(Courtesy of UMass Boston Athletic Communications)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Katey Stone, the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey, announced Friday that Maura Crowell will join the coaching staff as an assistant. Crowell brings more than eight years of coaching experience to Harvard and was a decorated player at fellow ECAC Hockey school Colgate.

“We are thrilled to have Maura joining the Crimson hockey staff,” said Stone. “She brings a commitment to excellence and work ethic that our players will embrace and rely on.  Maura has spent the past five years as a head coach and we look forward to sharing her experiences running a program while working to enhance the Harvard Hockey experience for our players and community.”

Crowell joins the Crimson coaching staff after a five-year stint as the head coach at UMass Boston. After just four seasons with the Beacons, Crowell became the winningest coach in school history and ended her tenure with a 73-53-4 (.577) overall record and a 58-36-2 (.615) record in conference play. Last season, Crowell was named the 2009-10 Eastern College Athletic Conference East Women's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year after leading the Beacons to a 17-9-0 overall record and a 13-6-0 record in league play. Crowell led the 2009-10 Beacons to school-record totals in overall and league wins, and saw the Beacons to the ECAC East tournament semifinals. During her tenure as head coach, Crowell produced 11 all-conference players and amassed the second-most wins among league coaches from the 2005-06 season on.

Before coming to UMass Boston, Crowell spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Connecticut College where she helped the Camels to their first-ever playoff appearance. She was also involved with the Connecticut College development hockey camps. Crowell came to Connecticut College from St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass., where she served as an assistant coach with the hockey team and head coach of the junior varsity women's lacrosse team. Crowell has also participated in a number of development camps, including serving as a coach and evaluator for USA Hockey's Rocky Mountain District camp in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As a player, Crowell enjoyed a solid career on the Colgate women's ice hockey team, starting all four seasons as a forward and being named an assistant captain as a senior. The Mansfield, Mass., native helped the Raiders to three-straight ECAC Hockey playoff appearances and a trip to the championship game as a sophomore. She also received ECAC all-academic accolades as a senior. She graduated in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in German and received her master of arts in teach degree in German in 2004.