Category Archives: Coaching Changes

Post #128 – 8/27/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Sunday’s are usually reserved for our Weekly Review. But, after a busy week, there were only 2 Pipeline posts this week – Monday and Wednesday. So I’m adding our Friday Sifters edition w/ today’s post. Enjoy!

Friday’s Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Gustavus Women’s Hockey Tragedy

I’d like to start today’s post by offering my deepest condolences to the families, friends, teammates, coaches, and the greater women’s hockey community affected by the tragic passing of Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey player Jori Jones. Jones and three of her teammates were involved in a two-car accident last Sunday in western Minnesota. Jones succumbed to her injuries caused in the crash while 3 of her teammates suffered non-life threatening injuries. Jones was coming off a freshman season winning the Division III National Championship.

Friday Sifters

This week has been the calm before the storm.

We are just a few days away from September and the 23-24 college hockey season about to begin. First-year student orientations are in full swing. Freshman are moving in and returning students are just days if not hours from getting settled back on campus.

NCAA coaches are in ‘Full Go Mode’ as they juggle everything that occurs at the beginning of the year. Players return to campus, recruiting activity ramps up, those beginning of the school year meetings etc., and for D-I coaches – the planning of on-ice practices as soon as classes begin. It’ a busy but exciting time.

Here is what’s happening in today’s Sifters edition.

-Coaching moves news to announce.

-D-III Changes to Playing Season & National Championship.

-UNH Receives Alumni Support for New

-IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships Conclude.

-In-Season D-I Tournaments Announced

Let’ get to it!

Coaching/Staff News

Staff news to announce at… Chatham Univ., Dartmouth, Harvard, Holy Cross, Univ. of New England,, RPI, Saint Anselm College, and St. Lawrence,

Here’s what I have this week.

In The NCAA

Chatham University… is seeking applicants for its position of volunteer goalie coach.

Dartmouth… Has announced its searching for a full-time Assistant Coach.

Harvard… Has recently posted for a Full-Time Assistant Coach position. Joe Grossman is no longer listed on the Crimson website.

Holy Cross… Is seeking applicants for a Full-Time Assistant Coach. Associate Head Coach Meredith Roth is no longer listed on the website.

University of New England… Has announced Cassandra Sherman as its next Head Coach. Sherman played at Southern Maine and was an Assistant Coach there from 2017-2021.

RPI… Has announced the hiring of former Bently Men’s Assistant Coach Ben Murphy as its new Assistant Coach.

Saint Anselm College… Has announced its searching for a Full-Time Assistant Coach. Vinnie Ferrainola is no longer listed on the website.

St. Lawrence… Has announced the hiring of their 3rd Assistant Coach Brittney Gout ’21 M’23. Gout played three seasons for the Saints graduating after the 21-22 season. She spent last season as the Saints’ Graduate Assistant Coach while getting her Masters of Arts Degree in Leadership.

In The Pros

Angela Ruggiero… The New York Rangers have hired the former 4 x US Olympic medalist and Harvard defender as a Hockey Operations Advisor.

D-III Changes Coming in 2023-2024

Some big changes are coming to D-III this year.

The hockey season calendar is changing from a number of weeks in the season to a number of days model. Here is what teams can expect:

Hockey has 114 total days to use.
From the beginning of classes to the first Monday in October they may use up to 8 of the 114 days [they don’t have to but they can.]:
- Those days can be on or off-ice
- During this period they can’t use more than three days in a week
- They can’t compete
From the first Monday in October to the second Monday in October:
- They can only go “off-ice’
- The days count against the 114 total
- They have to have a day off
- They don’t have to practice at all during that week
From the second Monday in October to NCAA championship selection:
- They have to have 5 on-ice days before they can compete
- They have to have a day off per week
From Champs selection to five weekdays before final exams for the academic year (provided they weren’t chosen for NCAA championships or some other post-season tournament):
- They can only practice if they have not used 114 total days and they did not use 8 days before the first Monday in October (if they used 5 days before the season then they can use 3 days after the season provide they haven’t used 114 days)

Additionally the NCAA Championships Committee approved a ‘predetermined site pilot’ program for the National Championships over a 4-year period. The 2025 and 2027 Championship finals will be held at a predetermined site. The 2024 and 2026 finals will be held at the site of the highest seed eligible to host.

UNH Hockey Programs Receives $4 Million Boost

The Women’s and Men’s hockey programs at the University of New Hampshire recently received a $4 million dollar gift from Anthony DiLorenzo ’87, owner of Key Auto Group. The gift is part of an overall campaign to support upgrades to the Whittemore Center.

The USCHO.com release stated… “The upgraded arena will feature larger, more functional and accessible multi-use locker rooms for both men’s and women’s hockey, an expanded strength and conditioning space, and new offices for coaches and administrative staff. The upgrade will also benefit other UNH teams using the facility including UNH Field Hockey and Paralympic athletes that compete in sled hockey on UNH’s Northeast Passage team.”

You can read the full release HERE.

China Wins IIHF Division I, Group A World Championships

China went 5-0 to claim the gold medal during the IIHF Division I Group A World Championship this passed week in Shenzhen, China. Denmark took Silver and Austria took home the Bronze.

China and Denmark have been promoted to the top level division and will travel to Utica, New York in April to compete in the Women’s World Championships. They will be in group B along with Sweden, Japan, and Germany.

NCAA connections helping China and Denmark advance were:

China:

UCONN, Tyia, CHEN
St. Lawrence, Xifang, ZHANG (Anna Segedi)
Colgate Univ., Mulan, KANG (Kas Betinol)
Long Island Univ., Anna, FEI (Anna Fairman)

Team China’s head coach is Scott Spencer, who formerly coached at Lindenwood University, Mercyhurst University, and Robert Morris University.

Denmark:

Mercyhurst Univ., Sofia SKRIVER
Vermont, Sofie, SKOTT
St. Lawrence, Emma-Sofie, NORDSTROM

2023-2024 D-1 In-Season Tournaments

In-Season tournaments are becoming known. Here is a list with participating teams as of now based on schedules and dates released:

2023 Women’s College Hockey Icebreaker – Fairfield, CT, Oct. 20-21: Sacred Heart (host), Northeastern, St. Cloud, and Lindenwood.
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game – Maple Grove, MN Nov. 9: Minnesota State-Mankato vs. St. Thomas.
Nutmeg Classic – New Haven, CT, Nov. 24-25: UCONN, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, and Yale (host).
Smashville Showcase – Nashville, TN: Nov. 24-25 : Boston University, Minnesota State Univ-Mankato, Robert Morris.
D1 in DC – Washington, D.C., Nov. 24-25: Cornell, Harvard, Minnesota, and St. Thomas.
Battle at the Burgh – Pittsburgh, PA, Dec. 29-30: Bemidji, Colgate, Maine, and Robert Morris (host).
Friendship Series – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Jan 5-6: Princeton and Providence (2-game series).
Beanpot – Boston, MA, Jan 16 & 23: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, and Northeastern.

Monday – Post #126 – College Visit Time

With College Visits, Coaches Should Be Mindful As Well As Flexible
Don’t Be That Coach
Communication Is The Key

Wednesday – Post #127 – IIHF D-1 Worlds Update

After 2 Days, Austria On Top
List of NCAA Players Participating
Link to video of all games via YouTube

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Grant Kimball is founder and contributing writer at Women’s College Hockey.org and beginning his 4th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. Grant has developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey, having coached and recruited players from across the globe during his 25+ year amateur and NCAA coaching career. He has coached at 6 NCAA DIII and DI programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, Grant served as a site representative for the 2019 NCAA quarterfinal of the D-I NCAA Tournament. He also currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Membership and sits on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.

Post #125 – 8/20/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Due to being on vacation last week, there were only 2 Pipeline posts.

Monday – Post #122 – Canada vs USA Lake Placid Preview

Hockey Canada and USA Hockey Announce Teams For Lake Placid
Diving Into The Rosters
USA Notes
Canada Notes

Wednesday – Post #123 – How To Use Video

Video Becoming A Valuable Piece In The Recruiting Process
5 video tips to incorporate into your video use
- Angles
- Screen Position
- Player Accents
- Video Length
- Clip Organization

Friday – Post #124 – Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Coaching news at Amherst, Augsburg, Franklin Pierce, Keene State, King’s College, Merrimack, Middlebury, MN-Duluth, UNH, Penn St. x 2, RPI, St. Cloud, Syracuse, and Vermont x2
USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are battling it out in their Under-18 and Collegiate Team 3-game series in Lake Placid
The IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships are set to begin (finally) in China
The NCAA Women’s and Men’s rules committee makes a tweak to video review
Leadership changes coming for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #124 – 8/18/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Friday’s Sifters

It’s been a busy week with lots of activity. Here is what’s happening in today’s Sifters edition.

