Coaching Staff & Contact

Janice Yang has led Connecticut Polar Bears teams to multiple New England Regional Championships and National Tournament appearances. She has coached from U12 to U19 and helped many players matriculate to the prep and college levels. 

As a player, Janice competed for Brown University (ECAC) where she led the team in goals her junior year and was tied for second in assists her senior year. She earned ECAC All-Academic honors in 2014 and 2015.

Before matriculating to Brown, Janice competed for Choate Rosemary Hall and the Connecticut Polar Bears. She helped take her Polar Bears teams to multiple silver and bronze medal finishes at the National Championships. A two-time New England Founders League Champion with Choate, Janice was also selected as a NEPSAC First Team All-Star her senior year. She was a four-year USA Hockey national camp participant.

​Janice is entering her eighth season as a coach with the Polar Bears. Including her time as a player, Janice has been involved with the organization for over 20 years.

​Gwil Jones has been coaching for 25+ years in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York with a strong focus on player development. 

He has been with the Polar Bears since 2018 and has led his teams to multiple New England Regional Championships and National Tournament appearances. Prior to his time with the Polar Bears, Gwil's teams have won the New York State and Eastern Hockey Federation Championships. 

​He has coached and mentored dozens of players who have gone on to play prep and college hockey. Gwil is entering his seventh season as a coach with the Polar Bears.

Katie Savage has coached at all age groups for the Polar Bears, from U12 to U19 at both the Tier I and Tier II levels. She serves as a key advisor guiding our players through the prep and college placement processes. 

A tremendous student athlete during her time at Amherst College, Katie was a member of the women's field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse teams. While at Amherst, Katie earned NESCAC All-Academic Team Selections consecutively from 2016 - 2019. In 2019, she was also the recipient of the prestigious Friends of Amherst Athletics Award. Katie formerly attended the Westminster School. At Westminster, she was a 2017-2018 ACHA All-American Scholar and was named team captain her senior season.

​She is entering her sixth year as a coach with the Polar Bears.

Dave Rittenhouse brings decades of experience to the Bears. Most recently, Dave has served as a coach at Colby College.

Prior to that, Dave served as Head Coach at the University of Tampa, Assistant for the Tampa Bay Jr Lightning, Assistant Coach for the Tampa Scorpions, and systems/video coach for the CT Polar Bears from 2015-2024.

Dave is in the details and has immense knowledge of the game. His goals are players improvement year over year, helping players to understand the game, increase their skill, learn to correct their mistakes, play with confidence, become a good teammate, represent themselves properly on and off the ice, and play the game the right way. 

Allison Koenig has been a coach and administrator with the CT Polar Bears for 3 seasons. She has coached many ages that range from U12 to U16 and specializes in defensive concepts and training and works heavily with our defensive cores. A native of Wisconsin, Koenig played for the Milwaukee Junior Admirals and served as team captain for several seasons. 

Koenig was a member of the United States Rugby National program at both the U18 and U22 levels. She was also a member of the Quinnipiac Women's Rugby team and served as team captain from 2019 to 2022. 

Kyle Knopp has more than 33 years of hockey experience and has played, coached, or worked at every level — including two seasons in the Public Relations Department for the Detroit Red Wings (NHL).

Kyle is entering his 3rd season as a Polar Bear Coach. He has led the 14 Minors to back to back CHC Regular Season titles and a State Championship Title with the 16 Minors.

Prior to the Polar Bears, Kyle spent two seasons behind the bench as head coach for the Washington Pride U14 Minor team. With the Minors, Kyle led the team to back-to-back most wins in team history and two tournament championships. He also previously coached with ACHA Saginaw Valley State University, and as Video Coach and Hockey Ops for the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. He also worked as a Head Instructor for the touring hockey camp Simply Defense and with the Chesapeake Bay Lightning women's hockey organization and various high school teams in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.

Lloyd Jacques enters his fourth season with the Polar Bears. Lloyd has been coaching for over 15 years at the collegiate and youth levels, including his current position as a coach at the University of New Haven (Men's). Lloyd has led his Polar Bear teams to multiple Regional and Nationals appearances.

As a player, Lloyd played college club hockey at University of New Haven and Southern Connecticut State University. He played for Lyman Hall High school 2005 to 2009 where he earned All-Conference honors in 2008 and 2009. 

