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2022-2023 Coaching Staff

We are pleased to announce our roster of coaches for the 2022-2023 season. Together, our coaches bring decades of experience developing female hockey players at the youth, prep and college level.

Our team of coaches place a strong emphasis on fostering a nurturing, constructive, and engaging environment. At the younger levels, we focus on instilling the proper fundamentals. Building a strong foundation of skills enables our players to advance more efficiently as they reach higher competitive levels. At the older levels, we continue to emphasize skill development as well as strengthening hockey IQ and situational game awareness.

Team practices push our players to compete at a high intensity and reach outside of their comfort zone. We implement low repetition-to-rest ratios so that our players can maximize their repetitions for optimal skill advancement.
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Our staff of coaches work as a cohesive unit on and off the ice, collaborating to optimize the development of all of our teams. Whether it be introducing new team concepts or giving individual feedback, our team of coaches seek to build and maintain relationships that extend beyond their respective teams. This provides our players exposure to different coaches as well as cohesion and continuity across their years as a Bear.

U19 Major
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Janice Yang & George Jordan

U19 Minor
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Lexi Cafiero

U16 Major
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Gwil Jones, Katie Savage & Todd Elliott

U16 Minor
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Lexi Cafiero & Jenny Guider

U14 Major
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Janice Yang

U14 Minor

​Travis Bokina

Coaching Staff Bios:

Janice Yang

Janice 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 21 years.
Gwil Jones
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Gwil 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 fifth season as a coach with the Polar Bears.
George Jordan

George has been coaching for 20+ years at the youth, high school and prep school levels.

A former goaltender at Hobart College, he was named Rookie of the Year and holds all time records at the college for Career Saves (6th place) and Games Played (4th place). Prior to matriculating to Hobart, Geoge was named a NEPSAC All New-England All-Star. 

​He has been coaching for the Polar Bears since 2019. George has also served as an instructor at the Mitch Korn Goalie School and Robby Glantz Powerskating.
Katie Savage

Katie 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 fourth year as a coach with the Polar Bears.
Lexi Cafiero 

Lexi has been coaching for three years with experience that spans with age groups ranging from U12 through U16. She specializes in skill development having served as the lead instructor of the Vault Summer Training program for several seasons. 

Lexi was a three-year captain of the Colby women's hockey team. She earned First-Team All NESCAC honors in the 2022-23 season and was selected to the NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team in the 2018-19 season. In her senior season, Lexi led the NESCAC in points per game and was tied for first in total points. 

​She formerly attended Taft School and played for the Polar Bears for 6 seasons. 
Todd Elliott
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Todd has been coaching for 15+ years in Connecticut and New York in many capacities ranging from head coaching duties to individual skills development and advising. He has coached with the Westchester Express, Brewster Lady Bulldogs, Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, and Danbury Hat Tricks. Todd has experience coaching all levels and ages that range from U8 to prep and collegiate players.  ​

As a player, Todd attended the Canterbury School and helped his team to capture a New England Prep School Championship. He was a finalist for the USA U19 team that competed for the Clark Cup. Todd went on to compete for Niagara University and helped the team to 3 CHA titles and an Elite 8 appearance in the National tournament. Todd is a member of the teams inducted into the Canterbury School and Niagara University Hall of Fame. 
Jenny Guider

​Jenny enters her second full season coaching the U16 Minor group. She has served as a skills instructor for several years at the Vault Summer Training program. ​

A rising junior on the Trinity Women's Ice Hockey team, Jenny was among her team's leading scorers last season. She is a Westminster School graduate and helped her team to a Founder's League title in the 2020 season. She was the 2020 Daly Award recipient awarded for demonstrating a wonderful breadth of athletic pursuits and an extraordinary commitment to the highest level of Westminster sports. Jenny, a former Polar Bear, wore the blue and white for 3 seasons.
Travis Bokina

​Travis has been coaching for 10+ years in Connecticut at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. He has coached with the Yale Jr Bulldogs, CT Riverhawks, West Haven High School, and Notre Dame of West Haven High School. Most recently Travis served as the assistant coach for Post University, (NCAA Division 1, NEWHA). Travis specializes in skating and skills instruction with years of experience training players of all ages.

​As a player, Travis played semi professional hockey for the Danbury Whalers and Pennsylvannia Blues. A Connecticut native, Travis attend the Gunnery School where he was named a New England Division 1 All Star. He had a stint with the New Jersey Hitmen before matriculating to Lindenwood University (ACHA). Travis helped his team to an ACHA Championship in 2009 and holds several scoring records at the University.
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