-Lots of last minute coaching and staff hires to announce.

-USA Hockey and Hockey Canada are battling it out in their Under-18 and Collegiate Team 3-game series in Lake Placid.

-The IIHF Women’s Division 1A World Championships are set to begin (finally) in China

-The NCAA Women’s and Men’s rules committee makes a tweak to video review

-Leadership changes coming for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)

Let’ get to it!

Coaching/Staff News

Staff news to announce at… Amherst, Augsburg, Franklin Pierce, Keene State, King’s College, Merrimack, Middlebury, MN-Duluth, UNH, Penn St. x 2, RPI, St. Cloud, Syracuse, and Vermont

August is usually a busy month for hiring announcements due to university budgets opening up for the new academic year. There seems to be about a 50/50 split between hiring announcements vs. open positions needed to be filled.

Here’s what I have this week… In the NCAA and on the Professional side

In The NCAA

Amherst College and Head Coach Jeff Mathews has announced the hiring of Kaylain Kelly as an Assistant Coach. Kelly is a graduate and former captain of Worcester State.

Augsburg College and Head Coach Michelle McAteer has announced that former Wisconsin-Stevens Point Nicole Neuberger will be the new Graduate Fellow Assistant Coach.

Franklin Pierce has announced it is hiring for a Graduate Assistant Coach position.

Keene State College, a new D-III program starting in 24-25, is hiring its inaugural Head Coach to build the program.

Merrimack College has announced 2 new Assistant Coach hirings – Danielle Blanchard, former UMASS-Boston Head Coach and Yale/Plattsburgh Assistant. And Stephanie Wood, former Director of Hockey and Head Coach at Austin Prep high school and managing director at the Islanders Hockey Club.

Middlebury College and Head Coach Bill Mandigo announced the hiring of Emily McNamara as its new Assistant Coach. McNamara spent the last 11 seasons as the Head Coach at Hamilton College. She now returns to her alma matter for a 2nd tour of duty with Mandigo as an Assistant Coach.

With McNamara’s departure, Hamilton now needs a Head Coach.

King’s College has announced it is seeking applications for its 2 Graduate Assistant Coaches.

Minnesota-Duluth and Head Coach Maura Crowell has announced the hiring of Mark Breiter as its Director of Operations. Breiter spent the last season with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues as the Equipment Assistant Manager. Prior to his stint in St. Louis, from 2017-2022 he was the Equipment Manager for the MSU-Mankato Women’s Hockey Program.

The University of New Hampshire is seeking applications for Director of Women’s Hockey Operations.

Penn State and Head Coach Jeff Kampersal has promoted volunteer goaltending coach Ben Halford to the position of Assistant Coach and has named former RIT, Dartmouth, and Boston University operations manager Olivia Fox as Director of Hockey Operations.

RPI has announced it is seeking applications for a full-time Assistant Coach.

St. Cloud State University and Head Coach Brian Idalski has announced the hiring of ’06 Husky alum Billy Hengen as its new Assistant Coach. Hengen comes to St. Cloud after winning a MN Class AA State Title with Gentry Academy last season.

Vermont and Head Coach Jim Plumer announced the promotion of Alex Gettens to Associate Head Coach and the addition of Assistant Coach Victoria Blake. Blake comes to UVM after a 4-year assistant stint at Sacred Heart.

In The Pros

The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL have hired former Syracuse Defender Lindsay Eastwood as their Manager of Communications and Team Services.

The Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL have hired former Minnesota Gopher and US Gold Medalist Amanda Kessel as the inaugural participant in the new Penguins’ Executive Management Program. The program provides a one-year opportunity to work alongside executives within the Penguins partnership, marketing, communication and broadcast departments, as well as hockey operations.

USA Hockey and Hockey Canada Clash In Lake Placid

USA Hockey’s Collegiate Select Team has won the first 2 games by scores of 4-0 and 4-3. Hockey Canada’s Under-18 team has won its first 2 games also by scores of 4-0 and 6-1.

Both groups will play the 3rd and final game tomorrow, Saturday in Lake Placid. The Under18’s play at 3pm with the Collegiate Select/Development group at 6pm.

Older Players A Factor?

