Susan Bellizzi Named Head Women's Hockey Coach at Lake Forest
Former Middlebury assistant takes over second-year program

LAKE FOREST, IL - Lake Forest College Athletic Director Jackie Slaats has announced the hiring of Susan Bellizzi as the Forester's head women's hockey coach.

Bellizzi replaces T.R. Bell, who resigned after the 2000-01 season, the first varsity season of women's hockey at Lake Forest. Bell will remain as Lake Forest's head women's soccer coach. The Foresters finished last season with a 10-13-1 overall record, including a 4-11-1 mark and fourth place finish in the NCHA.

Bellizzi spent last season as an assistant coach for Bill Mandigo at Middlebury College, where she helped the Panthers to the American Women's College Hockey Association (AWCHA) national championship, a 23-1-1 overall record, and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship. In addition, Middlebury was undefeated versus NCAA Division III teams. 

She was also an assistant coach for the women's soccer and women's lacrosse programs at Middlebury for the 2000-01 season. The women's soccer team qualified for the NCAA Tournament by winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title and was the top-ranked Division III New England team, , while the lacrosse team won the NCAA Division III national championship and a NESCAC title with a perfect 17-0 season.

In 1999-2000, Bellizzi was an assistant girls hockey and lacrosse coach at Northfield Mount Hermon School. She was also the intramural soccer head coach at NMHS.

Bellizzi has coached at several hockey camps, including the Elite Hockey Camp at Dartmouth College, Elite Hockey Camp at Norwich University, Exeter Hockey Camp for Girls, Hamilton Hockey Camp, Nutmeg Games Pee-Wee Hockey, and World Class Lacrosse Camp at Wesleyan University.

Bellizzi is a 1999 graduate of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. She earned a B.A. degree in History and French Literature at Wesleyan. During her four-year hockey career, she set school records for career points, career goals, points in a single-season, and goals in a single-season. Bellizzi was the ECAC Division III Player of the Year and a First Team All-American in 1999. She was a two-time team captain and ECAC All-Star. Bellizzi was also a member of the East-West Senior All-Star team for lacrosse in 1999.