PHF Staff

Front Office

Reagan Carey

Commissioner

Reagan Carey was appointed commissioner of the Premier Hockey Federation in April, delivering the PHF’s mission to provide leading opportunities in professional women’s hockey and growing the sport for its athletes, partners, and fans. With twenty-plus years of experience working in the sports industry, Carey’s career reflects a common thread of leading teams to new heights through creating meaningful cultures and crafting a clear vision for winning.

Carey has unparalleled experience in women’s hockey, serving as USA Hockey’s Director of Women’s Ice Hockey and General Manager of the U.S. National Women’s Team from 2010-18. Her guidance helped produce unprecedented golden success in IIHF competition including five U18 titles and five World Championship wins, plus a gold medal victory at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Before USA Hockey, Carey spent a decade working with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers with a focus on sports development performance, and marketing. Carey is a 2001 graduate of Colby College where she competed as a two-sport athlete, captaining both the ice hockey and volleyball teams. In 2010 she was the proud recipient of the school’s Carl Nelson Sports Achievement Award, and in 2018 was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.

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Jim Pfeifer

Chief Marketing Officer

Jim Pfeifer joined the PHF in July 2022 as the CMO after 30 years as a sports executive in the NHL, NBA, MLL, and WNBA.

From January 2019 until July 2022, Pfeifer serves as the VP Corporate Partnerships for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. From April - October 2021, Pfeifer also held the position of Interim COO for the Dream after the team was sold.

Prior to the Dream Pfeifer was President of the Atlanta Blaze during the 2017 and 2018 Major League Lacrosse seasons.

Pfeifer began his career with the New York Rangers in November 1989 and held a variety of positions until leaving the Rangers in 1998 as the Marketing Director to assume a similar role with the expansion Atlanta Thrashers.

In June 2004 Pfeifer was promoted to VP of Marketing for both the Thrashers and the Atlanta Hawks and remind in that dual role until 2011. He then became VP or Partnership Marketing for the Hawks and remained with the Hawks until October 2016.

Jim lives in Atlanta with his wife Angie, and has two children who attended the University of Georgia.

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Lisa Haley

SVP of Hockey Operations

Lisa Haley is currently the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), as she enters her 3rd season with the PHF.

Lisa is playing an integral role in the major restructuring of the PHF, as this professional hockey league undergoes significant and rapid change.

She also serves as Lead Coach for TMU Athletics in Toronto, Canada and is the Head Coach, Manager of Operations for their Varsity women’s hockey team.

Haley also has extensive experience internationally, having been involved with Hockey Canada’s High-Performance program since 2003. In total, Haley has been on the Canadian bench for 6 World Championships, and 1 Olympic Games, winning 1 Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Games, 2 World Championship golds in 2012 and 2010 (U18), and 4 World Championship silvers.

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Paul Krotz

SVP of Communications

Paul Krotz is a communications executive with over 15 years of professional experience in sports. Since February 2021 he has led the league’s media operations and strategic communications. Highlights of his tenure include planning and implementation of the PHF rebrand, announcing the $25 million commitment from the Board of Governors, introducing league expansion to Montreal, special events such as the Isobel Cup Playoffs, All-Star Showcase, draft and awards, content development, and engaging media across North America to raise the profile of the PHF and its members.

Prior to joining the PHF, Krotz was Director of Communications for the Canadian Hockey League for 12 seasons including 11 in a split role with the Ontario Hockey League. He also has experience with Hockey Canada, serving in a Media Relations role for the National Junior Team at the 2015, 2012, and 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships, and was also a member of the Media Services team at the 2009 tournament.

Krotz graduated from Laurentian University in 2005 with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree in Sports Administration. The Kitchener, Ontario native now resides in Mississauga with his wife, Candice. He enjoys staying active in sports as a minor hockey official and avid golfer.

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Mel Davidson

Director, League and Hockey Operations

Mel Davidson joined the PHF in May 2022 as the Director of League and Hockey Operations.

Davidson is a pioneer within the sport and widely regarded as the most important figure in Canadian women’s hockey history with a legendary career at Hockey Canada that spanned 26 years with roles in almost every major international triumph for Canada’s National Women’s Team.

In her role, Davidson will provide general hockey operations guidance and support as it relates to the structure of the PHF regular season, playoffs, and offseason processes, and help develop and navigate the Federation’s relationships with key partners across the hockey community in North America and internationally.

Davidson’s previous roles with Team Canada included head coach, assistant coach, general manager, and head scout across 36 different events compiling a medal in every single instance. Her highlights include four straight Winter Olympic gold medals in women’s hockey beginning as an assistant coach in 2002, then serving as head coach in 2006 and 2010, and general manager in 2014. She’s also won five IIHF Women’s World Championship gold medals and 10 gold medals at the 4 Nations Cup.

