Dartmouth Big Green hires Canadian women’s hockey coach Laura Schuler

HANOVER, N.H. – Canadian women’s hockey team coach Laura Schuler has been hired to coach the NCAA Division 1 women’s team at Dartmouth College.

The 45-year-old from Toronto coached Canada to a silver medal at the women’s world championship in Kamloops, B.C. The host country dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to the United States in the final April 4.

Schuler will be the ninth coach of the Big Green women in four decades, Dartmouth announced Friday on its website.

She replaces Mark Hudak, who retired after 13 years behind the bench. Dartmouth fell short of the conference playoffs this past season with a 6-13-3 record.

Schuler played for Canada in the inaugural women’s world championship in 1990 and also in the first Olympic women’s tournament in 1998. The forward compiled 12 goals and 19 assists in 65 career games and won three world championship gold medals.

She was an assistant coach and recruiting co-ordinator for Shannon Miller at the University of Minnesota-Duluth from 2008 to 2015. Schuler has previous experience as a head coach in women’s NCAA hockey at both her alma mater Northeastern (2004-08) and University of Massachusetts-Boston (2001-04).

“She brings a rich background, from a world-class playing experience to assistant and head coaching at the collegiate and international levels,” Dartmouth athletic director Harry Sheehy said in a statement. “Her passion for teaching the game was evident to all who spent time with her.”