When Marissa Gedman returns to the Boston Pride for her fourth straight season
she will do so as a member of the team';s coaching staff. That will be instead
of the dependable blueliner that she has been since Day One of the NWHL. Word
was released on the evening of Aug. 23, 2018 that Gedman - an inaugural member
of the team and player for the first three seasons - has retired from playing
and is the team';s new assistant coach. Her passion for the Pride and her
experience as a Isobel Cup-winning, steady defender make her the ideal choice
for this position.Marissa Gedman is back with the Boston Pride for a fourth
season, but this time as an assistant coach (Photo courtesy of NWHL Media
Relations/Chris Botta).

"Marissa's experience as a really outstanding defender, a respected leader, an
Isobel Cup champion, and an original member of the Pride is going to be such as
 asset to me personally and to our team," said Boston head coach Paul Mara in
the press release about the signing. "I want to congratulate her on a great
playing career, and I'm so pleased that she has embraced this opportunity to
coach professionally with me in Boston."

Gedman has 33 regular season NWHL games to her credit, plus four more in the
postseason. She helped the Pride win the 2016 Isobel Cup - the first in the
history of the NWHL. THW takes a closer look at this announcement and what it
will mean for Boston for the 2018-19 season.Knowing the Defense Position and
the Defenders

Gedman was the consummate defender through the Pride';s first three seasons.
Not known for generating a lot of offense, her size and positioning were what
made her valuable to the team. In her 37 career games with the Pride she did
not score any goals but notched eight assists. Gedman gave the Boston defense
corps the depth that made it successful, especially through the first two NWHL
seasons.

What might be missed most about Gedman as a player is her size. At 5-foot-9 and
 180 pounds, she has been one of the collection of defenders that has made
playing in Boston';s zone so difficult and tedious in the past. Looking at the
team historically, defenders like Gedman, Paige Harrington, Kaleigh Fratkin,
Kaliya Johnson, Blake Bolden and others are what really gave the Pride their
edge and tenacity in their back end. While Boston will still be plenty tough
for the 2018-19 season, they will miss having Gedman among the mix.

🚨Coaching Alert 🚨: Former Pride defenseman Marissa Gedman is returning to
 The Boston Pride as an assistant coach.

🔗: https://t.co/2R6zMCUgbY pic.twitter.com/msFnjtMMJi

- NWHL (@NWHL) August 23, 2018

It is conceivable to think that with Gedman retiring as a player and losing her
 size in their lineup played a factor in Boston re-signing veterans or adding
new players that either have the same physicality and/or size as her. Still,
Gedman';s familiarity with the team';s current defense and overall structure
will better enable her to fulfill her role as a coach and ultimately bring out
better results among the players. Five of the seven defenders Boston currently
have under contract were teammates of hers with "The Pack".Ready for This Next
Step in Her Career

It is right for Gedman to now take this next step. If there is anything to be
perceived as being unfortunate about this move it is that there is now one less
 original NWHLer playing in the league. There are still players from the
inaugural season that have signed contracts for Season Four, and a few more who
 likely will soon be signing too, but their number is dwindling. At least
Gedman is remaining in the NWHL even though it is in a different capacity.

This is Marissa Gedman, defender for @TheBostonPride.
Also: pursuing a Masters in Biomedical Engineering.
Role Model.#WomensEqualityDay pic.twitter.com/fpSL5CXEkd

- NWHL (@NWHL) August 26, 2017

"This is a great opportunity for me and I'm really proud to continue to support
 the NWHL in a new role as a coach with the Boston Pride," Gedman said in the
same press release. "As a player, I had three great years with the Pride and
now I cannot wait to continue with the team behind the bench in 2018. Having an
 experienced coach like Paul Mara is a very positive addition for the Pride
organization, and I'm looking forward to learning from him and helping in any
way that I can."

Here is how the Boston Pride presently look at the time of Gedman';s addition
to the coaching staff. Now Aug. 23, Boston still needs to get their goaltending
 situated and sign a few more skaters:

Goalie: Katie Burt.

Defense: Alyssa Gagliardi, Toni Ann Miano, Lauren Kelly, Lexi Bender, Kaleigh
Fratkin, Mallory Souliotis, Kaliya Johnson.

Forwards: Emily Field, Dana Trivigno, Denisa Křížová, Haley Skarupa,
Jillian Dempsey, McKenna Brand, Amanda Pelkey, Taylor Wasylk. 

The post Gedman Back With Pride - This Time as a Coach appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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