Chris Wells

Head Women's Hockey Coach Athletics
Chris Wells

Chris Wells took over the reins of the St. Lawrence University women's hockey team prior to the 2008-09 season. In his opening campaign, Wells continued the program's tradition of winning, as he guided the team to the 2009 NCAA Tournament and a 24-11-3 record. In 10 seasons at the helm, Wells has a career mark of 194-130-44 (.582).

He guided the program to it's first ECAC Hockey Tournament title and was named the 2012 AHCA National Coach of the Year.

En route to the championship, Wells and his staff, which earned ECAC Hockey Coaching Staff of the Year honors, guided the 2011-12 team to an 18-3-1 stretch from December to March, as the Saints swept Dartmouth from the conference quarterfinals before topping Harvard in overtime in the semifinals.  St. Lawrence clinched the ECAC Hockey title and Wells' second career NCAA berth behind a 3-1 win over No. 3 Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.

Wells coached the team back to the NCAA Tournament in 2017, leading the team to a second-place finish in the ECAC Hockey standings and a 26-6-4 record. The Saints set a program record with a 17-game unbeaten streak (15-0-2) to start the season.

Wells returned to his alma mater as assistant hockey coach for the men's team in the 1999-2000 season after a stint behind the bench at Western Michigan University in the CCHA. He was named Associate Head Coach of the men's hockey team in January of 2003.

A 1992 graduate of St. Lawrence and one of the heroes of the 1992 ECAC championship team, he earned the Brian P. Doyle Memorial Trophy as a senior. He scored the overtime game-winner in a come-from-behind semifinal win over RPI in the 1992 ECAC tournament.

Wells began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Colgate University following a European professional career. He has also served the University as director of St. Lawrence summer sports programs and a co-director of the Saint Summer Hockey School.

Chris and his wife, Kate, are the parents of two daughters, Laura and Sarah and a son, Bobby.

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