American International added two new staff members on Thursday in Matt Voity and Alec Rippetoe.
Voity will return as a volunteer assistant coach and previously worked with AIC from 2011 to 2014.
“Matt is one of the top goaltending coaches in the industry,” AIC head coach Eric Lang said in a statement. “We are extremely excited about his return. Again, as we look to improve all aspects of our program, having a qualified coach like Matt is only going to help our goaltenders play more consistently.”
Voity will oversee the development and training of returning goaltenders, senior Hunter Leisner and junior Alex Murray, along with freshmen Justin Ketola and Zackarias Skog.
“I am very excited to be coming back,” Voity added. “I’ve known Eric for a few years now and I’m excited to have the opportunity to coach with him and [assistant coaches] Mike [Towns] and Steve [Wiedler]. I see the program having a very bright future. The goaltending looks to be in great shape for next few years. I really like our depth there with Murray and Hunter and the new guys coming in.”
Voity worked with Massachusetts from 2014 to 2016 and prior to his first stint at AIC, he coached with Connecticut College from 2010 to 2013 and with several prep schools and local programs.
Rippetoe is the Yellow Jackets’ new director of hockey operations and team video coordinator.
“As we continuously try to improve all aspects of our program, finding a person like Alec with Hockey East experience to fill our director of hockey operations position will make for a seamless transition,” Lang said.
Rippetoe joins the staff after graduating from Merrimack in May. During his two years at Merrimack, he served as a video coordinator intern for the school’s Division I men’s hockey team and also has experience working with Canadian professional hockey schools and summer camps.
“This is a good opportunity for me to grow my knowledge of the game of hockey, as well as behind the scenes in the business aspect,” Rippetoe said. “I think that being a newcomer, you have to learn, and this team is a perfect fit for me – we’re both trying to prove something this year.”
At AIC, Rippetoe will be primarily responsible for video coordination and statistical analysis, in addition to planning for travel and other organizational tasks.
“As we look to do more with video and our advanced stats, we know Alec will help with our preparation in these ever-growing areas,” Lang said.
