NY, with their sons, Calder and Corson, and daughter Campbell.

Former Terrier standout and Olympic gold medalist Tara Watchorn ’12 was named the second head coach of the Boston University women’s ice hockey program on April 3, 2023.

The first alumna of the BU women’s program to serve as a Division I head hockey coach, Watchorn played at BU from 2008-12 and went on to serve as an assistant coach for the program for four seasons before being named Stonehill’s first head coach for women’s hockey in 2021. She was recently named the 2022-23 NEWHA Coach of the Year in the Skyhawks’ inaugural season and was a finalist for the ACHA Division I National Coach of the Year.

This past season at Stonehill, Watchorn led the program to a 17-15-2 record while going 14-9-1 in NEWHA action for 29 points, clinching the No. 3 seed in the NEWHA playoffs. The team won its first five NEWHA games and finished first in the nation in shorthanded goals (10) and ninth in power-play goals (21). The Skyhawks reached the NEWHA semifinals after earning an opening-round sweep.

While serving on Durocher’s staff, Watchorn focused on player skill development and the team’s defense. The BU defense twice ranked in the top five nationally in goals-against average under Watchorn while the team’s penalty kill finished fourth in the country in her final season. BU posted a 65-39-18 (.607) record, including a 47-28-14 (.607) mark in Hockey East, over her four seasons and won the 2019 Beanpot Championship.

In addition to her on-ice responsibilities as the first BU alumna to return as a full-time women’s ice hockey assistant coach, Watchorn was instrumental in the Terriers’ student-athlete recruiting efforts, leading the program’s alumni relations activities and mentoring Terrier captains, helping them engage the team in community and equality initiatives.

The pinnacle of Watchorn’s playing career came in 2014 when she and three other Terriers claimed gold with Team Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. She remains active with Hockey Canada as an assistant coach, most recently winning gold at the 2023 U-18 World Championship.

Watchorn enjoyed an 11-year playing career for Team Canada as a defender, appearing in 46 games in international competition, and earned three IIHF Women’s World Championship silver medals (2011, 2015, 2016) and two gold medals at the 4 Nations Cup (2013, 2014) in addition to the Olympic gold.

A two-time Hockey East and New England All-Star, Watchorn helped vault the Terriers onto the national scene as a student-athlete. She helped lead BU to its first two Hockey East titles (2010, 2012) with her overtime goal in 2010 pushing BU to its first league crown. She played in the NCAA tournament in each of her final three seasons and was a member of the 2010-11 squad that became the first Hockey East team to play in the NCAA championship game. In 127 games on the BU blue line, Watchorn scored 21 goals and added 63 assists for 84 points.

In addition to her collegiate and international successes, Watchorn also shined as a professional for the Boston Blades of the CWHL. She played in two CWHL All-Star Games and was named CWHL Defenseman of the Year in 2015 – the same year she helped her team to its Clarkson Cup victory.

Watchorn graduated from BU’s Sargent College in 2012 with a degree in health science and recently completed a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Northeastern.

Weiss was hired as the Eagles Video Coach in the summer of 2024. She was a guest coach for the Avalanche in 2023-24 where she assisted in the last two Avalanche Development Camps, part of the 2023 Training Camp and periodically throughout the 2023-24 regular season. Outside the Avs’ organization, she most recently served as an Assistant Coach for the Trinity College Men’s Hockey program in 2023-24 where the team finished as the NCAA DIII runner-up. Prior to coaching at her alma matter, Weiss’ coaching career includes stints with the NAHL’s Maryland Black Bears and AAA Washington Pride programs in various capacities. 

Weiss is a member of the National Hockey League Coaches Association Female Coaches Program and has been a featured speaker in the organization’s mentorship program. She is involved with USA Hockey’s player development camps in the summer as well as the Coaching Education Program. Kim is a USA Hockey Level 5 certified coach and graduated from Georgetown Visitation School in Washington, DC.

The Potomac, Md., native played college hockey at Trinity College from 2007-11, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. She was a first-team All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year as a senior in 2010-11. As a junior, she helped guide the Bantams to an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in program history. Weiss was a four-time All-NESCAC honoree and remains the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Danielle comes into the NHLCA program with over 35 years of hockey experience. On the playing side she attended Mercyhurst University for 4 years with a Div 1 scholarship, after completion of her degree she moved onto playing 3 season in the former NWHL/CWHL in Ontario.

After playing Danielle moved onto the coaching side where she has 11 years of experience mostly on the male side of the sport. Coaching U7 all they way up to U15, and is on staff as video coach for the U18 Female Team Alberta scheduled to compete at 2024 Nationals in November.

Danielle made a career change and joined Hockey Alberta in the spring of 2022 and is currently the Manager of Female Development and is hoping to bring lots of information and knowledge through this program to the province’s coaches in turn helping players in the province as well.

