ELMIRA, N.Y. — Pat Thompson, Vice President of Athletics at Elmira College, has announced the appointment of Mandy Montgomery as assistant coach of the Soaring Eagles’ nationally-ranked women’s ice hockey program.
“First of all, I want to thank Pat Thompson and Tim Crowley for the opportunity to join such a supportive and well-established athletic department,” Montgomery said. “Elmira College is a dream destination for student-athletes, and I am grateful to be a part of the championship culture founded in women’s hockey. I am excited to work with high caliber hockey players who are motivated to compete on the national stage. It is an honor to accept this position, and I look forward to my career as a Soaring Eagle.”
Montgomery joins the Soaring Eagles with a wealth of experience as both a coach and student-athlete at the Division I and III levels, most recently as an assistant coach at SUNY Canton, members of the Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC). Her responsibilities with the Kangaroos included recruiting, creating practice plans, analyzing game film, and organizing the team’s strength and conditioning program, in addition to assisting students in the classroom as a tutor at SUNY Canton’s Betty J. Evans Tutoring Center.
With Montgomery on the bench, the Kangaroos advanced to the semifinal round of the CHC Tournament for a second consecutive year. She mentored Canton’s Tess Adams to the conference’s Player of the Year Award, after ranking second in the CHC in points (27), goals (14) and power-play points (11). Adams was also one of four ‘Roos to garner CHC All-Conference accolades in 2017-18, joining second-year goalie Brooke Susac, a Third Team selection. Working with Montgomery, a former goaltender, Susac lowered her goals-against average to 2.04, third-best in the CHC, while posting four shutouts. Canton’s defense also boasted a penalty kill percentage that ranked 19th in Division III (86.3), and the team lowered its goals-against average by over half a goal to 2.11 this past season.
Off of the ice, Montgomery helped 12 of her student-athletes collect CHC All-Academic Team honorees, while six more received United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) All-Academic Team awards.
“Right away Mandy demonstrated she’d be a great fit for our program,” said Tim Crowley, head coach of the Soaring Eagles. “Her background shows she’s an established recruiter and someone who will be a tremendous asset not only to our D-core but our goalies, too. We’re excited to have Coach Montgomery on board, and we look forward to having her help continue our trend of success.”
Montgomery’s extensive hockey background also includes two years as an assistant at Division I institutions. In 2014-15, she joined the coaching staff at her alma mater, Sacred Heart University, where she worked primarily with the team’s goaltenders and defense. In 2016-17, the Grand Ledge, Michigan, native worked alongside former Elmira head coach and reigning Division I Coach of the Year, Greg Fargo ’06, at nearby Colgate University. That season, Colgate won 22 games, qualified for the ECAC Hockey Tournament for the second consecutive year, and ranked among national leaders in penalty kill percentage (90.5) and scoring defense (2.03 gpg).
Outside of collegiate hockey, Montgomery gained valuable experience as a coach at multiple USA Hockey camps, such as the U15 and U18 National Development Camps in 2015 and 2017, respectively. She also spent one season as director of the U20 academy at the Hockey Training Institute (HTI) in Mulmur, Ontario. Montgomery possesses a Level 3 certification from USA Hockey’s Coaching Education Program and training in concussion management and strength and conditioning.
During her playing days, Montgomery spent the first two years of her collegiate career as a member of the inaugural St. Norbert College women’s ice hockey teams in 2010-11 and 2011-12. As a sophomore goaltender with the Green Knights, she recorded shutout victories in two of her five starts. Montgomery then transferred to Division I Sacred Heart and played her final two seasons with the Pioneers. She was second on the team in minutes (652:42), saves (442) and victories (4) as a junior, helping the Pioneers achieve an 18-win season.
Montgomery graduated summa cum laude from Sacred Heart in 2014 with a degree in English.
