She is the daughter of Nancy and Frank DeCosta.[1] She was born in and grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, and is Jewish.[2][3][4][5] She is an alumna of Toll Gate High School, where she played goalie on the boys' hockey team.[6] DeCosta is married, and the couple has three children.[6]
She attended Providence College ('00), where she was a hockey goalie, and allowed only 177 goals with 2,324 saves in 85 games.[7] She graduated with a degree in social science, with concentrations in sociology and psychology.[7]
She won a World Championship silver medal in 2000, had the best GAA (0.50) and the best SVS% (.975) at the 2001 World Championship where she again won a silver medal, and had the best GAA (1.00) and the best SVS% (.948) at the 2002 World Championship where she again won a silver medal.[8]
DeCosta was USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year in 2000.[4] In 2002–03, she was a volunteer coach for the women's hockey team at Providence.[4] She was the goaltending coach for the Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey team in 2008–09.[4][8]