Bio

The winter of 2022-2023 marked the third season for Katie Zimmerman as the head coach of the Western New England University women's ice hockey team. Zimmerman and the Golden Bears competed in their inaugural season, playing their first game and picking up the first win in program history on October 29, 2021 in a 4-0 win over Anna Maria College. Zimmerman and the Golden Bears won seven games in their inaugural season, reaching the CCC Quarterfinal round in their first ever playoff game. 

Zimmerman led Western New England first year Maddie Pope to Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and junior Rieley Jessie-Gerelli to Goaltender of the Year in just the second year of the program. Zimmerman guided the Golden Bears to a 15-8-3 season, which included earning a bid in the CCC semifinals for the first time in program history. 

In her first season behind the bench, Zimmerman guided Western New England to five wins in CCC play, and won the first three games of the season. The Golden Bears highlighted their season with a win in mid-December over previously unbeaten Suffolk University, under the guidance of Head Coach Zimmerman, taking down the Rams 4-0 behind the first ever hat trick in the women's ice hockey program history from Katie Cronin. 

Katie Zimmerman was named head coach of the Western New England University women's ice hockey program on June 12, 2019. 

Zimmerman comes to Western New England following five seasons as an assistant coach at Amherst College, where she helped lead the Mammoths to a record of 82-34-18 (.679). The 2015-16 Amherst squad enjoyed its most successful regular season in program history, going 20-1-3 en route to an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament quarterfinals.

Prior to her time in Amherst, Zimmerman broke into the coaching profession as an assistant at SUNY Cortland in 2013-14. Additionally, she has held various roles with USA Hockey, including National Camp Head Coach, Intern, and District Evaluator/Coach.

Zimmerman, a 2013 graduate of Hamilton College, was a standout performer during her four-year career with the Continentals. The Plymouth, Michigan native was a two-time All-NESCAC selection, leading the conference in goals in both her junior and senior seasons. Zimmerman also earned D3Hockey.com All-East Region accolades at the conclusion of her final collegiate campaign. During Zimmerman's senior season at Hamilton, Zimmerman scored seven power play goals, which ranked fifth in the nation, five game winning goals which sat fifth in the nation, and 0.84 goals per game, which ranked sixth in the nation. Zimmerman finished her senior season with 21 goals and nine assists, good for 30 points, which ranked 13th in the nation. 

After earning her undergraduate degree in Communications from Hamilton, Zimmerman went on to receive a master's degree in Coaching Education from Ohio University in 2016.