One of the most respected college hockey leaders in the country, Joe Bertagna is in his 28th season as a Division I college hockey administrator. He became the fourth Commissioner in Hockey East history on July, 1, 1997, after serving 15 years with the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

A native of Arlington, Massachusetts, Bertagna began working at the ECAC in 1982, when he was named Tournament Director. He was later named Executive Director of Ice Hockey and then became Ice Hockey Commissioner in 1991. His accomplishments at the ECAC included the league's first television package, the first hockey-only corporate sponsorships, and the establishment of the first U.S. women's intercollegiate ice hockey leagues.

Bertagna made his mark immediately at Hockey East, engineering a multi-year television deal in his first month on the job. Shortly thereafter, league tournament attendance rocketed forward, leading to the event's first-ever sellout in 2000.

Most recently, Bertagna was instrumental in bringing about the formation of the Hockey East Women's League, just as he initiated league play for both Division I and Division III women's programs while with the ECAC.

Nationally, Bertagna has served as the Executive Director of the American Hockey Coaches Association since 1991. In that role, he has overseen the growth of AHCA membership from just under 300 members in 1992 to over 1,300 members today. He also served a four-year term on the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee, the final two years as chairman.

The 1973 Harvard graduate has enjoyed a fruitful playing and coaching career. After starring in goal at Arlington (MA) High School, Bertagna went on to Harvard University and played for Hall of Fame coaches Ralph "Cooney" Weiland and Bill Cleary. He started every game in goal during the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons, leading the Ivy League with a 2.45 GAA in 1972.

Bertagna played professionally for both the Milwaukee Admirals and for S.G. Cortina d’Ampezzo of the Italian league

After Harvard, Bertagna played professionally for the Milwaukee Admirals and in Cortina, Italy. While in Italy, he led his S.G. Cortina d'Ampezzo squad to the 1975 Italian Championship.

He has authored a number of instructional books and videos on goaltending and edited "Crimson in Triumph", a book dedicated to Harvard athletic history. He also edited two successful issues of, "Not The Boston Globe," a newspaper parody sold throughout New England in the mid-1980's. His creative skills have also led him into video production, freelance writing and producing highlight tapes for Harvard University and the Boston Bruins. He continues to contribute to the college hockey community as a freelance writer and television commentator.

Bertagna enjoyed a brief college coaching career at Harvard University in the late 1970's, serving as Men's Junior Varsity Coach in 1976-77 and launching Harvard's women's ice hockey program in 1977-78. He served as Head Coach of Harvard Women's Hockey for two seasons.

Bertagna began his professional coaching career in 1985 with the Boston Bruins, staying with the Bruins as the goaltender coach until 1991 and rejoining the team for the 1994-95 season. He also has coached with Team USA (1991 Canada Cup and 1994 Winter Olympics) and with the Milwaukee Admirals (1994-96). Bertagna has operated his own goalie camps in the summer since 1973, attracting more than 300 goaltenders annually to the Boston area.

Bertagna and his wife Kathy reside in Gloucester with their three children, Bobby (13), Joey (11) and Grace (8).

Wynters has been affiliated with Hockey East for fifteen of the conference’s twenty-five years. She is currently entering her eleventh year as a full time employee, third as associate commissioner. Prior to her promotion, Wynters most recently served as director of marketing and special events from 2002-2006. As Commissioner Joe Bertagna’s chief assistant, her primary responsibilities include the day-to-day operations of both the men’s and women’s leagues, along with the administration of tournaments and special events, marketing and branding initiatives, and the licensing and sponsorship programs.

Wynters was the driving force behind the creation of both “Skating Strides Against Breast Cancer” and the Hockey East Kids’ Club. The inaugural Skating Strides event raised more than $20,000 for breast cancer awareness and research, while at the same time increased attendance at women’s hockey games and gave the student-athletes the opportunity to give back to the communities in which they study and play hockey. That fundraising figure increased to $33,000 last season, and once again, all proceeds were split and donated to local breast cancer charities including the Friends of Mel Foundation and the American Cancer Society. “Skating Strides” was nationally recognized in June 2007 by NACDA/NACMA with a gold medal for “Single Day Attendance Promotion of an Olympic Sport”. The Kids’ Club program provides free admission to selected Hockey East games, along with Meet & Greet autograph sessions, photos with mascots, and other special events throughout the college hockey season. Over 500 youngsters from throughout New England registered for, and participated in, the kids’ club program during the initial three years.

Also during Kathy’s tenure, the Hockey East corporate sponsorship program has grown to include several new partnerships, many breaking ground beyond traditional hockey companies. Wynters continue to oversee the sponsorship program working closely with John Mathews and his team at Eident, a sports marketing firm located in Providence, R.I., hired by the conference to increase sponsorship sales.

