Saint Michael’s women’s hockey graduate Meghan Sweezey has been named the program’s new head coach, effective July 1.
She succeeds Chris Donovan, who coached the Purple Knights during their first 24 years of varsity play and oversaw the program joining the NCAA Division I NEWHA in 2017-18.
Sweezey previously served as the squad’s top assistant coach and owns Girls 4 Hockey, which she founded in 2016 to continue growing the game.
“I’d like to thank the Saint Michael’s College administration and athletic department for affording me this incredible opportunity,” said Sweezey in a statement. “I’d also like to thank Chris Donovan for his continued support and tireless efforts on behalf of the program over his tenure. Without him, I would not have come to Saint Michael’s as a student-athlete and would not have this opportunity, along with countless others. I am very excited to lead the Purple Knights program and to work in this capacity for my alma mater. While I have worked for the school in other capacities, hockey is near and dear to my heart, and I look forward to giving back to the program, sport, and community that has given me so much.”
Sweezey returned to the women’s hockey program as a volunteer assistant coach in 2013-14 before moving into a role as the top assistant coach the next year, serving in that capacity for four seasons. Sweezey remained with the squad as strength and conditioning coach in 2018-19 before aiding her alma mater as a volunteer assistant coach the past two winters.
For the better part of her coaching tenure, she was also employed as the college’s assistant director of alumni and parent relations (2012-18) before spending two months as the interim assistant director for admissions. Sweezey remains a familiar face on campus through her assistance to alumni relations at events such as reunion.
“It is incredibly special to see our alums go into the world and make an impact,” said Saint Michael’s associate director of athletics Meggan Dulude. “It is even more special when they decide to return to make that impact on current and future Purple Knights. We are thrilled to have Meghan return to Saint Mike’s athletics to lead our women’s ice hockey program. The program and the NEWHA have grown significantly in the last few years, and we believe Meghan has the skillset, experience, and coaching philosophy to move us forward.”
Sweezey, who started a skills clinic in Reading, Mass., in 2012 for girls between the ages of five and 14, founded Girls 4 Hockey in the Burlington, Vt., area four years later, with the goal of engaging players ages four through adult in skills-based programming, focusing primarily on female player development. Within seven years, G4H grew from one program serving eight individuals into 14 programs serving 620 individuals by 2023. Sweezey and her G4H coaches work with an additional 300 players through private skills clinics. She oversees all aspects of G4H, not only coaching and developing practice plans but recruiting and training an all-female coaching staff, performing marketing and advertising, managing finances, and collaborating with local youth hockey organizations on creative initiatives that continue growing the game.
For the past several years, Sweezey has worked with the Vermont Shamrocks AAA Select Hockey program, assisting spring team organization, tryout facilitation and skill development as well as serving as a bench coach for 10U and 12U spring tournament teams for the past two seasons. Sweezey previously coached girls at the high school level in her native Massachusetts. She was the junior varsity head coach at Reading Memorial High School in 2011-12, which was also her second year as a varsity assistant at the school. In 2010, Sweezey was the volunteer head coach of Reading Youth Hockey’s U19 JV squad. During three summers (2008-10), Sweezey supervised and coached girls ages 14 to 17 at the USA Hockey New England District Development Camp.
Sweezey gained additional leadership experience beyond the rink as the events manager for Special Olympics Vermont between 2018 and 2020, managing all major fundraising events, including its marquee event, the Penguin Plunge, which raises nearly 40% of SOVT’s annual operating budget. As the head of the 2020 Penguin Plunge, Sweezey helped SOVT set a since-broken fundraising record while attracting nearly 1,400 participants.
A senior captain for Saint Michael’s in 2009-10 after twice serving as an alternate captain, Sweezey graduated tied for first in program history in career games (103), power-play goals (12) and short-handed goals (3). She was also third in points (71), tied for third in assists (39) and fourth in goals (32). Sweezey landed on the ECAC East all-academic team each of her final two seasons. After earning bachelor’s degrees in psychology and English, Sweezey completed a master of education in school counseling at Suffolk in 2012.
