Lindenwood women's hockey head coach Vince O'Mara announced today that Cory Whitaker will join the program's coaching staff as the goalie/video coach.

“We are very happy to welcome Cory to the women's hockey program and the Lindenwood family,” said O'Mara. “I think Cory is going to fit in very well here at Lindenwood. I had a chance to work with Cory last year with team USA over in Turkey for the World University Games. I really liked his passion and knowledge of the game, and he will be a great asset to our coaching staff.”

“My coaching philosophy has always been to promote growth within the student-athlete in a positively constructive environment that will allow them to excel outside of the game of hockey,” said Whitaker. “Having had the prior opportunity to coach alongside Vince, I know my coaching style will compliment his perfectly. Lindenwood has a rich and storied history within women's hockey, and I look forward to working together with Vince to continue that winning tradition Lindenwood has become accustomed to.”

Whitaker has coached the last five seasons for Grand Valley State in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). He started the program in 2007-08 and in just the second season, helped the Lakers earn a bid to the ACHA National Tournament. He led Grand Valley State to nationals three times in five years, including a fifth-place finish in 2009-10. He finished his Grand Valley State career with a 67-64-7 overall record, including a 66-47-7 mark over the last four years.

Whitaker has also worked alongside the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) over the last five years. With the Griffins, he was able to learn more about the goalkeeper position from their players and coaches.

“I feel that the overall goal in goaltending is to develop a mental consistency that puts them in position to make routine saves easily as well as the ability to read the play effectively enough to make a momentum changing save,” said Whitaker. “With the goaltenders that Vince already has within the Lindenwood program, I am excited to get to work with them.  They are outstanding athletes and it is going to be my job to learn their strengths and weaknesses as quickly as possible so that I can effectively challenge them to get better.”

Whitaker played collegiate hockey with Grand Valley State from 1996-2001.  During his career, he logged more than 2,700 minutes on the ice and faced more than 2,000 shots. He had a .903 save percentage. In 2001, he was named first-team all-conference and was selected to play in the conference All-Star Showcase game. Whitaker graduated from Grand Valley State in 2001.

The Lindenwood women's hockey team will begin its second season of NCAA play this upcoming year and will be a first-year member of College Hockey America (CHA).