The Oyen, Alberta native earned a diploma from Red Deer College and completed her undergraduate education at the University of Alberta. Davidson has coached women’s hockey programs at Connecticut College and Cornell University. She was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011 for her coaching achievements, and again in 2019 as part of the 2010 Olympic team. Davidson was also inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017.

She will continue her full-time role with Own the Podium where she’s spent the last two years as a high-performance advisor for summer sport. She is also a consultant for the Winnipeg ICE and has been a prominent voice on the IIHF Female Committee since 2010. In January, Davidson served as an honorary coach at the 2022 PHF All-Star Showcase in Buffalo.

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Kacey Bellamy

Scout and Player Relations Liaison

Kacey Bellamy joined the PHF in May 2022. As an instrumental leader in helping the U.S. Women’s National Team achieve unprecedented success including winning gold at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and earning eight gold medals in nine appearances at the IIHF Women’s World Championship, Bellamy was a program backbone until her retirement in May 2021.

In her role as Scout and Player Relations Liaison, Bellamy is responsible for harnessing in-depth knowledge of both the PHF and NCAA player pool and tasked with matters related to depth charts, communication plans with prospects, and annual projections. In addition, she will assist with communication and relationship building with NCAA and U SPORTS coaches while serving as an additional resource for graduating elite amateur athletes aspiring for careers at the next level.

Over a 15-year period, Kacey was a defensive cornerstone of USA Hockey teams highlighted by three Olympic Winter Games where she captured silver medals in 2010 and 2014, and a pinnacle gold in 2018 serving as an alternate captain. Her nine IIHF World Championship appearances included eight gold medals in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, and silver in 2012. She also wore the red, white, and blue 13 times at Four Nations Cup events with seven resulting in gold. The former University of New Hampshire Wildcat graduated in 2009 with four straight Hockey East titles to her credit, earning All-American and conference MVP honors her senior year. She embarked on a professional career in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) playing five years with the Boston Blades and winning two Clarkson Cup titles in 2013 and 2015 and another in 2019 with the Calgary Inferno. In between, she skated two seasons with the PHF’s Boston Pride where she was a two-time All-Star recording 23 points in 30 total games and won the first Isobel Cup in 2016. That season Bellamy also served as an assistant coach at Merrimack College during the inaugural season for the Warriors’ women’s hockey program.

Kacey is currently pursuing an MBA in Entrepreneurship remotely at DeVry University and is the Director of Athletic Development for Maples Crossing which is a 75-acre wellness, fitness, and entertainment campus in New England. She is also a mindset coach for Women’s Hockey Life where she is able to share experiences from her career to help athletes be confident, strong, and better prepared for adversity. She also helps athletes find their full potential as a part of Matterhorn Mentors, a mentorship program that also features Nicole Corriero, PHF Players’ Association Executive Director.

Kacey grew up in Westfield, MA, and now resides in New Hampshire with her wife Melissa and their Australian cobberdog, Gary.

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Brianna Decker

Team and Player Development Advisor

Brianna Decker joined the PHF league office in August 2022. She is one of the most distinguished players to ever compete for the U.S. Women’s National Team, with a career that includes U18 gold, eight-straight IIHF Women’s World Championship medals including six gold, and medals at three-straight Olympic Winter Games including gold in 2018. Decker returns to the PHF where she was a member of the 2016 Isobel Cup champions and earned back-to-back MVP honors with the Boston Pride during the league’s first two seasons. The native of Dousman, WI amassed 60 points in 33 games, for a 1.82 points-per-game average that ranks the highest in PHF history.

Decker attended the University of Wisconsin where she won a national championship with the Badgers in 2011 and received the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top NCAA player in 2012. Off the ice, Decker graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies.

Decker will serve in a part-time capacity as she maintains her position at Shattuck-St. Mary’s (SSM) as the Girls Prep Associate Head Coach and Special Advisor to the SSM Hockey Program. In her role as Team and Player Development Advisor, Decker will support the PHF’s commitment to the consistent elevation of training and competition standards at the highest level. Her experience will help assess the league’s on and off-ice environment to ensure it is optimal for players seeking continued development at an elite level.

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Marissa Halligan

Lead, League Operations Developer

Nichole Bargo

Director of Finance

Nichole is an energetic, dedicated financial professional whose experience focuses on start-ups, growth, and strategic engagement. She has a successful record of bringing companies from scratch to fully functioning, revenue-earning businesses across industries including airline charters, pilot training, video-gaming terminals, payroll services, and consulting services. Nichole has been part of larger start-ups, coming in when growth was essential and moving the business across the finish line.

