SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The coaches of the Northeast Women's Hockey League have chosen Plattsburgh as the 2023 Northeast Women's Hockey League's Coaching Staff of the Year.
The NEWHL announced the honor on Tuesday, March 7, from its office in Syracuse, N.Y. The award is voted on by the head coaches of the league.
The Cardinals' staff consists of 20-year head coach Kevin Houle and assistants Julia Duquette, Hanna Rose and Kassi Abbott.
Plattsburgh collected its fifth straight NEWHL title on March 4 and enters the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament on Saturday, March 11, when it hosts a quarterfinal playoff contest vs. an opponent to be determined.
The Cardinals are 25-2 overall and are riding a 17-game winning streak. Plattsburgh finished the NEWHL schedule with a 17-1 record.
Houle is completing his 20th season as Plattsburgh's head coach. He is the winningest coach by percentage in the history of women's ice hockey in all divisions of the NCAA with an .878 mark (499-58-26) and has guided the Cardinals to seven NCAA Division III national championships, seven Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) West titles and five NEWHL crowns. He has had at least 20 wins in every season behind the Cardinal bench.
Houle has mentored 28 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) All-Americans, 21 of whom have won multiple All-America accolades, and he has had four student-athletes win the Laura Hurd Award, which is given annually to the top student-athletes in Division III women's ice hockey.
Duquette is in her fourth season as an assistant coach at Plattsburgh where she won four consecutive national championships as a player from 2013-14 through 2016-17. As a part of the Cardinals' staff, she helped guide Plattsburgh to three NEWHL championships and a trio of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.
Rose is in her second season as a student assistant. She was a member of the Plattsburgh national championship team during her freshman year in 2018-19 and has been a student assistant coach the past two seasons.
Abbott is in her first season as the Cardinals' goalie coach after earning three national championships (2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19) as a student-athlete. She claimed First-Team All-America honors during her senior season.