Courtney Kessel leaves PWHL Boston Fleet in return to Princeton as head coach of women's hockey team
Princeton made it official on Monday in announcing Courtney Kessel's hiring as coach of the women's hockey team, a week after the two sides were finalizing the agreement.
Kessel spent the past two years coaching the PWHL Boston Fleet and returns to Princeton where she spent four seasons, from 2019-23, as an assistant under Cara Gardner Morey. She now succeeds Gardner Morey, who left the Tigers in May upon being hired as general manager of the PWHL's expansion team in Vancouver.
Advertisement
The 35-year-old Kessel had a 27-19-8 record in Boston, including a Walter Cup Finals appearance in 2024, which the team lost to Minnesota in a decisive Game 5.
'It is bittersweet to move on from the Boston Fleet and the amazing people building that organization and the PWHL as a whole,' Kessel said. 'This opportunity was the only one that could draw me away from where I was.'
From Toronto, Kessel played at New Hampshire, where she was a 2010 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the MVP of women's college hockey. She also represented Canada at three world championships, including a gold-medal win in 2012.
She also has Hockey Canada coaching experience, serving as a senior team assistant in 2024 and head coach of the 2023 gold-medal winning Under-18 team.
Advertisement
The Fleet have undergone major changes this offseason. Star forward Hilary Knight left Boston to sign with the PWHL's expansion team in Seattle. The Fleet also have an opening at assistant general manager after Meghan Turner was hired as Seattle's GM.
'Courtney set the tone from Day 1 and elevated our group with her competitiveness, preparation, and care,' Fleet GM Danielle Marmer said. 'She's already established herself as an elite coach early in her career, and I know she'll continue to raise the bar as the next head coach at Princeton.'
___
AP women's hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fredericton pipe band goes international
A Fredericton-based pipe band is getting ready to compete at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, this August. The Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band is sending its beginning-level band, which in the piping world is Grade 5. The Fredericton band hasn't competed at that level internationally since 2004. The World Pipe Band Championships bring together bands from around the world, including from the United States, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and Oman. The pipe band from New Brunswick will be one of almost 200 registered competitors. Pipe major Eric Horncastle says the band is working hard to bring its best performance to the competition. "We practise at least once a week throughout the year, with an optional second rehearsal for pipers," Horncastle said. "It's really nice to go over and have some of the younger pipers exposed to that high level because you have bands from all over the world competing." To start the journey, Horncastle had the challenge of hand-selecting the set of music the band would be learning. "We have to pick the appropriate music first," he said. "They have what is called the map list of tunes, with the idea that they had a standard list of tunes that bands could choose from and that meant everybody was on the same footing." Pipe band music comes in many forms from uptempo jigs, bouncy dancing tunes called strathspeys, reflective slow airs, and the style the band will be competing in: marches. WATCH | 'We're a rain or shine crowd': How Fredericton pipe band prepares to compete: Horncastle said the band chose four marches from the list. "I try to balance the complexity of the tunes within the players abilities. Something a little bit challenging but something that's not too difficult." Horncastle has been playing with the band since the early 1970s — and the pipes for even longer. "New Brunswick has never been really noted as an area for piping," he said. "There's a few bands here, so it's good to go over and give us a chance to highlight what we can do." Officially, there are only five pipe bands from New Brunswick registered with the Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association, which oversees the pipe band competitions at events throughout the region. There are nine from Nova Scotia and one on Prince Edward Island. This gives new members like piper Austin Chapman an extra reason to be proud of his first time competing in Scotland. "It's honestly a little nerve-racking, but the chance to get over to Scotland and show them what us New Brunswickers and the City of Fredericton can do is an awesome opportunity," Chapman said. The Fredericton Society of St. Andrew sent its Grade 3 band to Scotland in 2017, and it came in 12th out of 18 qualifying bands. The journey across the Atlantic Ocean is also serving as a grad trip for Chapman, a recent graduation of the University of New Brunswick whose learning, he said, isn't over. "When it comes to the grade of pipe band music, where we play, at Grade 5, the only opportunity to see Grade 1 is once and a while at local competitions," he said. "It's going to be an