University of Delaware Women's Ice Hockey

With over two decades of women's ice hockey coaching experience, the University of Delaware has selected Allison Coomey (pronounced KOO-me) to be the inaugur...

Melissa Samoskevich (SAM-a-ske-vich), an IIHF World Champion with Team USA, joined the University of Delaware ice hockey program as its first-ever assistant ...

Michel Larocque joined the University of Delaware in August 2025 ahead of the program's inaugural season. He will serve as the team's goaltender coach. A USA Hockey Level 5 Certified Coach and Gold Level Goaltending Coach, Larocque has run his own goaltender training company – ML28 Hockey – since 2001. He has worked with goalies of all levels as a regional goalie coach for club and scholastic programs as well as organizing camps, clinics and private lessons across multiple age ranges. Larocque had a distinguished collegiate career at Boston University where he played 97 career games from 1995 to 1999, helping lead the Terriers to the 1997 Hockey East championship, four-straight Beanpot titles, and three NCAA Tournament appearances including an appearance in the 1997 national championship game where he made 24 saves. Larocque was a two-time All-Hockey East selection and was an All-American in 1999 as well as a Hobey Baker finalist. He also was the 1997 Hockey East Tournament MVP and selected to the 1996 Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Originally drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the sixth round of the 1996 NHL Draft, Larocque was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 1999. He made his NHL debut in 2001 against Philadelphia and played in three games for the Blackhawks.

Taylor Willard, who has coached at both the Division I and Division III levels for the past six years, joined the Delaware coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2025 ahead of the program's inaugural season. She will officially assume the role on July 1. Willard arrives in Newark after spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Norwich University, leading the Cadets to back-to-back New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) regular season championships in 2023-24 and 2024-25. She coached 27 all-conference selections, two NEHC Rookie of the Year recipients and Livia Brooks became the first player in program history to win NEHC Player and Rookie of the Year honors in 2023-24. Over Willard’s four seasons, the Cadets were either ranked or receiving votes in all but two USCHO Division III Top-15 Women's Polls. In 2024-25, Norwich won the NEHC regular season title before falling in the conference championship game. Willard guided the team’s defense that ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 1.19 goals per game and was second in the country with 11 shutouts. She also led the Cadets’ penalty-killing unit that killed penalties at a 92.9-percent success rate. Norwich won the NEHC regular season championship in 2023-24 behind a 15-2-1 conference record. Willard’s penalty killers set a program record by killing 95.3-percent of penalties, which led the entire nation. The scoring defense was second in the country, allowing less than a goal per game (0.93) and re