Wilkes University Women's Ice Hockey

Dave LaBaff enters his fourth season at the helm of the Wilkes Women’s Ice Hockey program in 2025-26 after being hired in June 2022. In season one the Colonels tied the program high with four UCHC wins and LaBaff earned the Middle Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year award. He coached the program's first major award winner (MAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year), First Team All-MAC, and All-UCHC selection in defenseman Abigail Barcless. Barcless was named Honorable Mention All-UCHC and Bella Kaczorowski joined Barcless on the All-MAC team as a Second Team forward. 2023-24 saw a record-shattering season for the program, finishing with an 18-7-2 record and making their first postseason appearance. As the No. 5 seed, the team reached the UCHC Semifinals. Labaff mentored three All-UCHC selections with one on the First Team, one Honorable Mention, and all three on the All-Rookie Team while also claiming the Rookie of the Year award. The recipient of that award, Haylee Bouchard, was also named as a CCM/AHCA Second Team East All-American. 2024-25 saw the team set records yet again, finishing the year with a 22-5-1 record, winning the inaugural MAC Women's Ice Hockey Championship, culminating in the program's first ever NCAA Tournament berth. The team also saw their first national ranking in the USCHO.com Division III Poll on March 3, 2025. Five Colonels placed on the All-MAC Team, with Renee Ng being named MAC Rookie of the Year.   LaBaff joined Wilkes after spending the previous eight seasons as the head women’s ice hockey coach at SUNY Canton. LaBaff took over the Roos program prior to the 2014-15 season after serving as an assistant coach on the staff the previous two years.   During his time as head coach at SUNY Canton, LaBaff led the program to four postseason appearances including two semifinals. During the 2016-17 season he led the Roos to a program record 14 wins including the team’s first Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) playoff victory. The following season the team also made the CHC semifinals during a 10-win season. LaBaff transitioned the program into the Northeast Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL) during the 2019-20 season.   LaBaff, a Potsdam, N.Y. native, coached 15 all-conference student-athletes while at SUNY Canton, one Conference Player of the Year, and 48 All-Academic Team members. Through seven seasons as head coach, his team’s held a cumulative GPA of 3.6.   Also at SUNY Canton LaBaff served within the Department of Academics including Academic Recovery Mentor in 2018-19 and First Year Experience Program Professor from 2013-15. While serving as the assistant women’s ice hockey coach at SUNY Canton he also was the Director of Intramurals and Assistant Director of the Fitness Center/Pool. He also was a member of the SUNY Canton Diversity Committee and the SUNY Canton Athletics Fundraising Committee since 2020.   Prior to his move to SUNY Canton, LaBaff served as an assistant coach for the SUNY Morrisville men’s ice hockey team in 2011-12. LaBaff earned a Bachelor of Science from SUNY Morrisville in Human Performance and Health Promotion in May 2012 and was a three-year goaltender for the Mustangs where he appeared in 10 games and logged over 350 minutes between the pipes, making 168 saves.   LaBaff was appointed to the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Committee on September 1, 2020 and will serve that role until August 31, 2024.   He has also served as the head coach of the CanAm Hockey Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. since 2019, the New York State Player Development Camp in Canton, N.Y. from 2014-16, the RUSH Spring Showcase in Brampton, Ontario from 2014-18, and the Blue Line Hockey Camps in Morrisville, N.Y. from 2012-14. He also served as a Goalie Coach at the Blue Line Goalie Camps from 2009-14. LaBaff holds certifications as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, and in CPR, AED, and First Aid. LaBaff resides in Wilkes-Barre with his wife Ally, his daughter Lauren, and their dog Marty.

Iida Laitinen joins the Wilkes women’s ice hockey staff in 2025-26 for her first season as head of Hockey Operations. Laitinen played one season with Wilkes as a graduate student after transferring from SUNY Canton in 2024-25, playing in 28 games with nine goals and 11 assists with 230 faceoff wins. During her time with the Roos, the Jyväskylä, Finland native played in 74 games with 22 goals and 28 assists.  

Hannah Brady begins her fourth season on the Wilkes women's ice hockey staff for the 2025-26 season. In 2024-25, Brady helped coach the Colonels to a 22-5-1 record and a victory in the inaugural MAC Championship Tournament, leading to the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Brady was a four year member for the SUNY Canton women’s ice hockey team, appearing in 103 contests totaling 27 points on 10 goals and 17 assists. The Jeannette, Pa. native helped lead the team to four straight Colonial Hockey Conference (CHC) playoff berths. She previously served as an assistant coach on Dave LaBaff's staff at SUNY Canton for the past three seasons from August 2019 through May 2022. She was instrumental in all aspects of recruiting, oversaw on-ice development of forwards and special teams, and hosted video sessions. Brady is also a volunteer coach at the Hockey Training Institute (HTI), a position she has held since the summer of 2014. where she coaches females ages 8-20 in hockey skill development and provides advice on college recruitment. She was also an assistant coach for USA Hockey at the New York District Camp in the summer of 2016 where she led on and off-ice practice sessions for girls ages 14-17. She graduated with her Associates Degree in Individual Studies from SUNY Canton in May 2018 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management from SUNY Canton in December 2020. Brady is currently a Licensed Practical Nurse with Geisinger as she is serving as a clinic float nurse in Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, Rheumatology, and Dermatology.

Dr. Jonathan Ference is the Dean of the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy and Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice. He received his PharmD from Wilkes University and completed his residency and fellowship training at UPMC - St. Margaret's. His teaching and research areas are in cardiovascular and endocrine therapeutics as well as the practice of information mastery.  Dr. Ference has authored over 25 publications and presented over 45 scholarly works at regional, national and international conferences. He lives with his wife, Kim, and two children, Jack and Katie, in Wyoming and enjoys watching his children participate in ice hockey, gymnastics and lacrosse as well as playing adult league hockey himself.