Toczek, a Buffalo, New York native, is entering her second season with the Cougars and was an integral part of their success focusing on in game management of the forwards, player development, evaluation of prospective Student athletes and logistical planning. She comes to Chatham from Division III Buffalo State University. A four-year varsity member, she was named to the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) All-Academic Team each season and earned New England Women’s Hockey League (NEWHL) Player of the Week accolades during her junior season. In her senior year, Toczek was named captain.
“ I am very excited to have Lila back with us this season as our assistant coach. She is an amazing sounding board for not only myself, but our players and is dedicated to perfecting her craft as a coach. She has a great hockey mind and I am fortunate to work with someone whose has such a great passion for the game” -Mike O’Grady, Chatham Women’s Ice Hockey Head Coach
Toczek’s time at Buffalo State spanned well beyond her playing career. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Toczek served on the staff at the University’s arena, managing facility usage, game scoring, and sales at the rink’s store.
After graduating, Toczek remained at Buffalo State as a volunteer assistant coach. She worked with the athletes both on and off the ice, specifically developing their strength, conditioning, and game skills. Toczek was also essential to the Bengals’ recruiting process, analyzing film and communicating with prospective student-athletes.
In addition to her college coaching experience, Toczek has ample experience with all age groups.
For three summers, she served as an assistant coach at Rush Hockey, a premier showcase camp for NCAA-bound players. While at Rush, she helped develop the on-ice skills of the players, managed line combinations throughout games, and taught leadership values while also recruiting.
Heading into her senior year, Toczek was selected to be a coach and counselor at the New York State Amateur Hockey Association select camp, in which she supervised a team of 14 girls, instructed off-ice and on-ice drills and exercises, and helped sharpen the players’ leadership and communication skills.
Toczek graduated from Buffalo State with Magna Cum Laude honors in 2020 with a degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. She will be continuing her academic career at Chatham in the Master of Business Administration program.
