Men’s Hockey New Head Coach Peter Belisle becomes the program’s 11th varsity head coach after spending nine years with Division I University of Connecticut as an assistant coach.  The New England native spent his first year of coaching with College of the Holy Cross, where he helped guide the Crusaders to their first playoff victory in 13 years.  He returned to UConn the following season to help guide the program that he was once apart of as a four-year standout as a player.  Belisle helped direct the Huskies to a 19-16-1 mark in 1999-2000, en-route to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in 2000 and was behind the bench for UConn’s second 20-win season in 1998-99 when it put together a 20-10-4 mark, including an 18-6-4 record in MAAC play. Prior to his joining the coaching ranks, Belisle was a four-year letter winner with the Huskies from 1991-95 as a forward and a member of squads, which made four ECAC playoff appearances for UConn. He is still the second all-time leading playoff goal scorer in Connecticut ice hockey history and during his junior season, was the recipient of UConn’s 7th Player Award.  During his career at UConn, he tallied 36 goals and 42 assists for a total of 78 points. Belisle’s coaching experience is not limited to his collegiate tenure, having instructed and been a coach at several of New England’s premier hockey camps as well. He has served as a head instructor at the Connecticut Hockey Experience, the Learn to Skate Program at UConn, Bill Belisle’s Hockey School, and the Mount Saint Charles Instructional Hockey Program and for the past three summers, Belisle coached at the USA Hockey Team New England Select 14 and Select 15 Player Development Camp. The native of Manville, RI, graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, management from UConn in 1995 and followed that with a master of arts degree in sport management in 1999 also at the Storrs campus. Women’s Hockey Maura Crowell enters her second season with UMass Boston after enjoying an outstanding first year at the helm of the women’s ice hockey program.  In just her first year with the Beacons, Crowell led them to school records in both regular-season and ECAC East victories with a 15-9-1 mark, including a 12-7-0 showing in league play.  Under her guidance, UMass Boston advanced to the ECAC East semifinals for the second time in three years, following a first-ever home playoff game at the Clark Athletic Center and three of her players earned All-Conference honors. Prior to her arrival, she spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with Connecticut College of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.  She helped guide the Camels to their first-ever playoff appearance and also served as an instructor at the Connecticut College Development Hockey Camp.  Prior to her time at Conn. College, Crowell served as an assistant coach for the Saint Mark’s School girl’s ice hockey program in Southborough, MA and gained head coaching experience as the Lions’ junior varsity lacrosse mentor.  The Massachusetts native remains active within the ice hockey instruction arena, having served as an talent evaluator at the Texas Affiliate Camp, which is hosted by the Texas Amateur Hockey Assocation and a coach and evaluator for USA Hockey’s Rocky Mountain District Camp in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Crowell enjoyed an outstanding collegiate playing career at Division I Colgate University, before moving onto the coaching ranks.  The left wing helped the Raiders to three straight ECAC playoff appearances, including a date in the ECAC Championship as a sophomore, and a 63-37-7 record for an impressive .621 winning percentage in her four seasons in Hamilton, NY.  The four-year starter was named an Assistant Captain for her senior year and was also selected to the ECAC All-Academic team for her final season.  Since her graduation in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in German, she is still prominent in Colgate’s record book, ranking ninth in career points (61), sixth in career goals (29) and ninth in all-time assists (32). Crowell received the Valentine Piotrow German Prize, awarded for academic excellence in German Studies at Colgate and added a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in German to her mantle in 2004, while at Connecticut College.  She has been extremely active in community service, helping to organize a “Big Sister” mentor program for Hamilton, NY girls playing youth hockey in addition to serving as a counselor at Brantwood Camp in Peterborough, NH, working with underprivileged adolescent girls in a residential setting and volunteering in the Special Olympics as a speed skating instructor in Connecticut.