Girls Varsity Ice Hockey

Liz Yale Leyden became head girls ice hockey coach and an economics teacher at Loomis Chaffee in 2009 after a three-year stint as head hockey coach at Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine. Prior to Hebron, Leyden was a four-year letter-winner for Middlebury College during the 2003–2006 seasons. Her team won the NCAA Division III national championship in 2004, 2005, and 2006 and the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship in 2003, 2005, and 2006. Leyden scored the game-winning goal in the 2004 national championship game, served as an assistant captain her senior season, and was a 2006 National Scholar Athlete as well as a 2006 NESCAC Winter All-Academic selection.

An active member of the hockey community, Coach Leyden is a USA Hockey Level IV-certified coach. She is routinely involved in USA Hockey, coaching at national development camps and in New England Yankee Conference festivals. She has coached at several other camps in the summers as well. In 2011 and in 2016 she was recognized with the Vincent J. Reilly Coach of the Year Sportsmanship Award from the Connecticut Chapter of National Ice Hockey Officials Association.

In her time at Loomis Chaffee, Liz has coached many student-athletes who went on to play at Division I and III colleges and universities, and she takes pride in developing and supporting student-athletes through their high school careers and on to their college careers. She believes that the balance between academics and athletics is crucial to each girl’s success. In the rink Coach Leyden’s focus on both individual skill and team development guides her program, and her passion for the game is infectious. She believes that growth comes from each player practicing and playing to her full potential each day, and thus practices are intentionally designed to be up-tempo and competitive. Her team plays an aggressive style of hockey in which speed, skill, good decision-making, teamwork, and grit are all emphasized.

In addition to coaching hockey and teaching, Liz lives on campus with her husband, Jake, who also works on campus, a dean of students, and their three children, Maddie, Ben, and Ellie.

This is Emma’s first year at Loomis Chaffee. She is a graduate of Westminster School (2018) and College of the Holy Cross (2022). At Holy Cross, Emma earned a bachelor’s degree in English while playing Division I Women’s Ice Hockey. After Holy Cross, she continued her athletic and academic careers at the University of Maine, where she earned her Master’s in the Art of Teaching and played her final year of hockey (2023). Emma teaches Sophomore English and coaches JV field hockey, girls varsity hockey, and girls varsity lacrosse. Emma lives in Flagg Hall, where she enjoys the incredible view of the Meadows from her apartment. Her favorite aspect of Loomis Chaffee is seeing her students excel intellectually in the classroom, athletically on the field, court, or ice, artistically on the stage or canvas, and during other extracurriculars. 

Chelsea graduated from Loomis Chaffee in 2008. As a student she was a three-sport athlete — field hockey, hockey, and lacrosse. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and soon after returned to the Island and joined the Admission Office in 2015. A lifelong resident of Connecticut, Chelsea’s favorite place on campus is the hockey rink, where she spends her winters as an assistant coach for the girls varsity hockey team. She is an avid fan of most sports, both on the Island and off. (Fun Fact: A few years ago, Chelsea was the back-to-back champion of the faculty March Madness bracket pool!) Her favorite dining hall food is the rice krispie treats; according to Chelsea, they never disappoint.