Team Canada U-18s have a decidedly older group as compared to Team USA. Canada has only five 2007 born players while the US has 10 players born 2007 or earlier… eight 2007’s and two 2008’s.
All but 3 members of Team Canada’s U18 Team played last season at the oldest amateur age group allowed in each players’ respective province.
Of 24-rostered players, Team USA’s Select 18 team has 13 players that played at the USA Hockey Under 16 age group last season .
Canada’s Development Team has 8 players who have yet to play a NCAA game.
The USA Hockey Collegiate Select Team has 3 Graduate players, 12 Seniors, 0 Juniors, 6 Sophomores, and 1 incoming freshman.
In terms of accumulated NCAA points from last season… Team USA’s Collegiate Group is led by Yale Senior Elle Hartje with 52 total points, the D corps had 34 G’s, 121 A’s for 155 PTS. The Forward group had 176 G’s, 229 A’s for 405 PTS.
Canada’s Development Team is led by Clarkson Senior Forward Anne Cherkowski with 52 total points.

IIHF Division 1 Group A World Championships Aug. 20-26

Shenzhen, China will play host the next weeks IIHF Women’s Division I Group A World Championships.

Austria, China, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and Slovakia are participating countries. The tournament kicks off with Netherlands taking on Norway at 1pm local time.

Some countries will have live streams available. You can find the names of services HERE on the tournament home of the IIHF website.

There will certainly be NCAA players both past and current in this event. Once rosters are made public I’ll have a breakdown.

Rules Committee Removes Too Many Players On Ice For Video Review Rule

Last week, sighting ‘significant confusion’, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a recommendation from the Women’s and Men’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee where: “Having too many players on the ice when a goal is scored on the ensuing play has been removed from the list of plays that can be reviewed by video in NCAA men’s and women’s hockey for the 2023-24 season”.

“Despite attempted education during the 2022-23 season, rules committee members think the rule is better managed by the on-ice officials and should not be part of the instant-replay criteria,” reads the NCAA announcement.

Leadership Changes Coming To AHCA

The American Hockey Coaches Association is the official Ice Hockey coaches association recognized by the NCAA of women’s and men’s programs participating in divisions I and III.

Starting with the upcoming 2023-2024 season, The AHCA will add 2 new Vice President positions to its leadership structure of Officers. One VP of Women’s Issues and one VP for Men’s Issues.

These two positions will help serve as conduits between the women’s and men’s coaching body of Division I / III and key stakeholders within the NCAA, member conferences, conference commissioners, and various sport specific NCAA committees. In addition, these people will help streamline communication and participation in important initiatives for both sides of the game.

Joe Bertagna enters his final year as AHCA Executive Director, a position he has held for more than 30 years. Joe will step down and take on a media relations role in for the start of the 2024-2025 season.

The process to find a successor for the Executive Director position has begun.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Car

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #121 – 8/11/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on August 11, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Friday’s Sifters

Coaching/Staff News At Bemidji x 2, King’s, Mercyhurst, St. Mary’s, Suffolk, ECAC Hockey

As expected there has been a late head coaching position open up, this time in D-III. There will probably be more movement on the D-I Assistant Coach side of things in the coming weeks as well. Here is what I have for this week.

Bemidji… Has 2 position announcements… In addition to announcing the program has posted its position for a 4th coach, Coach Scanlan has named Amber Fryklund Associate Head Coach. This marks Fryklund’s second tour of duty with the Beavers as she spent 9 years as an Assistant and Associate Head Coach from 2011-2019. You can read more on Amber’s hiring HERE. It’s nice to have you back in the game Amber!

Mercyhurst… Has searching for it 3rd Assistant Coach position.

King’s College… Has announced its new Head Coach – Josh Hoff. You can read more about his hiring HERE.

St. Mary’s (MN)… Will be looking for a new Head Coach as Sarah Murray has stepped down to take the Head Coaching position of the Shattuck St. Mary’s U19 Team.

Suffolk… Has announced former Boston University Assistant Coach Abby Ostrom as its new Head Coach. Abby takes over for Taylor Wasylk who left to become the Head Coach at Lindenwood University.

ECAC Hockey… ECAC Hockey is seeking applications for its Digital Media Internship. You can read more about the position and application process HERE.

In Other Coaching News… On the D-I men’s side, Colorado College has hired former Ohio State Women’s Assistant Coach Emily West. West, who played at Minnesota, helped the Buckeye’s to its first NCAA title in 2022. You can read more about her hiring HERE.

