For leading Minnesota Duluth to a 25-7-5 record and into the 2017 NCAA tournament, Maura Crowell has been named the CCM/AHCA Division I women’s Coach of the Year.
Crowell, in just her second year as a Division I head coach, led UMD into the WCHA championship game before bowing 4-1 to Wisconsin. Her squad reached the conference final by virtue of a 2-1 double overtime win over Minnesota, whose second-place regular-season finish was one spot ahead of the Bulldogs.
Crowell’s two-year record in Duluth is 40-28-6 and her career mark is 136-88-14.
Prior to her arrival in Duluth, Crowell spent five seasons at Harvard, including a stint as Harvard’s associate head coach in 2014-15 after filling an interim head coaching role in 2013-14 (guiding Harvard to a 23-7-4 record.) She was a Crimson assistant coach from 2010 to 2013. Prior to signing on with the Crimson, Crowell built an impressive resume over five years (2005-10) at the UMass Boston helm. During her time behind the Beacon bench, she rolled up an overall record of 73-53-4 — making her UMass Boston’s all-time winningest coach — and was chosen the ECAC East Coach of the Year in 2009-10.
Crowell’s collegiate coaching resume also includes a two-season stint (2003-05) as an assistant coach at Connecticut College, where she helped the Camels to their first first-ever playoff appearance. Crowell came to Connecticut College from St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., where she doubled as an assistant women’s hockey coach and junior varsity lacrosse coach.
A Mansfield, Mass. native, Crowell enjoyed a rewarding four-year playing career at Colgate and helped the Raiders to three straight ECAC playoff appearances and a spot in the 2000 ECAC championship game. She graduated from Colgate in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in German and earned her Master’s of the Art of Teaching from Connecticut College in 2005.
Crowell was assisted this season by Laura Bellamy, Chris Connolly and Chris Esposito.
The runner-up for this year’s CCM/AHCA Division I Women’s Coach of the Year Award was four-time recipient Mark Johnson from Wisconsin, the top-ranked team in the NCAA this season.
The CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year Award winners are chosen by members of the AHCA. Winners will receive their awards at the annual AHCA “Celebration of Women’s Hockey” Banquet, held in conjunction with the AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla. This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, April 28.
