Mel Ruzzi has joined the Yale women’s hockey coaching staff.
Ruzzi comes to Yale after a six-year stint at Providence where she worked primarily with the defensemen, helping the first blueliner to win the Hockey East Rookie of the Year (Whitney Dove in 2017).
“We are thrilled to add Mel Ruzzi to our staff,” said Yale head coach Joakim Flygh in a statement. “Mel is a bright, young coach with a wealth of experience that we are all going to benefit from. We are all excited to welcome Mel to the Bulldog hockey family and to Ingalls Rink.”
Ruzzi has been very involved in USA Hockey, serving as a coach for its development camp since 2006. In addition, she has been the director of the USA Hockey’s multi-district camp for the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Districts since 2017.
During her playing career at Providence that concluded in 2003, Ruzzi helped lead the Friars to two championships, including the ECAC Eastern title in 2002 and the inaugural women’s Hockey East crown in 2003. She served as captain of the 2002-03 team, earning Hockey East honorable mention status and the team’s Coaches’ Award.
For her career, she played in 141 games, fourth on the Friars’ all-time list, and accounted for 13 goals and 38 assists for 51 points.
After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Providence, Ruzzi spent two seasons (2004-06) as an assistant coach with Amherst, and then spent four seasons (2006-10) at Harvard.
