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Jen Kindret was named the head coach of King’s College’s new NCAA Division III women’s ice hockey program.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba native will begin her duties on Aug. 15.
King’s announced the addition of both men’s and women’s ice hockey programs on Feb. 25, with each sport to open competition in 2017-18. The hiring of Kindret will allow her a full year of recruiting in order for King’s to prepare for its first season of play.
The 27-year old Kindret comes to King’s after spending the last two years as a graduate assistant coach at NCAA Division I Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Mo. Lindenwood is a member of the College Hockey America (CHA) conference where it competes against the likes of Penn State, Syracuse, and national power Mercyhurst while facing stiff non-conference opposition from Wisconsin, Ohio State, Minnesota-Mankato, Minnesota-Duluth, Bemidji State, and St. Cloud State.
In her two years at Lindenwood, Kindret was part of a Lions program that posted a combined 19-45-6 record, including a 12-22 mark in the CHA. In 2014-15, Lindenwood set school records for overall and conference wins in one season by going 10-21-2 and 7-11-2 in the CHA, including victories over nationally ranked Mercyhurst and Bemidji State.
This past season, the Lions finished 9-24-4 and 5-11-4 in the CHA. Both seasons Lindenwood competed in the post-season CHA Tournament. During her time at Lindenwood, Kindret helped coach goaltender Nicole Hensley, a 2016 World Champion with Team USA.
“First and foremost I would like to thank Cheryl and the rest of the search committee for believing in my vision and giving me this opportunity,” said Kindret in a King’s College press release. “It is any coaches’ dream to be a head coach, let alone start their own program. I feel extremely privileged and honored to have been selected to be the first ever women’s ice hockey coach at King’s College. I am excited to get back to the state of Pennsylvania and get things going. Any chance to be a part of growing the game of hockey, especially for girls, is remarkable and humbling.”
Kindret played her collegiate ice hockey at NCAA Division I Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. A four-year letter-winner, she helped the Colonials to a 51-69-15 overall record and a 13-34 mark in the CHA. She also received CHA “Rookie of the Week” honors twice in her freshman season. Kindret and Robert Morris played against top-flight national competition with 41 games coming against NCAA Division I Top-10 ranked opponents. In her first two years with the Colonials, Robert Morris posted a combined 17-45-8 record and were 5-21-6 record. The final two seasons, Robert Morris was 34-24-7 and 15-13-4.
“Everyone I met while on the King’s campus and touring the Revolution Ice Center was so excited about the new hockey programs,” Kindret said. “The family-like feel and the way people passionately talked about King’s made it feel like an instant home. The start of both the men’s and women’s hockey programs is an exciting time at King’s and having a shared enthusiasm about this new era is huge. Having the support of the school and athletics department will be an integral part of building this program.”