Providence College Women's Ice Hockey

Matt Kelly joined the Friars in 2018-19 for his inaugural season at the helm and is entering his ninth season with Providence College in 2026-27. In his firs...

Aimee Pardington began her career at Providence College as an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for women's ice hockey, softball, and women's soccer in August of 2013. She is responsible for designing and implementing strength and conditioning programs for her respective teams. Pardington is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA. Prior to her current position at Providence College, Pardington worked at Rutgers University (2007-13) and Brown University (2004-07) as a strength and conditioning coach. Pardington graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2001, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in physical education. Pardington was a member of the women's basketball team at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to Eastern Connecticut State University to continue her basketball career and finish her undergraduate education. She then received her Master of Education in applied exercise science degree from Springfield College in 2006. Pardington is originally from Valley, Rhode Island.

Amanda Reall enters her fourth year in 2025-26 working in the Providence College Student-Athlete Academic Support Office. She spent the first three years as the academic coordinator for the men’s basketball team. In July of 2025, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Services. Reall returned to Providence College with extensive experience in the field of academic support. Most recently, she was the Learning Specialist/Academic Coordinator at Boston College before she was promoted to Assistant Director in 2021. She spent time overseeing the academic support program for the men’s basketball and football teams. She would work with student-athletes, monitoring their academic performance and eligibility requirements. Reall also served as the lead for the Learning Support Services Unit for both football and men’s basketball. During this time Reall was responsible for academic plans to monitor progress towards degrees, as well as assisting with scheduling and registration process for the student-athletes. Prior to Boston College Reall worked at University of Maryland as the Learning Specialist/Academic Coordinator for football. Here she advised, tracked and collaborated with student-athletes on course selection, major exploration and declaration, degree plans, transfer credits, internships, and career preparation. Reall also worked at University of Memphis, before her time at Maryland, as the Assistant Academic Counsellor. Here she mentored at-risk football and m

LeClair joined the Friars in the 2025-26 season. LeClair graduated from Endicott College in May 2025 with a degree in sport management. Before Providence, LeClair worked most recently as a Hockey Operations Assistant with the Northeastern University women's hockey program during the 2024-25 season. In that role, LeClair managed video operations, oversaw postgame meal coordination, team nutrition and assisted with travel logistics and daily operations. While completing his undergraduate degree, LeClair served as a student coach for Endicott College's women's hockey team. His responsibilities included video analysis, content creation for social media and supporting equipment operations such as skate sharpening, locker room setup and inventory management. LeClair's background also includes coaching youth hockey through The Hockey Academy, where he ran skills sessions and clinics for players ages 5 to 18. Additionally, he served as the X-Ice Director for the Valley Hockey League at Endicott's site, where he managed logistics, game-day operations and practice development.

Katie Burt enters her fourth season as an assistant coach for the Friars in the 2026-27 season, working primarily with the goaltenders and defense. In the 2025-26 season, Burt mentored goaltender Hope Walinski, who recorded 959 saves, the most in a single season in program history, and became one of five goaltenders in program history to reach 100 games played. Burt also was influential in the development of Cristina Cavaliere, who led the team with 72 blocked shots and recorded 45 in conference games, tied for the fifth most. Cavaliere was named Army ROTC Defender of the Month for January after totaling seven assists and 24 blocked shots over nine games during the month. The senior recorded a team-high six-game point streak and posted four multi-point games. Under her guidance, Hope Walinski earned Hockey East Third Team All-Star honors and was recognized as Hockey East Goaltender of the Week and Hockey East Goaltender of the Month during the 2024-25 season. Walinski also was named to the Watch List for the National Goalie of the Year Award. Before Providence, Burt spent time playing in the Premier Hockey Federation for the Boston Pride (2021-22) and Metropolitan Riveters (2022-23). She was the number one overall selection in the 2017 National Women's Hockey League Draft. During the 2021-22 season, Burt posted a 1.41 goals against average, .958 save percentage and a 7-4-0 record. In 2022-23, she recorded a 2.78 goals against average, .903 save percentage and a 5-5-0 record.

