UMaine Hires Women’s Hockey Coach

With the start of the Hockey Season quickly approaching outgoing UMaine Athletic Director Ken Ralph has hired Molly Engstrom as the 7th Head Coach of the Women's Ice Hockey Program.

According to the press release on goblackbears.com

"We are thrilled to have Molly Engstrom join us in Orono," Director of Athletics, Ken Ralph states. "She possesses the strong playing and coaching background necessary to elevate the profile of our women's hockey program.  Her connections through USA Hockey and contacts overseas give her great reach into key recruiting grounds. Our students will benefit by learning the game from one of the top players in Team USA history."

Engstrom, a native of Siren, Wisconsin, spent the 2018-2022 seasons as the assistant coach at St. Cloud University, where she coached a strong defensive group during her time at St. Cloud. Her defense ranked 10th in the nation in penalty kill (7-61) during the 2020-21 season.

"I feel very grateful for this opportunity," says Engstrom. "I am looking forward to contributing to the development of the players, team, and program at UMaine. There is a strong tradition of hockey at the University of Maine, and I am eager to continue to build off of that foundation and those traditions. I want to thank Ken and the administration for giving me this chance."

Engstrom, a two-time member of the United States women's hockey team at the Winter Olympics, won a bronze medal with Team USA in 2006 at the Turin Winter Games and a silver medal in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Games.  Engstrom earned the 'Best Defenseman' award at the 2010 Winter Games.

Engstrom was a member of Team USA at six IIHF World Women's Championships from 2004 to 2011 and helped Team USA win IIHF World Championships in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011, along with silver medals in 2004 and 2007.

She most recently served as a USA Hockey Developmental Scout since January 2019 and a IIHF U18 High Performance Camp Coach/Ambassador since April 2016.

Engstrom played and coached in the Swedish Women's Professional Hockey League (SDHL) from 2016 to 2018, and helped her team Djurgarden IF win the SDHL championship in 2017. She served as the girls' varsity hockey head coach and assistant athletic director at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H. from 2014-2016.

In addition to her professional playing and coaching experience in Sweden, Engstrom played professional hockey with teams in Minneapolis, Toronto and Boston in the CWHL and NWHL from 2007 to 2013.  She helped her Brampton-Canadette Thunder team win the CWHL title in 2008 and the Minnesota Whitecaps win the Western Women's Hockey League crown in 2009.

A 2007 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Engstrom played collegiate hockey in the WCHA with the Badgers. She received First Team All-American honors while at Wisconsin and was also named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. She was selected as a Patty Kazmaier Award top 10 finalist in 2005.

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