DUDLEY, Mass. – Nichols College Interim Director of Athletics Eric Gobiel has announced the hiring of Samantha Fallon as the seventh women's ice hockey coach in program history.

Fallon spent the 2018-19 campaign as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland, where she helped the Red Dragons advance to the Northeast Women's Hockey League championship game for the first time in program history. They established program records for wins (15), goals against average (2.27), and fewest goals allowed (62), and also won the first playoff game in program history in Fallon's only season in Cortland.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Eric Gobiel, Assistant Athletic Director Melissa Rausch, and the rest of the search committee for providing me with the opportunity to lead the women's ice hockey program at Nichols College," said Fallon. "I would also like to thank Rick Filighera and the athletic department at SUNY Cortland for the opportunity and experiences I had while coaching there. I am very excited to join the Bison family and an honored to continue the successful tradition at Nichols both on the ice, as well as in the classroom and community."

Fallon was responsible for recruiting at SUNY Cortland as she traveled across North America evaluating prospective student-athletes. She was also tabbed with film breakdown and one-on-one film and on-ice sessions with student-athletes, team fundraising, and coordinating with the strength & conditioning staff to develop workouts for the team.

"I am thrilled to welcome Samantha Fallon to our Nichols family," said Gobiel. "Throughout our search process, coach Fallon stood out from an extremely strong group of candidates. She comes to us with a strong background in both coaching and playing, and we are excited for her to lead our women's ice hockey program to new heights in the years to come."  

Prior to her arrival in 'The Empire State,' Fallon spent the 2017-18 campaign at Adrian College as the head coach of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II program and assistant coach of the Division I program. She guided a first-year program which she built from scratch to an undefeated regular season and a final record of 16-4, capturing the regular season championship along the way. The Division I program, meanwhile, went 27-3-1 and advanced to the national championship contest.

Fallon was tabbed with organizing drills to improve player performance and also organized all aspects of travel (hotels, meals) and handled team equipment, including the purchase and maintenance of. She also managed the budget for both programs, used video for evaluation and player development, and evaluated academic integrity, athleticism, and maturity for prospective student-athletes. 

Fallon was a four-year member of the women's ice hockey program at Division III UMass Boston, where she earned a pair of Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) East Second Team honors (2013-14 & 2014-15), as well as a New England Hockey Writers All-Star nod in 2013-14. She finished her career with 31 goals and 13 assists for a total of 42 points in 87 games, guiding the Beacons to three-straight conference semifinal appearances.

Fallon graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology. Since 2012, she has worked as a coach at Pro Ambitions Hockey.