awesome opportunity to take away a lot of skill and good practices from other bands." Pipe band grades, or competition levels, work opposite to school grades where 5 is considered entry level and 1 is professional. This exposure to Grade 1 bands is not only exciting for the pipe corps but also to the drum corps. Stewart Gibson plays snare drum in the band and has competed in Scotland once before. The experience was a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow in his craft, he said. "The Atlantic circuit is a great place to play in, but the World Championships are next level," Gibson said. "Playing for New Brunswick is a badge you wear on your shirt … or your cap, I'd say." He said that the band will be judged on its piping, drumming and overall ensemble, with a judge for each component. "It's a lot of practising both individually and as a band," Gilson said. "You want that cohesiveness as a band — it's one of the main things you're judged on. The biggest thing I like about playing with the band are the folks you get to play with and the great music." As the band prepares for its big trip, it will be competing around the Maritimes. The Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association has seen many bands compete at the worlds over the years. The Fredericton band has been a "pillar of the piping and drumming community" in the region for many years, said Tom Cuming, the association's president. "It's great to see a band at the Grade 5 level, where you have a bunch of new players who are saying that we want to go now and not wait until they're in Grade 3." Cuming said there is a long history of Gaelic music on the East Coast originating with highland settlers and adopted by Maritimers, who made it their own. "What often happens when bands from this area compete in the worlds is that judges will say that music will be culturally unique and have its own 'Easy Coast' flavour," Cuming said. "I think New Brunswick is well situated and well represented in terms of having a unique voice and unique contribution to the [pipe band] community."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Fortis Canada Games Complex officially opens in St. John's
The Canada Games starts in August, and as the CBC's Jenna Head reports, some long-anticipated facilities are starting to open their doors for the first time.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Canada's Savannah Sutherland is moving fast and breaking records
Canada's Savannah Sutherland now holds both the Canadian and NCAA record in the women's 400-metre hurdles. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images via Reuters - image credit) For the last year, Savannah Sutherland has been moving fast and breaking records. But for the next week, the 21-year-old hurdles phenom is taking a well-deserved break from preparing for Canadian nationals and the world championships. She's in her hometown of Borden, Sask., spending time with her family – and working on a new role. Advertisement "I'm an aunt as of February," Sutherland told CBC Sports. "My nephew [is] about five months old now, so that's really special to me. Family is huge to me." It marks a slower pace than Sutherland had been operating at for the past year. That started with her Olympic debut last summer in Paris and wrapped up with a spectacular performance to end her collegiate career with the University of Michigan at last month's NCAA outdoor championships. Sutherland captured her second NCAA title in the women's 400-metre hurdles by running a record-breaking time of 52.46 seconds at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Not only did she better her own Canadian record (53.08), it was also an NCAA Championship meet record, a Big Ten record, and a new NCAA record. It was also the ninth-fastest time ever recorded in the event. Advertisement The previous NCAA best of 52.75 was set in 2018 by two-time Olympic champ – and current world No. 1 – Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Sutherland and McLaughlin-Levrone are the only women's runners in NCAA history to break 53 seconds, and the Canadian is still coming to terms with being in such exclusive company. "Obviously, Sydney's the greatest to ever do it, so, it's kind of surreal to just have my name mentioned in the same conversations as hers, honestly," Sutherland said. "I don't think that that will ever fully sink in." Sutherland has already shared the track with McLaughlin-Levrone, when the Canadian reached the final in her Olympic debut, finishing seventh. That race marked another record-book moment for Sutherland, becoming the youngest-ever Canadian to reach an Olympic track final. Advertisement Records aside, making that final opened Sutherland's eyes to her own growing potential. "I think making the Olympic final last season really boosted my confidence," Sutherland said. "I think that that was the big difference this season, just knowing that the ceiling is higher than I expected it to be." "When I made the Paris Olympics, it sent the message to me that, today, no matter who's on the track, I belong there, I've earned my spot there because I've competed at the highest level. But now that I'm