When Holy Cross women’s hockey coach Katie Lachapelle started coaching on the collegiate level in 1999, she was focused on one thing and one thing only.
“Probably when I was younger in my career, I thought winning is what [coaching] was all about — winning games, thinking about how do we just win more games,” said Lachapelle. “As I've gotten older, you realize, ‘Wait, there's way more to it than that.’ ”
After 20 years serving as an assistant and associate coach, this fall marks the Lewiston, Maine, native’s first season as a head coach, taking over the Crusaders after two years serving under Holy Cross legend Peter Van Buskirk. It will be a tough road for the still relatively new to Hockey East team, but Lachapelle is pleased to have had time to learn from someone with as much institutional knowledge as Van Buskirk.
“Peter knew so much about Holy Cross, and it was nice to have him here to kind of help move through some of those pieces,” said Lachapelle. “When you get to a new place, you're not trying to figure out how everything works, because there's a lot of the behind-the-scenes pieces that are different at every school you work at. So I was able to have some help, which was great.”
Over her coaching career, Lachapelle has taken tidbits from all of the standout coaches she has worked with. “I've been fortunate to work for some unbelievable people,” said Lachapelle.
She started off helping Fred Quistgard at Union from 1999-2001, who she says always “went the extra-mile” for his players. She then followed her own head coach as a player at Providence College, Jackie Barto, to Ohio State. Working with Barto gave Lachapelle a boot camp on the recruiting side of things. She then learned from a three-year stint assisting Margot Page at Niagara University (which no longer sponsors NCAA women’s hockey.)
Lachapelle might be best known for the near-decade (2008-17) she spent with fellow conference-mate Boston University, learning under the only head coach the women’s program has ever known, Brian Durocher.
“I don't know if I would have been ready to be a head coach if I hadn't had worked for Brian for the last nine years,” recalled Lachapelle. “Or, maybe I would have been, but I would have been doing things a little bit different and I feel like learning a lot of things trial by error. Instead, I feel like I'm in a pretty good place to handle a lot of things because I've seen a lot of situations and experiences that I saw Brian handle. I see things coming up on a daily basis as a coach that I've seen how to handle it a pretty good way.”
There’s a sense of prioritization that Durocher brings to coaching that Lachapelle has taken on. Hockey might be important, but putting the game in the larger scheme of things is key to his and now her coaching styles. “(I saw) the way that he cares about his players and the way he talks about what's important, and learning what the things are that you should have the bigger focus on.”
Lachapelle brings that to her current group of Crusaders by making sure they love the game and enjoy spending time with each other both on and off the ice.
“I always tell people, I challenge you to find any team that comes back as happy as our players do every Monday in ready to learn and ready to get better,” said Lachapelle. “I don't imagine that'll ever change. Even as, as our program develops more and more, I think that's just the culture here. We just try to make sure that we're keeping an eye on things. Like if we feel like it's a heavy week in terms of school, we're making sure we're being careful on how we practice. If people seem to be getting down a little bit or a little frustrated, we try to pay attention and have conversations with players and figure out how to get them going a little bit.”
Lachapelle and her current coaching staff, which includes associate head coach Meredith Roth (also a Providence College alum) and assistant coach Maddie Norton, are pleased with the way their upperclassmen have stepped up to welcome newcomers and introduce them to their positive atmosphere.
“Everybody's very much a part of everything,” said Lachapelle. “It feels comfortable and I think that's the biggest thing. It transfers over to the ice in terms of building conference and being a great teammate. I think our girls realize that it's a safe zone, and they can be themselves with each other and our coaching staff.”
That high level of confidence with each other is transferring itself onto the ice this season so far. It might not always be reflected in the team’s record, but Lachapelle is pleased with how Holy Cross is fairing in its second season of Hockey East play.
“We obviously are still trying to build this program,” said Lachapelle. “I do think we've got a little more jump this year. We are working on consistency and playing a full 60 minutes. It will come. But I think our girls have been doing a great job.”
Bringing a wealth of knowledge, a love of the game and a desire to develop good human beings, not just hockey players, all factor into Lachapelle’s coaching. Given that spirit, it’s not surprising when her players come up to her and say that they too want to go into coaching — and many have over the past 20 years. She understands why; it’s the best job she could have imagined.
“You know, I absolutely love coaching,” said Lachapelle. “I couldn't imagine anything else I would want to do.”