The Rochester Americans… Former Cornell standout Alyssa Gagliardi has hired by the Rochester Americans of the AHL as a Development Coach.

In Addition…

USA Hockey / Hockey Canada National Team Programs Underway… I was at both events this past week. USA Hockey has been using the Olympic Training facilities in Lake Placid – and what a renovation they did to the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena and the 1932 rink. For those who haven’t been to LP in a while, there has been major – to the tune of over $100 million – in renovations to both arenas. Herb Brooks arena is now a regulation sized sheet of ice with brand new red colored chair-backed seats and a new scoreboard. The 1932 rink has all brand new blue chair-back seats and looks very sharp. The Old Scoreboard with the USA 4 URS (Russia) 3 from 1980 is now on full display in the lobby of the arena.

Hockey Canada is using the brand new 1,200 seat Canada Games Park Arena. A 2 sheet, multi purpose facility that was built for conjunction with the Canada Winter Games (think Olympic Winter Games but only in Canada) on the Brock University Campus.

Union Dutchmen/Women No More… Union College will now be called the Union College Garnet Chargers. New Logo Below:

Busy Labor Day WKND

Labor Day Weekend you could say is the unofficial weekend to kick off the 23-24 hockey season. And there will be plenty of events happening so college coaches can get eyes on all the new teams.

The North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) will host its 23rd annual Labor Day Tournament. A total of 84 teams in the U14/U15, U16/U18, and U19/U22 age divisions will attend.

Premiere Ice Prospects will hold its 3rd annual (I think) Labor Day Girls Fest in Pittsburgh. This years team list hasn’t been made public yet, but if last year is any indication, we’ll upwards of 65+ teams in 3 age groups.

North of the border in Ontario the Etobicoke Dolphins are hosting an exhibition series at the U15, U18, and U22 levels. 30 teams, 10 in each age group will attend.

The National Girls Hockey League will host its Dawg Daze of Summer Invitational the weekend prior to Labor Day, Aug 25-27 in Connecticut.

Players – Check Your Email!

Players… with the 23-24 season almost here, it’s important that you check your email! And check the ‘JUNK’ folder too!

You don’t want to miss a note from a college coach – so check it early and often. Especially if you’re sending emails to schools in preparation for future events that you’ll be at.

Time is one of those things you can’t get back. And at this time of year, recruiting can move lightning fast sometimes. If coaches send you an email, it’s for a reason. Get in the habit of checking your email at least once a day if not more. I can assure you, the quicker you reply to an email from a coach, the better that coach is going to feel about you as a potential recruit. Coaches don’t want to deal with players who are always delayed in their reply.

So check your email often and reply as soon as you are able!

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #118 – 8/6/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Due to being on vacation last week, there were only 2 Pipeline posts.

Monday – Post #116 – It’s Nice To Be Back

The Pipeline Returns

Back At It… Vacation Over!
Catching Up On Some Recruiting
Summer Burnout Setting In?

Friday – Post #117 – Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Coaching news at Harvard, Minnesota, MN-Duluth, Post, Syracuse, St. Olaf, and Utica
USA Hockey / Hockey Canada National Team Programs Get Underway
Extras

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #117 – 8/4/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Friday’s Sifters

Coaching/Staff News At Harvard, Minnesota, Northeastern, MN-Duluth, Post, Syracuse, St. Olaf, Utica,

Harvard… Has named ’13 alum Laura Bellamy Head Coach. Bellamy returns to Harvard as one of the most decorated Crimson goaltenders in program history. She departs MN-Duluth after 8 season on staff, most recently serving as Associate Head coach.

Minnesota… Has posted looking for a Director of Women’s Hockey Operations.

Northeastern… Has hired Melissa Piacentini as an Assistant Coach. She has spent the past 5 seasons as the programs Director of Operations.

MN-Dulth… With Bellamy’s departure to Harvard, MN-Duluth now has an assistant coaches spot to fill.

Post University… Is searching for a part-time assistant coach.

Syracuse… Is looking for a volunteer Assistant/Goalie Coach.

St. Olaf College… Has posted its position for a full-time Assistant Coach.

Utica College… Has hired ’05 alum Melissa Lomanto

USA Hockey / Hockey Canada National Team Programs Get Underway Next Week

It’s a big week as both USA Hockey and Hockey Canada start their respective U18 and 18 & Over (let’s call them) national summer programs.

