WESTFIELD – AWestfield native who is a newly appointed college women’s ice hockey coach will detail her years in the sport in her upcoming talk in the Hale Speaker Series.

Rebecca Morse, who recently was hired as the head women’s ice hockey coach at Neumann University in Pennsylvania, will discuss “Leaving Home to Chase the Game—And Coming Back to Change It,” the title of her speech slated for Wednesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. at Westfield Memorial Library, 550 East Broad St.

Her focus, she reports, will be on lessons of resilience, leadership, mentorship and growing the sport.

Morse enjoyed a stellar collegiate ice hockey career at Providence College where she also earned her undergraduate and MBA degrees.

For six seasons she played professionally with the Metropolitan Riveters and Connecticut Whale, and received the National Women’s Hockey League FoundationAward for leadership and service in 2020, the same year she earned selection to the All-Star Game.

Since last November, she has served as associate head coach of varsity girls’ ice hockey at The Pingry School. She previously worked as director of hockeyoperations and head coach for PrincetonTiger Lilies, the oldest girls hockeyprogram in New Jersey, and as head coach and hockey director of Union Thunder Youth Hockey.

In announcing her appointment to the post at Neumann University, Athletic Director John Krimmel said “she has built a strong coaching resume through her work in youth, club, and high school hockey, and what truly sets her apart is her passion for developing young women both on and off the ice.”

Morse’s talk is open free to the public but registration is required either by signing up online at wmlnj.org or by calling 908.789.4090 ext. 0.

The Hale Speaker Series, now in its 17th year, is named after the late Lee and Anne Hale, and is hosted by The Friends ofWestfield Memorial Library. The series receives funding from the Anne and Lee Hale Fund and The Glasser Foundation.

The talks are available on the library’s YouTube channel.