Kampersal Departs Princeton After 21 Years for Penn State

Calendar

Women's Ice Hockey

October 17, 2PM

at UConn

Women's Ice Hockey

October 18, 1PM

at UConn

Women's Ice Hockey

October 24, 6PM

at Brown

Providence, R.I.

Women's Ice Hockey

October 25, 3PM

at Yale

New Haven, Conn.

Women's Ice Hockey

October 31, 3PM

vs RPI

Princeton, N.J.

PRINCETON (6/1/17) - Jeff Kampersal has been hired as the head coach of the Penn State women's hockey program, after serving 21 years as the head coach at Princeton, his alma mater.

"We are extremely grateful to Coach Kampersal for his tremendous contribution to Princeton women's ice hockey for the past 21 years," the Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan said. "Jeff has been the lifeblood of the program for over two decades and leaves behind one of the best women's hockey programs in the country. Throughout his tenure, he has been a committed advocate for his student-athletes, for Princeton Athletics and for the University and has helped develop hundreds of young women into first-rate hockey players and, most importantly, first-rate people. We wish him great success at this next stop in his career and know that he'll stay forever connected to Princeton Hockey."

The all-time winningest coach in program history, Kampersal won 327 games since he became head coach in 1996-97.

A four-time ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year and two-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, Kampersal guided the Tigers to two NCAA Tournament appearances and two Ivy League titles in 2006 and 2016. He has taken the Tigers to 18 ECAC Hockey tournaments, including a streak of 11 from 2002-2012.

This past season, Kampersal recorded his fourth 20+ win season and his 15th season finishing with a .500 or better record. His Tigers were ranked as high as seventh in the national poll this season.

He has coached five Patty Kazmaier candidates, two All-Americas, 68 All-ECAC Hockey selections and more than 50 All-Ivy League players.

"Princeton has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old," Kampersal said. "As a student at Princeton, I gained my first appreciation of women's hockey from watching current athletic director, Mollie Marcoux, on the ice. I was always impressed by how good and competitive she was. Ironically, she came back into my life and has been a tremendous boss and friend. I want to thank her for everything she has done for me and her support for the program. I want to thank Gary Walters for trusting me with PWIH at such a young age. He was and still is a great mentor, always pushing me out of my comfort zone. I also want to thank my many colleagues in the athletic department who I have leaned on and learned from over the years. Finally, and most importantly, I have been blessed to work with the absolute best coaches at Baker Rink and finest student-athletes in the sport. My co-workers have challenged me to be better and the players have inspired me to be better. I am and always will be in awe of their excellence on the ice, their commitment to learn in the classroom, and their success post-Princeton.

Princeton will always be a special part of my life, but I am excited to start the next phase of my career at Penn State, an institution of academic and athletic excellence. I am really looking forward to meeting the team, setting the standards, and taking their young program to the next level."

A 1992 graduate of Princeton, Kampersal earned both All-ECAC and All-Ivy League honors as a four-year letterwinner and team captain of the men's hockey team. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 1988 NHL Draft in the 10th round.

Princeton will begin conducting an immediate search for Kampersal's successor.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results