ninth all-time – typically there's nine lanes on the track – so now it's like whoever's on the track, I have earned my spot there." Not long after breaking McLaughlin-Levrone's record, Sutherland was named the NCAA's women's outdoor track athlete of the year. That made her Michigan's first athlete to ever earn a national honour in track and field. Advertisement "Michigan is definitely more of a distance [running] school, historically," she said. "You know, Saskatchewan isn't really a big track place either. So, I kind of have always been from a place where maybe it was a little bit more difficult, or maybe you had to work a little harder, drive a little farther, or compete indoors for a longer amount of time, than other places. "So [I] just kind of leaned into that and it kind of felt familiar in that sense." WATCH | Sutherland on NCAA record, going pro ahead of Tokyo worlds: Hometown support 'pushed me to the next level' Sutherland grew up in the village of Borden, which is about 50 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. The population only numbers about 300 and Sutherland credits the "tight-knit community" with helping her get to where she is today. Advertisement "Everybody knows everything that goes on in each other's life – which can be both a blessing and a curse at times – [but] for me it was mostly a blessing because I always had the support of the entire community behind me," Sutherland said. "I think that it was a driving factor because it pushed me to want to represent these people that I know are supporting me. I think it just pushed me to the next level, knowing that I was running for everybody else and accomplishing all of these things for the entire community and not just myself." While she was aware of track and field sports from small meets in elementary school, Sutherland really took the first steps in her career by following in the footsteps of her older brother, Cole. "He's five years older than me, and I really looked up to him and was chasing after him in a lot of aspects," Sutherland said. "So, I would find myself enrolled in the sports that he was passionate about. I did volleyball as a result of that, then he also did track and ended up winning provincials one year as a discus thrower. Advertisement "And I said, 'hey, that's pretty cool. I want to try and do that.'" It was at a high school track meet in 2016 where a coach from a neighbouring town noticed Sutherland's raw talent and approached her with an offer. "[He] said, you know, 'hey, you're pretty fast. You should check out this track camp in the summer.' And I did, and then it ended up being selections for Team Saskatchewan," she said. "I ended up going and being selected for U16 nationals and doing the [100], the [200], the [300], and then both relays." The 13-year-old Sutherland made the final in the 100 at that event, but was mostly memorable for her because it was when she bought her first pair of track spikes and learned how to use the starting blocks. Advertisement Sutherland wasn't immediately drawn to the event she's now known for, but her talent was undeniable. "Yeah, hurdles in general was something that I didn't really want to do," she said with a laugh. "First, my coach [Lee Wolfater] told me to just check it out. So, I was very hesitant. "He said, 'we'll do it for two meets. And if it goes horribly, you never have to see a hurdle ever again in your life.'" Sutherland won both of those races in Saskatoon and would see many, many hurdles again, as she began to specialize in the 400m hurdles. It wasn't long until both Sutherland siblings made their mark in Saskatchewan track and field, evidence of which is still visible in their high school gymnasium. Advertisement "Now it's funny because our provincial banners are hanging next to each other on the wall of the gym," she said. "That's pretty special. I would definitely say [my brother was] the driving factor." Canada's Savannah Sutherland is shown in this 2023 file photo while competing in the women's 400m hurdles semifinal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. (File/AFP via Getty Images) Her brother and parents still live in Borden, but Sutherland has a tangible connection to her family when she runs, in the form of a silver St. Christopher necklace. That "lucky necklace" is around Sutherland's neck every time she races, and she said it serves as a reminder of why she competes. "I look at it every time I'm in the blocks and just remind myself who I'm running for and why I'm doing what I do." Advertisement World championships on the horizon Sutherland's 2025 season will continue with a few more meets, including Canadian nationals, before culminating with September's world championships in Tokyo, where her goal is clear. "Honestly, [I'm] trying to keep my expectations low. [The] first thing is to make the final like I did last year," she said. "It's a super competitive event, right now and I feel like anything can happen, especially when there's hurdles involved. So I'm just kind of trying to keep my head on straight and hopefully finish higher than I did last year. "Just as long as I'm making forward progress, I think that's enough for me."
