Lake Forest College Sports Information
May 3, 2005
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Carisa Zaban Named Head Coach of Forester Women’s Hockey Team
Successful player and coach takes over program on the rise
 
Carisa Zaban is the third head coach in the program's history.
LAKE FOREST, IL - Lake Forest College Athletic Director Jackie Slaats announced Tuesday (May 3) that Carisa Zaban has accepted the position of Head Women’s Hockey Coach at Lake Forest College.

“We’re extremely excited and fortunate to have Coach Zaban join our staff,” Slaats begins. “She has proven to be a tremendous hockey player, instructor, and coach and we look forward to her continued success here at Lake Forest.”

Zaban, who grew up in Glenview, Illinois, and attended Glenbrook South High School, played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire, where she was the team’s leading scorer all four years and broke the school record (men or women) for points in a career. She earned First Team All-American honors, was a finalist for the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award, and helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Division I national championships.

After graduating from New Hampshire, Zaban joined the United States National team and won a silver medal at the 2001 World Championships. She continued her playing career as a professional in Switzerland, where she was the league’s leading scorer. Zaban then joined the USA Women’s National Roller Hockey team and earned a gold medal at the 2003 World Championships and a silver medal the following summer.

Although she became a skating instructor at the age of 13 and taught at various levels at camps and clinics throughout her playing career, Zaban’s more formal coaching career began with the 2003-04 season at Glenbrook High School. She was the team’s assistant coach and helped lead the squad to a league championship. Last year she directed the Team Illinois Girls Under-19 program and will now turn down the invitation to return as its head coach again next year.

Zaban takes over a Lake Forest squad that loses just three players to graduation. Last season’s team improved nine-and-a-half games from the year before and returns its starting goaltender and top five scorers in 2005-06.

“Coaching hockey at the collegiate level has been a goal of mine and I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity,” comments Zaban. “The program is certainly on the rise and I look forward to the challenge of leading it to even greater heights in the near future.”