L to R: Amy Zappen, Meredith Roth, Laura Bellamy, Venla Hovi
Laura Bellamy Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey
Laura Bellamy '13 returned to Harvard in August of 2023 to become the Landry Family Head Coach for Harvard Women's Ice Hockey. Bellamy began her second stint in Cambridge after eight seasons on staff at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). After arriving in The North Star State as an assistant coach in 2015, Bellamy was elevated to the associate head coach role prior to the 2019 season. During her eight years in Duluth, Bellamy helped transform the Bulldogs into a national power, securing four NCAA tournament berths and two Frozen Four appearances, and a finish as the national runner-up in 2022. UMD was consistently ranked inside the national top 15 under and earned its highest ranking in program history after earning a No. 4 ranking this past season. A noted developer of talent, Bellamy coached 10 Olympians, two Patty Kazmaier Top-3 Finalists, seven All-Americans, two Hockey Humanitarian Award Finalists, 26 All-WCHA Selections, three WCHA Student-Athletes of the Year, one WCHA Player of the Year, two WCHA Defenders of the Year and two WCHA Goaltenders of the Year during her time in Duluth. Her efforts did not go unnoticed as in 2022 she was named the American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA) National Assistant Coach of the Year. Now, Bellamy will return to coach the Crimson for a second time, hoping to bring similar success back to Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
Meredith Roth joined Harvard women's ice hockey as the Associate Head Coach in September of 2023. Roth joins the Crimson staff after a four-year tenure as the Associate Head Coach at the College of the Holy Cross. Prior to her time in Worcester, Roth was the head coach at St. Norbert College, a DIII program in Wisconsin. With her at the helm, the Green Knights enjoyed great success, playing their way into the NCHA Championship game in 2016. Previously, Roth coached at Providence College in two stints from 2006-10 and 2012-15. In between her time with the Friars, Roth was on staff at Cornell University, and helped the Big Red reach the Frozen Four twice from 2010-2012. Roth’s first head coaching job came in 2004 when she was appointed the leader of the Shattuck St. Mary’s School U-16 team. In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Roth has been heavily involved in USA Hockey, in particular its U-18 program. She was recently named as an Assistant Coach for the United States U-18 Women’s National Team for its 2023-24 season and will coach the group at the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Switzerland. Roth was also with the group during its Gold medal run in the 2020 IIHF World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia. She has been integral in the success of the U-18 program since coaching at her first camp in 2006.
Venla Hovi joined the Harvard women's ice hockey staff for the 2023-24 season as an assistant coach.
Most recently, Hovi served as the head coach of the Metropolitan Riveters in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) during the 2022-23 season. She led the team to 11 wins in her first season at the helm, the most for the group since the 2017-18 season.
A noted trailblazer in the professional hockey space, Hovi famously became the first woman to join the NHL's Winnipeg Jets in a coaching capacity after she was hired as a development coach by the organization before the 2019 season. In her first full-time coaching role, she worked with players from the youth level all the way up to the Jets and its American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, on skill development and technique.