小猪视频

Join us on October 29 for the Women’s Ice Hockey team’s inaugural game.

小猪视频 has tapped Chris Czarnota as the first head coach for its new women鈥檚 ice hockey program. An NCAA Division III assistant hockey coach for the past five years, Czarnota joins with strong coaching experience and an impressive personal record as a D-III goalie. He will take the leadership role in building the University鈥檚 NCAA Division III women鈥檚 ice hockey program and fielding Rivier鈥檚 inaugural team for the 2021 season.

In mid-October, the University announced the addition of men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 ice hockey to its roster of athletic teams next fall, expanding to 15 intercollegiate teams. Men鈥檚 head coach Eric Sorenson was appointed last month, and the search now culminates with the hiring of Czarnota for the women鈥檚 program. Conway Arena in Nashua will serve as home ice for both teams.

鈥淲e are excited that Chris will be our first head coach in women鈥檚 ice hockey history,鈥� says Joanne Merrill, Director of Athletics. 鈥淗e brings a vast knowledge and championship pedigree with him, and his skills as a former NCAA Division III student-athlete are something that our women are going to learn from extensively.鈥�

Czarnota has held NCAA Division III assistant coach positions for men鈥檚 ice hockey at Tufts University (NESCAC) and Norwich University (NEHC). In the past three years, he has helped lead the Norwich Cadets to two league play-off championships and two league regular season titles. He served as goalie coach for both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 ice hockey teams at Norwich. Last year, Czarnota was a goalie coach at the USA Hockey Select U15 Development Camp in New York.

Czarnota has a record of developing talent. He mentored last year鈥檚 Sid Watson Award, Division III National Player of the Year winner, who went on to set five NCAA Division III goalie records. He also mentored two NEHC Goalie of the Year selections.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to building this program,鈥� says Czarnota. 鈥淒ivision III is special because the student-athletes are playing their sport for the love of the game. I understand this perspective as a former D-III athlete myself. I believe my devotion to the game and the players will fuel a successful women鈥檚 hockey program at 小猪视频.鈥�

Czarnota鈥檚 college hockey career began as a goaltender for Norwich University. Posting a record of 31-7-3 in 43 games played and 1.50 career goals against average, he is one of the most accomplished goaltenders in Norwich history, ranking third all-time with 10 career shutouts. He is a resident of Wakefield, Massachusetts, and holds bachelor鈥檚 degrees in Management and Accounting and a master鈥檚 degree in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University.

鈥淗iring Chris is a solid next step in establishing our ice hockey programs,鈥� says Kurt Stimeling, Vice President for Student Affairs. 鈥淗is commitment to building a culture supporting academic and athletic success and demonstrated coaching and mentoring skills will benefit our student-athletes and provide a strong foundation for our women鈥檚 ice hockey program.鈥�

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is actively recruiting student-athletes for the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 ice hockey teams for the fall 2021 season. Students interested in learning more about playing ice hockey at 小猪视频 should contact Paul Brower, Vice President for Enrollment Management, at (603) 897-8507 or pbrower@rivier.edu.