MONTREAL -- Alyssa Cecere has been appointed interim head coach of the McGill University women's hockey team for the 2020-21 season. A fluently bilingual 32-year-old native of Brossard, Que., she has served as a full-time associate coach with the Martlets since 2014.
 
"We expect a smooth transition for Alyssa who has spent 11 years with our varsity hockey program, including her time as a student-athlete," said Geoffrey Phillips, director of sport programs at McGill Athletics & Recreation.  "She has experienced what it takes to build a winning culture, having captured numerous championships as both a player and coach."

Cecere (pronounced CHETCHER-ray) replaces Peter Smith, who stepped down this week after 20 seasons behind the Martlets bench. She received a BFL Canada female coach-of-the-year award in May 2020, as the high-performance nominee from Hockey Quebec. She was an assistant with the Quebec under-18 female team at the 2019 Canadian championship in Manitoba last November.
 
"Martlet Hockey has a rich tradition of excellence, on and off the ice, and I have had the privilege to learn and grow as a player and coach here," said Cecere, who belongs to a rare group of players to reach the national gold medal game in five consecutive seasons. A member of five RSEQ conference championship-winning teams at McGill, she collected three gold medals at Nationals (2008, 2009, 2011) and a pair of silvers. 

"Peter has been instrumental in my development and was a tremendous teacher, mentor and friend," added Cecere. "I am honoured and excited to continue the growth and development of our Martlet culture with this group of incredible young women."
 
A product of Centennial Regional high school and Dawson College, where she captained the Blues, Cecere skated for five seasons with McGill before earning a physical education degree in 2011. A left-winger who led the Martlets for three years as an alternate captain, she tallied 43 goals and 110 points with 118 penalty minutes in 178 games overall. In 2009, Cecere played for a Canadian university all-star squad that won gold at the FISU Winter Games in Harbin, China. After concluding her collegiate career, she toiled with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League, helping them win a Clarkson Cup national title in 2012.

"Alyssa is well prepared to take on the head coaching position," said Peter Smith. "The journey to this stage of her career has been extensive.  As a player, she was an inspirational and empathic leader. As a coach, she is a great teacher and a tireless worker with an attention to detail. A passionate student of the game, she checks off all the boxes to be a successful coach at the university level. I could not be more proud of her appointment."

A long-time instructor at the Martlet Hockey School, Cecere served as an assistant coach at Dawson for three years prior to rejoining the McGill program in 2014.
 
She is the fourth female currently serving as a varsity head coach at McGill, joining a group that includes Rachèle Béliveau (volleyball), Rikki Bowles (basketball) and Lindsay Duncan (artistic swimming).  
 
The importance of leading change in women's athletics remains strong at McGill, with the appointment of Cecere a complement to the unique "Women In Sport" initiative which was launched in 2018 after long-time benefactors, David Kerr (BSc '65) and Sheryl Kerr, (BCom'67) provided a transformational $3.5 million gift designed to provide support, mentorship and additional coaching for female athletes and coaches.  



SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (off)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca