Courtney Kennedy has been hired to serve as the new head coach at Merrimack College, taking on the role with the Hockey East program. Kennedy most recently served as the head coach for the gold medal winning USA U-18 national team and as a skills coach for the PWHL's Boston Fleet. "Courtney rose to the top of a very talented and competitive pool of candidates as the ideal coach to lead our program at this time," Merrimack athletic director Joe Foley said in a program news release [https://merrimackathletics.com/news/2026/3/20/merrimack-athletics-names-courtney-kennedy-womens-ice-hockey-coach.aspx]. "She is globally recognized as an elite recruiter, player developer, and leader of young women. I believe Merrimack women's ice hockey has the potential to compete for Hockey East and NCAA championships, and I am excited for Courtney's leadership in our pursuit of excellence." Kennedy spent 17 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach for Boston College. With USA, she's served as the head cooach for the U-18 national team, as well as an assistant coach for the U-18 team, senior national team at Worlds and at the 2022 Olympics. She's also the director for USA Hockey's defense camp where she plans programming and development for USA's defensive prospects. Emma Pfeffer highlights with Merrimack Now she's set to take over a Merrimack program that finished last in Hockey East this season, as Kennedy will look to turn the program into a contender over time. "I am honored to join Merrimack College as the women's ice hockey coach," Kennedy said. "I am excited to get to work and get the team battle ready for next season. Let's Go Mack!" As a player, Kennedy, from Woburn, Massachusetts, was a star for the University of Minnesota at the NCAA level before winning World Championship gold, and Olympic bronze and silver medals with Team USA.
