Monmouth Junction, New Jersey – The Princeton Tiger Lilies Tier 1 and Tier 2 Girls Hockey Club are pleased to announce Olympic Gold medal winner Shelley Looney as their new General Manager. Additionally, Shelley will be taking on the role of Northeast Regional Director of Girls’ Hockey for Black Bear Sports Group.
“Growing girls’ hockey is one of our biggest initiatives,” said Murry N. Gunty, Founder and CEO of Black Bear Sports Group. “Shelly’s illustrious career as a player and a coach makes her a perfect fit to lead our girls’ hockey initiatives into the future. We are thrilled that she chose to join the Black Bear Sports Group team.”
“I am impressed with Black Bear Sports Group’s commitment to growing girls’ hockey, and advancing players,” said Shelley Looney. “With the addition of Tier 1 this season at the Princeton Tiger Lilies, we have a great platform to attract players, develop them at every level, and support their advancement; truly an exciting time and a great opportunity to make a positive impact on girls’ hockey.”
About Shelley Looney
Shelley Looney grew up in Brownstown, MI, and during her time at Northeastern University in Boston, MA, from 1991-94, she left an indelible mark on collegiate hockey, securing multiple awards such as ECAC All-Star, 1993 ECAC Tournament MVP, and ECAC Player of the Year (1993-94). In recognition of her achievements, Northeastern University inducted her into its prestigious Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999. During her 13-year tenure with USA Hockey, Shelley experienced tremendous success as a Women’s National Team player, participating in 8 World Championships and 2 Olympics. In 1998, her game-winning goal led the United States to Olympic gold in Nagano, Japan, and she also won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. From 2006-2012, she served as the girls’ coaching director for the New Jersey Colonials.
Subsequently, in 2014, Shelley assumed the co-head coach position for the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women’s Hockey League while simultaneously taking on the role of hockey director for both the girls’ and boys’ programs at the Buffalo Bison Hockey Association (2014-2019). Her expertise led to her appointment as the head coach of Lindenwood University’s Division I program in July 2019, where she spent the last 4 years nurturing the program’s growth. Most recently, Shelley served as an assistant coach with the USA Hockey Women’s National Team, achieving a silver medal in the IIHF 2022 World Championships.
About Princeton Tiger Lilies
The program is led by General Manager Shelly Looney who works alongside with Rebecca Morse, Director of Hockey. Former General Manager Tim Chase is continuing his involvement an advisor for the club in addition to his new role as Northeast Regional Director- Black Bear Sports Group, Director of Hockey at ProSkate and General Manager of Mercer Chiefs Tier 2.
Since its inception in 1992, Princeton Tiger Lilies has continually fielded competitive Tier II and now Tier I teams at various age levels. The driving force behind the club lies in its unwavering commitment to providing elite hockey training, education, mentorship, and resources to its players. Tailoring its programs to cater specifically to its athletes, PTL invests in player development at all levels, empowering them to reach their goals.
An integral part of this player-centric approach is the presence of accomplished coaches, many of whom are women with illustrious careers at the highest echelons of the sport, including NCAA Division I, professional, and national teams. These passionate mentors are dedicated to growing the game and imparting their vast knowledge and experiences to shape players into strong, confident leaders.
About Black Bear Sports Group
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. is a privately held company formed by Murry Gunty and Blackstreet Capital Holdings, LLC in 2015 that seeks investments in sports and entertainment facilities, teams, and youth sports events. Black Bear arenas are clean, professionally managed, and offer world-class recreational programs. Black Bear focuses on ice arenas in metropolitan areas with compelling demographics, markets with a National Hockey League club presence, and arenas with existing youth hockey clubs. Black Bear not only features the ability to acquire healthy and stable arenas but also the expertise required to turn around mismanaged or underperforming facilities. The largest owner/operator of ice arenas in the U.S., Black Bear’s footprint totals 36 facilities across the United States with 68 sheets of indoor ice, four indoor turf fields, 34 youth hockey clubs, four hockey leagues (Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation, Tier 1 Hockey Federation, and National Girls Hockey League), a tournament business (Defender Hockey Tournaments), and seven Junior “A” hockey franchises with membership in the United States Hockey League, North American Hockey League, USPHL NCDC, USPHL Premier and Elite, and the Eastern Hockey League, and Foundry Adult Hockey, the largest adult hockey organization in the USA.