TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Associate Vice President Director of Athletics Dr. Lee McElroy has announced the hiring of Tara Connolly as an assistant women's ice hockey coach. Connolly joins Christie Cicero on the staff of first-year head coach Bryan Vines.

"We could not be more excited to welcome Tara to the RPI women's hockey family, said Vines. "She is a tireless recruiter, great teacher and even better person. Her ability to forge lasting relationships with student-athletes and help them develop to their full potential, on and off the ice, will be an asset to our program and we are excited to see the lasting impact she makes."

Connolly joins Rensselaer after spending the last three seasons as an assistant at Wesleyan College in Middletown, Conn. She was responsible for practice plans and managed the forward lines, power play units and goaltending. Also assisting in the team's strength & condition program, she was tasked with designing and executing goaltender-train and skills programs, including goalie specific clinics and player skills sessions.

Prior to her time at Wesleyan, Connolly was an Athletic Communications Assistant at the University of Connecticut, where she was the primary contact for the Huskies women's soccer, track & field/cross country and softball teams, while also assisting with the coverage of the national champion women's basketball team. 

A player skills instructor at IPH Hockey since 2015, Connolly has also worked at Pro Crease Goaltending since 2014, working with a variety of skill levels and age groups in on-ice training sessions. She has also been a goaltending consultant for organizations, assisting in their respective tryout processes.

Connolly was an intern goaltending coach for the USA Hockey U15 and U18 National Camps in July of 2015 and 2016, respectively, working with her head coaches on lineup decisions and in-game feedback. At the camps, she attended workshops and lectures aimed to improve technical knowledge as well as overall coaching development. 

In 38 career games in goal at Bowdoin College, Connolly posted a 21-11-3 record with a 2.21 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in history and teaching in 2013, before earning her Master's in Liberal Studies - Social Sciences from Wesleyan in 2016.