web1_TTL080116mozart.scholarship.jpg

Mozart Club presents Marion Munson Music scholarships

web1_web1_Doe_11.jpeg

Luzerne County, hunters dispute processing of doe hunting licenses

<p>Growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba where hockey is a part of daily life, Jen Kindret never imagined she&#8217;d be in a position to help expand the sport for women in northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>The 27-year-old will have that opportunity after being named the first head coach of the new women&#8217;s ice hockey program at King&#8217;s College. The team will begin playing at the Division III level for the 2017-18 season. King&#8217;s will be one of just four schools in Pennsylvania to field both a women&#8217;s and men&#8217;s programs.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an extreme honor and privilege to be a part of the expansion of college teams where girls can see themselves playing hockey after high school,&#8221; Kindret said.</p><p>Kindret brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to King&#8217;s. She played hockey in Winnipeg, Ontario and British Columbia in addition to a four-year collegiate career playing for Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh at the Division I level.</p><p>After her college career, Kindret began coaching, serving as an assistant coach with Chatham University in Pittsburgh for the 2013-14 season and spending the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Lindenwood University - a D-1 school in Missouri.</p><p>Becoming a head coach, she said, is a natural step.</p><p>&#8220;Growing up I never dreamed of becoming a coach, but during my time at Robert Morris and Chatham I fell in love with it,&#8221; Kindret said. &#8220;I enjoy the teaching aspect and seeing players grow and their passion for the game. Coaching doesn&#8217;t feel like a job.&#8221;</p><p>Teaching has been as big a part of Kindret&#8217;s hockey experience as actually playing the game. In addition to coaching, she worked as a skills instructor with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, teaching young players from 2012-2014. Kindret also served as an instructor at the Edge of Excellence Skating Camps, teaching boys and girls ranging in ages 8-16.</p><p>That experience helped Kindret define herself as a coach.</p><p>&#8220;You understand that everyone has a different way of learning the game and certain skills. It helps you become more patient as a coach,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Kindret&#8217;s first day on the job with King&#8217;s is Aug. 15 and her first order of business will be recruiting. She said she&#8217;ll use her connections to Canada to recruit players from Winnipeg and Ontario, while also seeking local players.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not counting any region out,&#8221; Kindret said.</p><p>As far as the type of team she&#8217;d like to put on the ice, Kindret said her squad will play an aggressive, puck-possession style that&#8217;s also gritty and solid defensively.</p><p>While performance on the ice will be critical, Kindret said coaching a college team is unique in that academics and community involvement are just as important to players as athletics. She intends to balance all three components with her players.</p><p>&#8220;Academics and community are important aspects at the D-III level, and we as coaches have to keep that in mind,&#8221; Kindret said.</p><p>Also on her mind is the fact that, as a head coach, she&#8217;ll be joining a tight-knit yet expanding hockey community that has continued to grow since the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins moved to town in 1999.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a huge Pittsburgh Penguins fan and being in a town that is excited about the growth of the game is an amazing opportunity,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Being the first coach for a new team is going to be very rewarding. You don&#8217;t have to take over someone else&#8217;s program and it&#8217;s basically your own legacy.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Kindret.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jen Kindret played four seasons with Robert Morris University before breaking into the coaching ranks. She was recently named the first head coach of the King&#8217;s College women&#8217;s ice hockey program. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Kindret.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jen Kindret played four seasons with Robert Morris University before breaking into the coaching ranks. She was recently named the first head coach of the King&#8217;s College women&#8217;s ice hockey program. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Jen Kindret ready to build legacy as first head coach of King’s College women’s ice hockey program