Lynne Hebert joined the Providence College Athletic Department in July 2023 as the Sports Nutritionist. She is working to build a cutting-edge sports nutrition program that aims to elevate athletes to an optimum baseline of health, empowering them to maximize their training and performance potential. Hebert's mission is to ensure that each basketball player is nutritionally equipped to reach their peak physical performance and overall well-being. At Providence, she oversees comprehensive nutrition counseling for the basketball players, focusing on individualized nutrition plans for each athlete. She collaborates closely with high performance coaches, sports psychologists, and medical staff to deliver an integrated approach to each player's health. Before coming to Providence, Hebert served as a Performance Dietitian for Stanford University, where she helped guide Olympic-level athletes in achieving their performance goals. She also has managed a private nutrition practice for track and field athletes in Oregon and conducted research on food access and health outcomes. Hebert is a Registered Dietitian. She holds a B.S. in Health Science: Nutrition from Keene State College and completed a Dietetic Internship at Montana State University.

Nicole Norton enters her sixth season as the Friars' assistant coach in the 2026-27 season. Norton worked closely with the Friars' defense until transitioning to the Friars’ offense in 2025-26. Last season, Norton was influential in the development of three Friars offensively who produced more than 20 points (Reichen Kirchmair, Audrey Knapp and Jessie Pellerin). Norton also played a key role in the development of Reichen Kirchmair during her senior year, as she became the 29th player in program history to reach 100 career points. Kirchmair finished her career with 55 goals and 45 assists in 141 games. Knapp tied her career high in assists with 16 and produced her second straight season of 20-or-more points. Pellerin recorded double-digit goals (11) for the first time and finished the year with 21 points. She also led the team in the faceoff circle with a 56.4 faceoff percentage and 341 faceoff wins. Under Norton's coaching, Brooke Becker '24, '25G was named Hockey East Player of the Week and Lily Hendrikson '25 earned Hockey East Defender of the Week honors during the 2024-25 season. Additionally, Becker was named to the Hockey East Third Team All-Star team. For the two years prior to this role, Norton spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Long Island University, including the program's inaugural season in 2019-20. Despite the Shark's first-year status, Norton helped to guide LIU to the NEWHA Championship. In 2020-21, the Sharks were repeat winners of the NEWHA Commissio

Vahey graduated from Providence College in May 2025 with a degree in Marketing and is currently pursuing his MBA through the school’s 4+1 program. A Wellesley, Mass. native, he was captain of the hockey and lacrosse teams at Wellesley High School and also competed on the golf team. With many years of involvement in hockey as a player, referee and scorekeeper, Vahey brings extensive experience in the sport and a strong foundation in teamwork, communication and performing under pressure. Most recently, Vahey completed an internship with Titleist as a Golf Ball Fitting & Education Intern in the greater Boston area. His background also includes experience as a photographer and video editor for baseball tournaments and a small enterprise in Prague, Czech Republic. In addition, he has extensive experience in the golf industry, both as a veteran caddie and through his work with Titleist.

Thomas Potenza began his career at Providence College as an Athletic Trainer in October of 2022. Potenza primarily works with the women's ice hockey, cross country teams, and the track and field teams. Potenza came to the Friars from Salve Regina University, where he worked with the football, men's ice hockey, and softball teams in 2021. Prior to his work at Salve Regina, Potenza worked with various high schools in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Iowa for more than 10 years. In 2018, Potenza received his master's degree in nonprofit management from Johnson & Wales University. Potenza graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Springfield College in 2009, where he was a member of the cross country, swimming, and track teams. He combined these passions and created the triathlon club while at Springfield. Potenza is currently the third-party reimbursement committee chair for the Rhode Island Athletic Trainer's Association. He, his wife, and two dogs reside in the Providence area.