Dartmouth Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation Peter Roby ’79 has announced that Liz Keady Norton has been named head coach of the women’s hockey team. She is the Big Green’s 11th head coach in the program’s 44-year history and sixth in the last 35 years.
“Liz brings unique experience to Dartmouth women’s hockey,” Roby said. “She was a successful student and athlete while attending Princeton, so she appreciates and believes in the Ivy model. She has coached at the highest level of college hockey and is a role model for current and future women at the College. We are excited to welcome her to Hanover.”
Keady Norton comes to Dartmouth from Boston University, where she spent two seasons as assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in May of 2019. Under her tutelage, seven forwards were selected as Hockey East All-Stars, five different forwards matched or exceeded their career-best point totals, and two Terriers were named top-10 finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
Since Keady Norton’s arrival ahead of the 2017-18 season, the Terriers went 59-39-18, with a shortened 2020-21 season affected by COVID-19. BU made it to the Hockey East quarterfinal her first year, the semifinal in 2018-19, and the quarterfinal the next two seasons. The Terriers went 8-1-1 against ECAC Hockey opponents during those four years, defeating Brown, Yale, Harvard and Union multiple times while only being stymied by Princeton.
No stranger to ECAC Hockey, Keady Norton spent one season as an assistant at Union (2014-15) and two years at Harvard (2015-17) before making her way to BU. During the 2015-16 season, she helped guide the Crimson to six wins over ranked opponents. Prior to entering the Division I coaching ranks, she served as head coach for the girls’ varsity hockey team at Andover High School (2012-14).
Keady Norton graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a degree in psychology. A native of Braintree, Massachusetts, she ended her career with 79 points from 38 goals and 41 assists in 118 games. Named team captain for the 2007-08 season, she led the team in plus/minus (+15) in 2004-05, short-handed goals in 2006-07 and game winning goals in 2007-08.
Keady Norton was also named the team’s MVP and Most Improved Player following the 2004-05 season and earned All-ECAC Hockey Honorable Mention and All-Ivy Second Team accolades that same year. She took the 2005-06 season off from Princeton to train with the U.S. national team, appearing in 16 games during the team’s pre-Olympic tour.
“It’s truly a privilege to be named the next women’s hockey coach at Dartmouth,” Keady Norton said. “Throughout this process, I have been impressed with every aspect of the school, athletic department, and community at Dartmouth. What stood out to me most was Dartmouth’s commitment to excellence and a world class student-athlete experience. I want to thank Peter Roby and his staff for the opportunity and their dedication to the success of this program.
“I am grateful for my time at Boston University and the support I received for the last four years from the BU athletic department,” Keady Norton continued. “I’m excited and honored to be back in the Ivy League and cannot wait to get started.”
Thank you to Dartmouth Sports for this bio.