Melissa Piacentini joined the Northeastern women's hockey staff as the Huskies' director of hockey operations in August 2018 and was elevated to assistant coach in August 2023. The 2025-26 season marks her third behind the bench for the Huskies.
Piacentini has been on staff for a run of five-straight Hockey East Championships, three-straight frozen four appearances and four Beanpot titles.
The all-time leading scorer at Syracuse University, Piacentini brings a wealth of experience to the Northeastern family. From 2012-16, Piacentini racked up 112 career points and a plus-60 rating with the Orange, culminating in 2016 College Hockey America (CHA) Player of the Year honors. After graduating from Syracuse in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Piacentini went on to play professionally for the EV Bozen Eagles in Bolzano, Italy, helping the team capture the Italian league crown in 2017.
Prior to the 2017-18 season, Piacentini was named an assistant coach at RIT, where she was responsible for helping with recruiting, scouting and video analysis. A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Piacentini also has previous ties to Northeastern as her second cousin, Julie Piacentini, starred for the Huskies between 1987-90.
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