WORCESTER, Mass. – Holy Cross head women's ice hockey coach Katie Lachapelle has been named the 2025-2026 Division I Women's New England Coach of the Year, as announced by the New England Hockey Writers Association.

Lachapelle was previously selected as the Hockey East Coach of the Year, in addition to being named a finalist for the American Hockey Coaches Association National Coach of the Year award. This season, she led Holy Cross to the Hockey East semifinals for the first time in program history, with the Crusaders posting an overall record of 19-13-3 and a 10-11-3 mark in Hockey East play. Lachapelle's squad broke school records for the most Hockey East victories (10) and most Hockey East points (37) in a single season, while its 19 overall wins are tied for the fifth-most in program history. 

Lachapelle's team spent four weeks ranked in the USCHO national poll from Jan. 19-Feb. 9, reaching a high of No. 13 in the Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 rankings. This marked the first time any Crusader women's program had ever been nationally ranked at the Division I level. In addition, Holy Cross finished the year eighth in the country in scoring defense, with a team goals against average of 1.84.

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