Chris Courtney has been coaching since 2012. He enjoys working with players and building a positive environment focused on development. In his thirteen years of experience, he has effectively coached players from U8 to High School levels. He most recently led our U12 Tier 2 to a State Championship Title in the 2024-25 season.

Paula Dady enters her third season coaching with the Polar Bears. She has been at the helm of the Trumbull/St. Joes Girls Varsity High School ice hockey program for the past 14 years. In her tenure, Paula was voted Coach of the year 4 times and has led her team to the state tournament numerous seasons.

As a player, Paula had a successful athletic career while attending Hamilton College. She was a dual sport athlete starring in hockey and soccer for all 4 years. As a member of the women's hockey team, Paula was named as a NESCAC 1st Team All-Star, 100 Point Club Member, and was named Captain her junior & senior years.

Paula graduated from Hamilton with a double major in Economics and Studio Art. Prior to matriculating to Hamilton, Paula attended The Taft School.

Amanda Laffin (née Kewer) joins us with great hockey experience both as a player and coach. Amanda is coming to us after 3 years at the NJ Colonials coaching U14-U19 at the Tier 1 level. She has experience in player development at USA Hockey camps and youth teams in New England.

Amanda played most of her youth hockey as a Connecticut Polar Bear herself. A key player for the club, she served as Captain in 2013. Her youth hockey experience included her winning the National Championship in 2012 and finished quarterfinalists in 2009 and 2014.

Amanda spent her collegiate hockey career as a member of the Holy Cross Crusaders. Amanda played an integral role in the programs transition to Division 1. Her team played in the NEHC before becoming D1 independent and then inevitably joining Hockey East in 2018. Amanda formerly attended the Pomfret School. A four-year letterwinner at Pomfret School, she excelled in hockey, field hockey, lacrosse and crew.

Marielle McHale enters her second season with the Polar Bears. She has coached players and teams at all ages and previously spent time working with the Clifton Park Eagles organization in Clifton Park, New York as well as working to run camps at The Hockey Hut in Clifton Park, NY. 

As a player, Marielle made her mark during a six-year career at Syracuse University, where she set a program record by appearing in 165 games. Her leadership skills earned her the title of assistant captain in her final season, and her dedication to academics placed her on the All-Conference Academic Team each of her six years. She played a key role in two conference championship teams, in 2019 and 2022, which secured spots in the NCAA tournament. Marielle holds a Master’s in Higher Education alongside a Certificate of Advanced Study in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising.

Prior to Syracuse, Marielle honed her talents at the Williston Northampton School from 2014 to 2018. She concluded her high school career with an impressive 77 points and an appearance in the NEPSAC Finals.

Cait Burns has over 5 years of coaching experience and enters her third season with the Bears.

Cait previously served as the head coach for the Immaculate High School girl's club. She has also specialized in skills development for Flite hockey camp.

Cait is a former Polar Bear and competed for the club for over 10 years. She helped bring her teams to multiple Nationals and Regionals tournaments. She also played field hockey for Danbury High School and was a 2x FCIAC First Team Member.

Pat Thompson has been coaching youth hockey for 10 years across all ages and levels. He brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for the game.

Pat is heading into his second season with the Bears following a strong debut year, during which he guided the 14 Blue team to the CGHL Championship.

The CT Native played for Hamden Hall and went on to play college hockey at SCSU in the ACHA DII.

Pat now lives in Milford with his wife Karen and 3 kids, Ryan (2008), Claire (2011) and Nolan (2013) who all play hockey. He also coaches lacrosse with the Milford Mustangs.

Carl Larosa enters his second season with the Bears. In the 2024-25 season, Carl led the 16 Minors to a New England Regional Championship and his team was ranked in the Top 5 in the country for the majority of the season.

The CT Native was a standout netminder for the Northwestern Ice Hawks and Watertown-Pomperaug High School Co-op. He went on to backstop the Bryant University Bulldogs in the ACHA II and was the three-year starter for the team.

Carl has served as instructor with the Blue Chip Selects Hockey Program, working with players of all ages in both goalie and player development skill sessions. Carl has a passion for teaching and is excited to coach with the Polar Bears this upcoming season. 

Mary Stowe enters her first season coaching with the Bears. The Shelton native played for the Polar Bears for many seasons of her youth hockey career. She has been with the organization since 2022.

Mary loves working with players and sharing her love for the game. She is currently studying Biology on the Pre-med track at Quinnipiac University.