Abby Ostrom is no stranger to the ice. The Carlisle, Massachusetts native took over as the second-ever head coach of Suffolk University’s women’s hockey team for their sixth season, with major goals for the program.
Ostrom joined the Rams following her time in various roles at Boston University, most recently as assistant coach for the women’s hockey team. She is replacing former head coach Taylor Wasylk, who was named head coach of Lindenwood University’s women’s hockey team during the off-season after she led the Rams to win the CCC championship in March.
With almost a decade of coaching experience, Suffolk is Ostrom’s first head coaching job. She served as an assistant coach for the women’s hockey team at her alma mater, Trinity College, for four years before she joined the Terriers in 2019.
Ostrom credits her time at Trinity and BU for shaping her coaching style. She said in both programs she played an active role in running practices and gained experience with a wide range of athletes. At BU, she worked with Division I athletes who would go on to play for their national teams or eventually the Olympics, she said.
“Getting to be able to train and see how those individuals train at a different level was a great experience for me and shaped how I coached and will continue to coach,” Ostrom said.
At Trinity, Ostrom knew the program well, with a storied career as an All-New England student-athlete and three-time All-NESCAC player for the Bantams. She was a captain in her senior year and holds the school’s second-highest record for game-winning goals in a season.
When she was named assistant coach at Trinity, Ostrom had to navigate how to act as a coach to her former teammates. She said this was the most difficult, but ultimately rewarding, aspect of the job.
“That was probably the toughest part about it, breaking that boundary of best friend and authority figure,” Ostrom said.
Ostrom graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s in American politics and a master’s in public policy. She didn’t anticipate that her career would lead to coaching hockey, but her passion for the game has kept her coming back each season.
Connections she made through the sport have lasted years, as friends and people she coached went on to get married and have children. Ostrom said working with young people as they forge their paths in life is her favorite part of coaching.
“That’s the best part of this, you get to see young adults grow up and create their own lives,” she said.
As the Rams prepare to defend their championship title this season, Ostrom has a few major goals for the team to accomplish. She aims to lead the team to the national title but is focused on implementing benchmark goals throughout the season.
These goals include maximizing the number of shots taken during games, rewarding big defensive plays and winning 20 games during the season. Ostrom feels confident the team can achieve them, commending the “outstanding” leadership of this year’s captains.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job so far this fall getting everyone on the same page, holding their teammates accountable,” Ostrom said.
She added that the leadership from the captains has led the way for her to better work with the team and hold them to the standards that have gotten them to where they are, and will hopefully continue to push the team forward.
With only eight returning members to the team, Ostrom said she is excited for their experience, combined with the energy and enthusiasm of the 12 new members, to lead the team to success in the upcoming season.