USA Hockey will hold its National Festival Aug. 7-12 in Lake Placid, NY. You can find the link to the Festival home ➡️ HERE.

Hockey Canada is hosting its National Women’s Program Summer Showcase in St. Catherine’s, Ontario Aug. 9-14. You can find HC’s event home link right ➡️ HERE. Add’l links for schedule’s etc.. are a little tricky to find, but are at the top of the page.

Finland’s U18 team will take a part of Hockey Canada’s U18 camp while Sweden’s U18 Team will do the same but in the US with Team USA.

I believe inter-squad camp games will be streamed live for both events. You can find USA Hockey’s streaming platform HERE. HC usually provides a link for game streams HERE.

Extras

August is usually a pretty quiet time in the college hockey world, say outside of recruiting that is.

This year however, there is a lot of movement on the coaching side of things. Harvard just named its Head Coach and that will have a domino effect most likely. In D-I, a lot of programs still seem to be in need of hiring a 4th coach.

And there always seems to be a late head-coach departure as well, or has been the case in years past, just prior to the season starting.

But with each passing week, we know the college hockey season is getting closer.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #115 – 7/23/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Monday – Post #112 – Sifters + A Little Extra

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Coaching news at Merrimack, Minnesota, St. Mike’s, Curry, Elmira, and Plymouth State
USA Hockey & Hockey Canada News
Extras ➡️ Recruiting Events, New Coaches Pool, World Champ. Div. 1A, Robert Morris, Assumption, ECAC News, Mercyhurst in Sweden

Wednesday – Post #113

Is there a ‘best’ type of youth hockey program?

A look into the player pool of USA Hockey’s U18 Select Camp.

Friday – Post #114

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

Coaching news at Vermont, Sacred Heart, Union, New England College
Conference schedules coming out
Extras ➡️ Hockey East hires a supervisor of officials, College Hockey season is WEEKS away, 2023 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women’s Face-Off Classic, Hockey Canada U18 News, IIHF Girls Hockey WKND, Take The Ice Documentary

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #114 – 7/21/23 – Friday’s Sifters

Posted on July 21, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

Wednesday’s Post Sparked Some Feedback

Happy Friday everyone. Before we get going with our Friday Sifter’s, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who sent a note about Wednesday’s post about… is there a ‘Best’ type of program or path. All of it was very positive and very insightful. Comments ran the gamut from outlining what ‘The Best’ type program should look like, to parents who admittedly were at this exact crossroad of which path to take when their daughter was coming up the ranks.

So, for those who haven’t had the chance to read Wednesday’s post yet, just click HERE.

There will be more to post about on this subject There are many questions and angles to consider. So, stay tuned!

Now, on to our Friday’s Sifters post.

Friday’s Sifters

Coaching/Staff News At Vermont, Union College, Sacred Heart University, and New England College

Vermont… Is in need of an Assistant Coach. The position is their 2nd Assistant.

Sacred Heart University… Has hired former Quinnipiac netminder and 2020 graduate Abbie Ives. You can read more about her hire HERE.

Union College… Has posted for its 3rd Assistant Coach position.

New England College… Is looking to hire a Graduate Assistant Coach for the 23-24 season.

Conference Schedules Announced

Hard to think given July isn’t over yet, but 3 of the 5 D-I conferences have announced their schedules for the coming 23-24 season. You can see them with links below:

Hockey East (not announced yet)
ECAC
NEWHA (not announced yet)
College Hockey America
WCHA

Extras

Hockey East Fills Supervisor of Officials Vacancy… Long-time official Dr. Derek Zuckerman has been hired as the Hockey East Women’s Supervisor of Officials. With over 20 years experience as an on-ice official in both the ECAC and Hockey East, Zuckerman brings a storied career with 6 NCAA D-I Frozen Four along with 4 Championship game assignments. You can read more on his hiring HERE.

College Hockey Season Not So Far Off… Speaking of conference schedules, July will end before we know it, and August will be here. Once August hits, we know college hockey is just a few short weeks away. New Student Orientation for some schools will start as early as the Aug. 18/19 weekend. NCAA Rules allow teams to begin practices with coaches on the ice once the first day of school begins. A quick check finds that Bemidji State University seems start classes the earliest – Monday August 21st – a mere 4.5 weeks away.

