WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- It took a while to find just the right woman for the job, but the Williams College Athletic Department believes they have accomplished the task by naming Joey Lye ’09 interim head women’s ice hockey coach.
“Joey Lye has accepted the offer to serve as the interim head coach for the 2010-11 season,” said Williams Interim Athletic Director Lisa Melendy. “I’m excited by the possibilities of this hire and have confidence that coach Lye can nurture and grow the program in the year ahead. Her knowledge of, and passion for, Williams women's ice hockey cannot be matched. Her deep caring for the team and her knowledge of ice hockey will make her a strong head coach.”
Maybe it took a while to fill the position because Lye who assisted both Eph women’s ice hockey and softball teams last year, was anywhere but Williamstown for most of the summer. Lye was traveling the globe as a member of the Canadian National Softball Team with stops in various Canadian cities, Venezuela for the World Championships, and Oklahoma City for a series with the U.S. and Japan.
Lye, a Toronto native, was a utility player for the Canadian team, playing three different positions as well as being used as a pinch runner. Lye is expected to be invited to the Canadian National Team’s training camp again next summer.
A four-year letter winner in both ice hockey and softball for the Ephs, Lye impressed both her Eph coaches and teammates with her work ethic, her team-first attitude, and her genuine personal nature.
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Lye inherits an Eph team that posted a 12-11-2/9-6-1 in NESCAC from Marissa O’Neil who will coach against Lye now as the head coach of her alma mater, Bowdoin. This year the Ephs return 15 of 19 players and 10 of the returning Ephs have both played with and been coached by Lye.
“I’m really excited ,” said Lye. “I talked to some of the girls and they’re all behind this move and 100% into it. Now I need to get to work on hiring an assistant and then get immersed in the recruiting.”
“After a year’s transition I don’t think it is going to be an issue that I’ve played with many of the girls on the team,” said Lye. “I think all of the girls now see me as a coach and having played with and knowing many of them only helps me to understand them and what buttons to push.”
Lye will have her work cut out for her this season as the Ephs graduated their top two scorers, Tracey Ferriter (11g, 9a) and Torrey Taussig (7g, 12a) and their number one goalie, Sara Plunkett. Plunkett played 98% of the minutes in goal last winter.
“We’ll stick with many of the systems implemented last season, but I expect to twist a few things here and there,” noted Lye. “I’m anxious to get started and give this group of girls the consistency they and the program need.”
Lye will continue to assist with the women’s softball team in the spring. “It’s kind of funny that I had no real plans to coach or do anything in particular when I came to Williams, I was just going with the flow and taking everything in,” stated Lye. “I only seriously considered coaching when I got a feeling late in my senior year that I did not want to leave the sports world and coach [Kris] Herman talked to me about assisting with softball.”
“I was a head coach at my alma mater [Tufts] after just one year as an assistant and I know it's a great challenge, but also one that can offer great benefits to the program,” said Kris Herman. “Joey brings a love for the game, for working hard, and for challenging herself to be the best. This will serve her well as she grows as a coach and will serve the Williams women's hockey program well.”
“I could not have asked for a better assistant coach and am thrilled to watch her grow as a coach,” Herman continued. “Joey has a great supporting staff in Lisa Melendy, the coaches, and support staff that also love Williams.”
Thus far the flow at Williams has been very good for Joey Lye who just became one of the youngest head coaches in all of U.S. collegiate sports.