Rachel Wiebe, 24, was the first female assistant coach with a men’s hockey program in Canada West history and the second female to be named a full-time assistant with a men’s hockey program in U SPORTS history.

Upon joining the University of Alberta men’s hockey program in 2021 at the request of Head Coach Ian Herbers, Wiebe also became the first female coach in the program’s history at the University. She helped coach the Golden Bears to their 56th conference championship and 7th national silver medal in the 2021-2022 season with a record of 32-7. In 2022-2023, her second season with the Bears, the team earned silver medals both at the Canada West Championship and USPORT University Cup, finishing the season with a 31-14 record.

Prior to joining the men’s team, Wiebe served as an assistant coach with the University of Alberta women’s hockey program in 2019-2020. She helped guide the team to a 26-10 record, securing their 14^th Canada West championship and 17th appearance at the U SPORTS Championship, which was eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A native of Fairview, Alberta, Wiebe has over 14 years of competitive playing experience on both men’s and women’s teams, and six years of coaching experience — three of which have been at the USPORTS level. Additionally, she has been an active member in the Hockey Alberta and Hockey Yukon communities. While coaching, Wiebe graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Alberta in 2024.

Carolyn is a girls youth ice hockey coach with the Chicago Hawks Hockey Club in Illinois. Formerly, she worked with Oakland Bears Ice Hockey in California helping develop their girls hockey program as well as coaching the Sharks Special Hockey team. She is passionate about the growth and development of women’s and girls ice hockey. Carolyn believe in the importance of coaching both the mental and physical game, with the goal of developing my players into healthy, lifelong athletes.

Pernilla Winberg is a 4x Olympian for Team Sweden. She scored the game-winning goal in the shootout against USA in the semi-finas in 2006 leading Sweden to a silver medal. Winberg played in 12 World Championships with Team Sweden throughout her career winning 2 bronze medals.

She also played 4 seasons in the NCAA at Minnesota Duluth where she was an assistant captain her senior year.

Back in Sweden, Winberg played in the SDHL for a total of 15 seasons, ending her career as one of the most merited ice hockey players in Sweden.
After her playing career, she joined the Swedish U18 National Team as assistant coach in 2022 and won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2023.

To inspire more girls to keep playing hockey, she started Winberg Hockey Academy in 2019 to provide a fun and competitive environment for girls and women to develop on and off the ice.

Pernilla will be entering her second season as an assistant coach with PWHL Boston Fleet.

Wise grew up playing boys hockey for the St. Thomas Minor Hockey Association (STMHA)–the same association she now coaches with. As a child, she played ‘A’ hockey for STMHA before making the move to ‘AA’ with the London Devilettes Association where she played her entire junior career.

Wise went on to play varsity hockey at the University of New Brunswick (2005-2008). After returning home to St. Thomas, she was an assistant coach at Western University, helping lead the team to an OUA silver medal, the first in Mustangs women’s hockey history (2011-2012). She has also coached hockey at the high school and grassroots levels.

Wise is the head coach of the U11 ‘A’ St. Thomas Jr. Stars, coming off a successful season as head coach of the U10 ‘AA’ Jr. Stars who were Silver Stick Regional Finalists. Wise is dedicated to fostering an environment where athletes learn the value of collaboration, camaraderie and solid work ethic on and off the ice.

Jenn Wood is the President of the Washington Wild Female Hockey Association in Seattle Washington, which serves over 150 girls from ages 4-19 at both the recreational and rep levels. She has been coaching for 13 years at all levels from beginners to High School, and is passionate about her mission of growing hockey for all girls in the Pacific Northwest. Jenn is currently coaching 12UAA, and is having a blast! 

Stephanie was born and raised in Garden Grove, California. Her hockey career started when her family would all attended her sibling’s hockey games at Disney ice (now Anaheim ice). A goalie quit and she jumped at the chance to fill the spot. Shortly after she joined The Anaheim Lady Ducks for their inaugural season in 1999. She continued to play in Southern California for her youth career.

After her youth career she headed back east to play for Utica College (Now Utica University) in 2003 to 2007. A year after graduating College she returned to her Alma Mater as the Assistant coach, goalie coach and recruiting coordinator for 3 years before being hired on to do the same at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut in 2011 – 2012.

After Sacred Heart She put her Business Management degree to work and jump to the business operations side of hockey with the Springfield Jr. Blues in the NAHL 2012 – 2013.
After a year in Illinois She made the decision to head home and be closer to family and has now come full circle with the Lady Ducks, Jr Ducks and The Rinks programs.

She now is the Director of Goaltending for the Lady Duck, Co-director of Goaltending for the Jr Ducks, and was appointed to many roles within USA Hockey both in their programming for coaching education and goaltending.