2023 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women’s Face-Off Classic… Just announced today, the University of St. Thomas will take on Minnesota State Mankato on Nov. 9 , 2023 at the Maple Grove Ice Arena. The annual game is played to raise awareness for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum in Eveleth, MN. For more info just click HERE.

Hockey Canada U-18 News… HC 🇨🇦 has announced its U-18 Selection Camp practice schedule which you can find HERE. Finland will once again join Canada for practices and some games.

IIHF World Girls’ Hockey Weekend Set… The weekend of Oct. 7-8 has been designated the IIHF’s World Girls’ Hockey Weekend this year. You can learn more about the event HERE.

Take The Ice… A documentary about the NWHL is coming to AppleTV on July 25th. Knew nothing about it until I saw the post on my Twitter feed. Should be very interesting given what has taken place over the past few weeks. You can get more info HERE or can watch the trailer ⬇️

The NWHL documentary, now titled "Take the Ice", will be out JULY 25 on @appletv

(courtesy of @FreestyleDM) pic.twitter.com/zcHS0T7SiH
— 540 Films (@540Films) July 20, 2023

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Post #112 – 7/17/23 – Monday’s Sifters + A Little Extra:

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of women’s college hockey and beyond

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

A Lot Going On

There is a lot to get to. Coaching hires, USA Hockey & Hockey Canada news, as well as a little extra – so we’re going to dive right in.

Let’s get to it.

Coaching Hires

Merrimack… Has named former UMASS-Boston Head Coach Danielle Blanchard as one of its Assistant Coaches.

Minnesota… Brad Frost has rounded out his staff. Back to the college ranks as one of coach’s Frost’s Assistant Coaches is Mitch Baker. The former assistant coach at Union College has been the U-19 team Head Coach at Shattuck St. Mary’s for the past 2 seasons. Also joining Frost’s staff is Greg “Boom” May who will serve as an Associate Head Coach. May was the men’s Head Coach at D-III Augsburg College for 2 seasons. Jessica Scott has had the ‘interim’ tag removed and is now a Full-Time Assistant Coach.

St. Michael’s College… Has named Kevin Salinas it’s first ever full-time assistant coach. Salinas comes to St. Mike’s after working with the Lawrence Viking’s women’s program during their first two years of existence in the NCHA. You can read more on his hiring HERE.

Curry College… Head Coach Kelly Rider announced the hiring of new Assistant Coach Rebecca Taylor. Click HERE to read more on Taylor’s appointment.

Elmira College… Has hired former SUNY-Potsdam Head Coach Greg Haney. Greg was a former D-I Assistant Coach at Lindenwood before taking over the Potsdam program. You can read more on Haney’s hiring HERE.

Plymouth State University… Has opened a national search for a new Head Coach after Mollie Fitzpatrick stepped down to pursue other endeavors.

USA Hockey & Hockey Canada News

There is lots to report from USA Hockey and Hockey Canada.

On the USA Hockey Front…

The USA Hockey U-15 National Development Camp ended last week in Oxford, Ohio with 215 players taking part. You can see the list of camp participants and player stats HERE.
The USA Hockey U-18 Select Camp get’s underway today with each team getting in a 1-hour practice and game. A group of 32-players will be named at the end of camp to move on to the August National Festival help in Lake Placid, NY.
Full-Time Scouting Position… USA Hockey is seeking applicants for its Women’s National Team Head Scout. You can find the job description and posting HERE. Current Providence Head Coach Matt Kelly last held this position leading up to the 2018 Gold Medal which Team USA won.

While north of the border, Hockey Canada…

Katherine Henderson, former Head of Canada Curling, has been hired as Hockey Canada’s new President and CEO. You can read more on her hiring HERE.
Hockey Canada announced earlier this weekend its player pool of attendee’s and camp schedule for the National Under-18 and National Development Teams. You can find the U-18 Camp schedule HERE and Camp Roster HERE. The National Team Roster of players can be found HERE. Unlike the US, it appears Hockey Canada has already selected its Development Team Roster.
As I suspected, Hockey Canada’s Under-18 and National Development Team Camp will be held in Ontario. St. Catherines, Ontario at Canada Games Park.
Also taking part in Hockey Canada’s U-18 Camp will be a group from Finland. This has been something Hockey Canada has done before.

