Hilary Witt

Hilary Witt, who served as assistant coach on the 2014 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, was hired as the UNH women’s ice hockey head coach on April 23, 2014, and officially took the helm two weeks later.

Witt, who inherited a team that won nine games overall (including four in Hockey East) in the 2013-14 season, has the UNH women's hockey program on an upward swing. That trend is reflected in the win column as she guided the Wildcats to 10 wins in her inaugural campaign of 2014-15, followed by 11 in 2015-16, 14 the next two seasons and 18 wins in the 2019-20 season. In eight seasons with the 'Cats, she has a 98-148-26 overall record with one Hockey East semifinal appearance and six appearances in the quarterfinals.

Under Witt's tutelage, Wildcats have been named a Hockey East All-Star four times with two First Team selections in 2017, as well as a Third Team honoree in both 2019 and 2020. UNH also had an All-Rookie Team selection in both 2018 and 2020. In eight years as head coach, a total of 111 'Cats have been named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team, and that included 20 in 2022 with five Wildcats receiving Distinguished Scholar status for recording the highest GPA in the league.

Three Wildcats were selected in the 2020 NWHL Draft and another 'Cat signed as a free agent in 2020. Two UNH players were drafted in 2021 and one more ‘Cat signed a free agent contract in 2022. UNH had one player selected in the 2018 NWHL Draft, two in the 2017 draft and a total of five others sign with teams as a free agent in '18 and '19.

Witt brings a wealth of coaching experience at both the national and collegiate levels to UNH, and her highly-decorated collegiate career at Northeastern University was followed by playing time with the U.S. National Team.

In her sixth season at the Wildcat helm (2019-20), Witt guided New Hampshire to its most successful season in a decade as the Wildcats finished with an 18-15-4 overall record, including 12-12-3 in Hockey East, and advanced to the league semifinals; that marked UNH's highest win totals -- both overall and league -- since 2010, which also marked the previous time the 'Cats advanced to the semis. Along the way, the 'Cats defeated two nationally-ranked teams.

In her first year as UNH head coach, Witt's team surpassed preseason expectations by placing sixth in the Hockey East standings; the Wildcats, who were just one point short of fifth place, were selected to finish in eighth place. New Hampshire compiled a 10-23-3 overall record that included 6-13-2 in the league.

In Witt's first game on the UNH bench, the 'Cats were edged 2-1 at Maine (Sept. 27, 2014). She recorded her first win with a 1-0 victory at RIT on Oct. 10.

Witt's second year at the helm ended with the second-longest game in UNH history, a 4-3 triple overtime loss at UConn in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

In the 2016-17 season, UNH compiled a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) with four consecutive wins. The Wildcats won Game 1 of the best-of-three Hockey East quarterfinals at Boston U., but the Terriers were one-goal victors the next to games to end UNH's season.

In the 2017-18 season, the Wildcats' finished with a 14-15-7 overall record, putting the program at a .486 winning percentage, the highest the program has seen since the 2009-10 season (.652). Two active Wildcats, Julia Fedeski and Amy Schlagel, were drafted to the National Women's Hockey League before the season began. Ava Boutilier, who was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on three occasions (Oct. 9, Jan. 22, Feb. 12) and the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Jan. 29, had a program high of 886 saves in her rookie season, making the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. In the 2017-18 season, Coach Witt was one of three finalists for the Hockey East Coach of the Year Award.

Witt’s fifth season at the helm began with a rough start to the 2018-19 season as the team fell to 1-9-2 record through its first 12 games; but the Wildcats rallied back, with both a nine-game unbeaten streak and a five game winning streak late in the season to secure a playoff berth for the eighth straight season. Senior defender Marie-Jo Pelletier and junior forward Taylor Wenczkowski were both honored post-season with conference awards with Wenczkowski being named to the Hockey East All Star Third Team and Pelletier being honored with the Sportsmanship award.

Witt, a native of Canton, Mass., was involved with the U.S. Women’s National Team as both assistant coach and head scout for several years prior to coming to UNH. In addition to silver at the 2014 Olympics, she helped the U.S. win a pair of gold medals (2011, 2013) and silver medals (2007, 2012) at the IIHF Women’s World Championship.

Witt’s most recent stint with USA Hockey began in July 2012 after two seasons as assistant coach at her alma mater, Northeastern. The Huskies advanced to the Hockey East final in 2011 and won the Beanpot title in 2012, and NU saw an improvement of six wins in its overall record as well as nine wins in Hockey East league play from the ’11 to ’12 campaigns.

Prior to that, Witt spent nine years (2002-10), including the final eight as head coach, at Yale University. She was honored as ECAC Coach of the Year in her first season at the helm (2003). In the next two seasons, Witt’s Bulldogs set program records for overall (16) and conference (12) wins, and they advanced to the ECAC semifinals in ‘05. With 96 wins, Witt is the winningest coach in program history and she guided Yale to the ECAC playoffs six straight seasons (2003-08).

Her teams excelled both on the ice and in the classroom. Under Witt’s tutelage, the Bulldogs had three New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star team selections, one All-ECAC First Team selection, three All-ECAC Second Team selections and three ECAC All-Rookie selections. She also coached two Olympians.

Yale had a total of 85 ECAC All-Academic honorees, including a school-record 21 in 2009, during Witt’s eight years as head coach. Furthermore, the Bulldogs had three finalists for the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award and an Academic All-Ivy League selection each of Witt’s last six years.
Witt was the first Northeastern player to eclipse either 100 career goals or 200 career points, and until 2017 she was the all-time leader with 113 goals and 208 points (currently second in both stats); she also ranks fourth in career assists (95) as well as second in games (140).

The 2001 graduate with a degree in Communications led the team in goals all four years, in assists twice (1998, 2000) and in points her final three years (1998-99-2000). Witt still holds three of the top 10 marks on NU’s single-season list for both goals and points.

In addition to her Northeastern career records, Witt is also the program leader in Beanpot points (20), power-play goals in both a season (12) and a career (33), and is tied for the most career hat tricks with nine.

Witt was a three-time candidate for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is presented annually to the most outstanding player in women’s college hockey, a two-time ECAC Second Team selection (1998, 2000) and ECAC Tournament MVP (1997) – as a freshman in ’97, she scored two goals, including the game winner, in the ECAC title game against UNH. She also captained the squad as a senior.

In her four-year career (1997-2000), Witt helped lead the Huskies to an overall record of 100-29-11 that included 69-16-9 in the ECAC. They won back-to-back Beanpots (1997-98) and the ECAC title in ’97. NU was also one of four teams selected to compete at the inaugural national championship tournament, which was sponsored by the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance in 1998.

Witt was honored for her exemplary collegiate career with her induction into the Northeastern University Hall of Fame in ’05 and the Women’s Beanpot Hall of Fame in 2010. She has also been inducted into the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame.

As an elite forward, Witt continued her playing career on the 2001 U.S. Women’s National Team and won silver at the IIHF World Championship. One year later, she began her coaching career as a Yale assistant.