WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Hockey East Association announced today Rachel Thomson (Reading, Mass./New Hampshire) and Annie Zampitella (Ipswich, Mass./Massachusetts) have been named graduate assistants in the Hockey East office for the 2019-20 season.
Rachel Thomson is a 2019 graduate from the University of New Hampshire and majored in Business Administration - Marketing and minored in Kinesiology. Thomson was a four-year member of the UNH Field Hockey Team, competing in the America East Conference.
At UNH, she worked for the Event Staff and Facilities Management of UNH Athletics. This included behind- the-scenes work, and game day operations of athletic events. Thomson also served as the head coach for the club program at Plex Field Hockey, and has coached at various summer field hockey camps and clinics while also offering private lessons.
Serving as a summer intern for Hockey East in 2018, Thomson found a true interest in sports administration, specifically within ice hockey. Looking to gain knowledge and experience through the Hockey East Graduate internship, she hopes to pursue a career in athletics. A native of Reading, Massachusetts, Thomson attended Reading High School and lettered in Field Hockey, Ice Hockey and Lacrosse.
Annie Zampitella recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts where she earned her degree in Sport Management from the Isenberg School of Management. She is the first UMass alumni to join the Hockey East graduate assistant program.
During her time at UMass, Zampitella served as Secretary of the McCormack Student Leaders Club, a student-run organization dedicated to networking and gaining hands-on experience in the sport industry. She also served as the head manager for the UMass Women's Basketball team where she worked directly with coaches, players, and staff in daily operations and traveling.
Outside of UMass, Zampitella spent her summers working in collegiate and minor league baseball and her winters volunteering with Hockey East at events such as Frozen Fenway and the Hockey championship weekend at TD Garden.
She is excited to follow her passion and continue her career working in the hockey industry.