Sifter Extras

Recruiting Events Coming Up

The last 2 weeks of July will be a busy one for college coaches. Here are some of the remaining July events coaches will be out at:

USA U-18 Select Camp, July 16-22 (schedule + Live Stream Link… must pay
NAE July College Exposure Showcase, July 17-19
Beantown WKND #1 – College Super Series, July 21-23 (schedule)
NAE July Development & Showcase, July 24-26
East Coast Wizard Summer Showcase, July 27-30, (schedule)
Beantown WKND #2, U19 & 2007/2008, July 28-30
MN Os Prospects Weekend, July 28-30

Additional Coaches Pool?

With the closure of the PHF, could there be a new pool of ex-pro players ready to jump on some of these 4th coaching positions at the D-I level?
Speaking of 4th coaches… we’re beginning to see some of them are on the road recruiting.

IIHF Division 1-A World Championships Scheduled to begin Aug. 20

The IIHF Div. 1-A World Championships are set to kick off August 20th in Shenzhen, China. You can find schedules HERE.

Robert Morris Announces 23-24 Roster…

Robert Morris University Head Coach Logan Bittle has announced the Colonials’ roster last week for the 23-24 season. As you may recall, RMU shut both its women’s and men’s hockey programs down citing budget constraints in the Spring of 2021. Ultimately, the programs have been reinstated and Bittle has been hard at work rebooting the program. 9 incoming freshmen, 9 transfers, and 6 current members of the program from when it was shut down makeup the 24-player roster – which you can get right HERE.

Assumption University Greyhounds Announce Inaugural Schedule…

Looks like the Greyhounds have their 23-24 schedule posted. Beyond conference games in the NEWHA, they have non-conference games vs. RIT x 2, Dartmouth, Holy Cross x 2 (The Battle of Worcester… I just made that up. I’ll give them license to use if they want though), and RPI.

ECAC Tweaks Conference Playoff Format + Announces Conference Schedule…

ECAC Hockey released its 132-game conference slate of games July 11 including a new women’s playoff format to mirror what the men used last season. The first ECAC contest takes place October 13th when Harvard travels to play Dartmouth.
The ECAC playoffs will now include all 12 teams up from 8. Seeds 1-4 get a first round bye while seeds 5-8 host seeds 9-12 in one-game playoff the weekend of Feb 23-24. Winners of the first round will travel to play seeds 1-4 in a best two-out-of-three quarter-final series March 1-2 with quarter-final round winners moving on to the ECAC Championship Weekend March 8-9 hosted by the highest remaining seed. You can read the full release HERE.

Summer College Hockey Fix…

According to the Mercyhurst Lakers Twitter account and the schedule banner at the top of their website homepage, the Lakers’ European Summer Tour games will be steamed. Games are scheduled for July 25, 26, 28, and 29. All times listed are 6pm… we’re just not sure if that is Swedish time or EST. I’ll find a link and confirm game times if possible.

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

Grant Kimball is founder and contributing writer at Women’s College Hockey.org and beginning his 5th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. Grant has developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey, having coached and recruited players from across the globe during his 25+ year amateur and NCAA coaching career. He has coached at 6 NCAA DIII and DI programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, Grant served as a site representative for the 2019 NCAA quarterfinal of the D-I NCAA Tournament. He also currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Membership and sits on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.

Post #107 – 7/9/23 – The Pipeline Weekly Review

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Grant Kimball Leave a comment

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) – All Posts From The Past Week… Never Miss A Post!

The Women’s College Hockey Pipeline…

Stay informed. Get educated. Become ‘HOCKEY-WISE’!

Your leading online resource for NCAA Women’s College Hockey

Latest From… The Women’s College Hockey Podcast – Episode #3B…

Episode #3A Part I – Is Now LIVE|The Recap

The Pipeline Weekly Review

Miss a post from The Pipeline this week?

Get caught up with what’s going on in the world of women’s college hockey with The Pipeline Weekly Review every Sunday.

I’ll recap my posts from the past week so you never have to miss out. Just click any of the links below and stay informed.

Wednesday – Post #105 – A Little Time Away, Pro Power Shift, USA 16/17 Camp Recap

Times Are Changing

Quebec City Getaway
Game Changing Power Shift Paves Way For One Pro Women’s Hockey League
Miami University Proves Good Move For USA Hockey

Friday – Post #106 – Friday’s Sifters

Little lobs of news and info from around the world of Women’s College Hockey & Beyond

D-III Positions Open Up
NGHL News
Hockey East Facility Get’s An Upgrade
+ A Little Extra

Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,

-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.

-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.

-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.

NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.

Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.

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