Moon Township, Pa. – Robert Morris University women's hockey head coach Paul Colontino announced Tuesday the hiring of former national champion and United States Olympian Jinelle Siergiej as an assistant coach.
“We are very excited to have Jinelle join the women's hockey program at RMU,” Colontino said. “Jinelle brings a great blend of skill sets that will benefit our program both on and off ice. Her on-ice skills and playing experience will be a great asset to our players. In addition, her work ethic, commitment and passion for the sport mesh seamlessly with the foundation of our program.”
Siergiej, who served as the head coach of the Arrowhead Union High School girls hockey team for the past three seasons, had a record-breaking career as a forward for the University of Wisconsin before earning medals for her country in both Olympic and World Championship events.
“I am very excited to become part of the RMU women's hockey family and begin my college coaching career,” Siergiej said. “The coaching staff's vision to not only set up these young women for success in hockey, but also help them become stronger individually and collectively is one of the main reasons I accepted this position.”
Since 2010 Siergiej has been the head coach at Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wis. Since taking over taking over the program, Siergiej led the Warhawks to a conference championship in 2011 and a second place finish in 2012. Three of her former Warhawks players are now playing at the collegiate level.
Before taking over the Warhawks, Siergiej competed with the U.S. Women's National Team in a variety of international competitions. She won silver medals in the Four Nations Cup on four occasions as part of Team U.S.A. (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010). Siergiej also registered two goals and an assist in five games for the silver medal-winning squad in the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championship.
Her shining moment in international competition came when she was named to the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team. Siergiej played in every game in the Vancouver Games, helping the Americans claim a silver medal at the event. She officially retired from international competition in 2011.
Outside of international competition, Siergiej also left a mark as a member of the University of Wisconsin team that won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. From 2004 to 2008 Siergiej, known at this time as Jinelle Zaugg, led the Badgers in goals for three straight seasons. In her first year with the Badgers, she earned a spot on the WCHA All-Freshman Team. She followed that up by being named to three straight WCHA All-Conference teams.
In 2006-2007, Siergiej registered career highs in goals (29) and assists (21) to lead the Badgers to a second straight national championship. She earned NCAA All-Tournament Team honors in both championship runs. At the time of her departure, Siergiej held Badgers' records for career goals, game-winning goals, and power-play goals. In 160 games for the Badgers from 2004-2008, Siergiej tallied 89 goals, 67 assists, 156 points, 29 power play goals and 22 game-winning-goals.
Siergiej has also been the owner of the Crazy Eights Hockey Camp in recent years. The annual all-girls hockey camp is held in cities across Wisconsin and has produced 10 collegiate hockey players over the past nine years. Siergiej and a handful of her Olympic teammates have instructed on-ice and off-ice development of over 800 girls since the camp's inception in 2006.
In 2011 Wisconsin Prep Hockey announced that an award would be created in honor of Siergiej's legacy. The Jinelle Siergiej Award is now handed out annually to the top female offensive player in Wisconsin high school hockey.
Siergiej graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2008 with a degree in rural sociology.