Wynters previously served as Hockey East’s Assistant Commissioner from 1988 to 1991, before going on to work for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. She spent three years with the Devils as Marketing Director, coordinating licensing and souvenir merchandising. Wynters also spent five years as marketing manager for PictureTel Corporation. A native of Quincy, MA, the former Kathy Walsh earned a B.S. degree in marketing from Providence College in 1982. She began her career while an undergraduate, as a three-year intern with the men’s hockey team. Following graduation, she served the Friars as both Assistant Sports Information Director and then as Director of Athletic Marketing. While at PC, before Hockey East had a full-time staff, Wynters worked with former PC AD and then HE Commissioner Lou Lamoriello on the launch of the conference in 1983, and then coordinated the first two Hockey East championship tournaments in 1985 and 1986, as well as the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in 1986. In 1988, Wynters moved to Hockey East full-time. Among her earlier accomplishments at Hockey East, Wynters worked with Joe Bertagna in coordinating the first and only “Hockeyfest” events, combining the ECAC and Hockey East championships into single weekend events from 1989-91.

Wynters and her husband Chuck, an on-ice official for Hockey East from 1988-2006, are the parents of two children, daughter Annie (17) and son C.J. (16). The Wynters family resides in Waltham.

Pete Souris enters his third season as Hockey East’s Director of Public Relations. He was very involved in the 25th anniversary celebration, as he oversaw the production of the league’s 25th anniversary DVD and has played an integral role in the improvements to hockeyeastonline. com over the last two years.

Souris brings 14 years of experience to the post, and had been affiliated with the UNH athletic department since he was a student in the mid-1990’s. After earning his BS in Kinesiology: Sport Studies in December of 2001, Souris was promoted to the post of assistant director of media relations the following summer, and three years later was named associate director. In 2006, he also assumed responsibility for managing the department’s web site (unhwildcats.com).

In addition to serving as the primary media contact for the UNH men’s hockey team for seven seasons, Souris was the lead contact for the school’s women’s volleyball team for 10 years. Souris also served as primary media coordinator for the NCAA men’s hockey Northeast Regionals in Manchester, NH, in 2004 and 2007. He has also worked the last nine Frozen Fours, dating back to 1999-2000.

Souris is also a member of the New England Patriots gameday media relations staff. He also does freelance television work as a graphics coordinator, scorebug operator and statistician. He has also worked in a media support capacity for the Boston Red Sox at the 2003 ALCS and ALDS, as well as serving as a statistician for Fox Sports National for the 2007 ALCS at Fenway Park.

Souris, a 1995 graduate of Beverly High School, resides in Beverly, Mass.

Bambury graduated from Saint Michael’s College in 2009 with a degree in Business Administration with a minor concentration in Marketing and International Business. During her time at Saint Michaels she was an active member of the student association government, a tour guide, an orientation leader and coordinator on the senior week planning committee.

Prior to joining Hockey East Stephanie served as the Marketing and Promotions intern for the University of Vermont Athletic Department. At Vermont she improved the development of the Pink Zone promotion for men’s and women’s basketball. Most recently she held an internship as the special project coordinator at Sports Identity Inc., in Boston, MA. Stephanie played 3 years of volleyball for the Purple Knights. Including a stand out sophomore year leading the team in kills and kills per game. She was also the recipient of the Coach’s award in 2007 and selected to the NE-10 Honor Roll.

Dave Lezenski begins his first season as the SUpervisor of Officials for Women;s Hockey East. Lezenski worked with Hockey East for the past four seasons, assisting Supervisor of Officials, John Gallagher. Starting as an observer, Lezenski became invaluable to Gallagher. Lezenski also works for the NCAA during the men’s and women’s national tournaments.

The former NIHOA and ECAC veteran official is a native of Lynn, Mass. Professionally, he serves as a Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health in Billerica Public Schools and is actively involved with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Lezenski resides in Lowell, Mass.

After five years as Supervisor of Officials, John Gallagher has stepped down but will remain an important part of the league as the Assistant Supervisor of Officials for the Hockey East women’s league. A 1979 graduate of Boston College, Gallagher has built a rich resume in the world of college hockey officiating. A veteran of 16 years on-ice for the ECAC and four for Hockey East, he has five Beanpot tournaments to his credit, including one on the women’s side. He has also served in high profile assignments with the NCAA and the NHL.

Gallagher’s experiences have naturally guided him into a development role. He served as the Director of the National Ice Hockey Officials Clinic for four years and has been supervising college hockey officials for the past eight, first with the ECAC Division-III Men’s League (1998-2000) and then with Division-I (2000-03).

Gallagher’s full-time job is as a sales representative for Glen Falls Lehigh Cement Company. He and his wife Christine reside in Reading, Mass., and have three sons – Jay, Ryan and Matthew.