University of Connecticut Athletics
Linstad Set To Coach Hockey East All-Stars
12/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. (December 10) - University of Connecticut women's ice hockey head coach Heather Linstad will be the head coach of the Hockey East All-Star team that will take on the the 2006 U.S. Women's Olympic Team on Sunday, Dec. 11 at New Hampshire. The game is part of Team USA's Hilton Family Skate to 2006 Tour, designed to pit Team USA against elite-level competition in preparation for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
"It's always an honor to be asked," said Linstad of the coaching position. "It's great to represent the conference in this way and to work with outstanding student-athletes."
Linstad, the only women’s ice hockey varsity head coach that UConn has ever had since the program's inception in 200-01, is a 1989 Providence College graduate. She currently stands fourth all-time in NCAA Division I victories among active coaches with 216 for her career. Linstad also has the distinction of being the only person to have won both the ECAC Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards while at Providence and at Northeastern. She will be assisted by Bob Deraney (Providence), Tom Mutch (Boston College) and Erin Whitten Hamlen (UNH) during the game.
Although the U.S. National team is undefeated against conference all-star teams so far on the tour, Linstad has faith in the Hockey East All-Stars.
"I think we have put together a very solid, competitive team," she said. "We have good goaltending and defense, so I think that the student-athletes will be able to stay competitive throughout the game."
Linstad will be joined in New Hampshire by four members of the UConn women's ice hockey team, as seniors Kaitlyn Shain (Calgary, Alberta) and Jennifer Houlden (Richmond Hill, Ontario), along with junior Natalie Vibert (Thunder Bay, Ontario) and sophomore Jaclyn Hawkins (Manotick, Ontario) are all on the Hockey East roster.
The Huskies are one of four Hockey East teams to have the maximum four players selected to the team and join Providence as the only two teams to have one player chosen at each position. In addition to Linstad's role behind the bench, Houlden will also take a leadership role on the team, as the two-year Husky captain has been named an alternate captain of the Hockey East team.
Said Linstad of having having four of her players on the team, "I'm very happy for our four student-athletes. They are all deserving of the honor and will represent themselves and UConn well as members of the team.
Face-off for the game is slated for 2:00 p.m. at New Hampshire's Whittemore Center. The game will be broadcast live on Comcast CN8 live throughout New England.