Bargo has her Bachelor’s in Accounting from Concordia University Chicago and Master’s in Business Administration from Benedictine University. She is dedicated to constantly learning and helping others grow, building strong relationships, and a network that is willing to lend a hand.

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Ken Dufton

Director of Scouting (Canada)

Michael Cohen

Head of Production

Multiple Emmy award-winning television executive and producer Michael Cohen’s career has ranged from successful start-ups to major events, show creation, and talent development. His credits include some of the biggest events in television for all major networks including NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and ESPN. He has been a part of the production team for 9 Olympics Games, World Cups, World Series, Super Bowl, Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, Wide World of Sports, 14 NFL Drafts, and the inaugural X Games.

Ali Bologna

Partnerships Manager

Ali is currently the Partnerships Manager for the Premier Hockey Federation. She is a passionate sports business professional who loves the sports industry and particularly hockey. Before joining the PHF, Ali spent over three years with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where she supported WWE’s developmental talent, NXT, and NXT UK rosters. Prior to that, Bologna spent time with the Vegas Golden Knights assisting their partnerships team as a Sponsorship Activation Intern. Throughout college, Ali was also the Program Director and Head Varsity Coach of Plymouth High School’s my team, which is her alma mater.

Ali achieved a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and also completed a master’s degree in Sports Management and Athlete Development at the University of Florida.

Bologna grew up in Plymouth, Michigan and now resides in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. When Ali is not working, you can find her cooking, golfing, or hanging out with her two kittens - Maisy and Milly.

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Jonathan Calla

Outside Legal Counsel

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Mario Forno

Webmaster

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Mario Forno is an IT Professional with over 25 years of experience in developing, customizing, maintaining applications, and integrating software solutions. Mario was born in Guatemala City and raised in St. Louis, MO. His parents came to the U.S when he was 4 years old (and he is the oldest of 3). Now 43 years old, Mario is married and has 3 wonderful kids. He has a passion for helping people and businesses grow and believes that he can do this with Technology. Mario Forno hopes that his skills help individuals, entrepreneurs and small business owners make their mark in the world.

Sydney Spuzzillo

Intern, League and Hockey Operations

Sydney Spuzzillo joined the PHF as the Intern of League and Hockey Operations in October 2022. Sydney is from outside Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up loving sports, more specifically hockey. She is currently a senior at Robert Morris University studying Sport Management and Marketing, with a Certificate in Sales. Sydney is passionate about seeing females become more active in the sports field, as an athlete, and in the business side of sports. Spuzzillo currently plays on the Robert Morris University Women’s ACHA D2 hockey team, as well as being one of two Game Day Mangers for Robert Morris’s Men’s D1, D3, and D4 teams. She has been involved in many opportunities to grow the sport of hockey such as working the NHL All-Star game, working with the Ohio Hockey Project, and coaching Learn to Play Hockey at the RMU Island Sports Center. In her role, Sydney will assist the PHF on various projects related to league and hockey operations throughout the 2022-23 season.

Nicholas Putigna

Social Media Manager

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Jessica Liberato

Production Manager

Medical Services Committee

Marie Schaefer

Chief Medical Officer

Marie Schaefer, MD has been the Chief Medical Officer for the Premier Hockey Federation since the 2021-2022 season. She is a sports medicine physician with the Cleveland Clinic in the department of orthopedics, where she takes care of athletes and active people of all ages. In addition to her regular clinical care, she is the head team physician for Cleveland State University, Lakewood High School, and the Verb Ballets Company. She is also the associate director of the primary care sports medicine fellowship program and the associate director for education and community outreach for the sports medicine division. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University for her undergraduate degree in politics and government where she competed in track and field. She then underwent her medical training at Yale School of Medicine and subsequently her residency in family medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. She completed her training with a fellowship in pediatric sports medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and joined in the Clinic in 2016. She and her husband reside in the Cleveland area with their three children and rescue pit bull.

Wayne R. Lamarre

Coordinator of Medical Services

Wayne Lamarre has been an Athletic Training educator for over twenty years, and currently serves a Clinical Professor and Director of the Master of Science in Athletic Training Program at the University of New England. His areas of expertise include musculoskeletal injury diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, and teaching critical thinking.

A native of Connecticut, Wayne earned his undergraduate degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Athletic Training from Central Connecticut State University and his Master of Education degree with a concentration in Curriculum & Instruction in Higher Education from Norwich University.

Prof. Lamarre has over thirty years of experience as an AT, working with athletes of all ages and all levels, including professional soccer, professional dance, and professional ice hockey. He is the former President of the Vermont Association of Athletic Trainers, a Peer Reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education; and he also currently serves as a member of the medical staff for the U.S. Women’s National Ice Hockey Team, recently supporting them during their silver-medal performance at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

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Ashley Robbins

Director of Sports Medicine