INCH
UPDATE DESK
July
27, 2005
Gendron
Joins UMass Staff
Dennis
"Red" Gendron, who has spent the past 12 years coaching
at the collegiate, U.S. National Development, junior and pro levels,
has been named an assistant coach at Massachusetts.
Gendron spent
the 2004-05 season as the head coach of the USHL's Indiana Ice
after having spent the previous 11 seasons with the New Jersey
Devils' organization. Gendron was a scout and assistant coach
with the Devils when they won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and
2003. He
also served as the head coach of the Devils' AHL affiliate, the
Albany River Rats, for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
"We are
delighted to have Red join our staff," said head coach Don
Cahoon. "This completes the reorganization of our office
as we go into the next generation of the 'Mass Attack.' His background
speaks for itself and his qualifications will allow our team to
grow and compete at its highest level ever."
This will
be Gendron's second stint within Hockey East, having been an assistant
coach at Maine during the 1992-93 season. He has also been an
assistant coach for the U.S. team at the 1993, 2001 and 2002 World
Junior Championships and served on the staff of several U.S. Select-16
and 17 teams.
"I am
extremely excited to be here at the University of Massachusetts
and consider it an honor to be working with Toot," said Gendron.
"It's an exciting time to be a part of the UMass hockey program
and I look forward to being a part of it."
July
21, 2005
Dexter
Returns to Colgate as Assistant Coach
Colgate
head coach Don Vaughan has named Brad Dexter an assistant coach
on the Raider staff. Dexter, a 1996 Colgate graduate and second-team
All-American, had previously spent a year as an assistant coach
at Clarkson, and returns to college coaching after completing
his professional career.
"I am
very excited that Brad will be joining our staff," Vaughan
said. "He has a great passion for the game, and he has coached
at the Division I level. His recent playing experience will be
a great benefit to our players. As a Colgate graduate and All-America
defenseman, he has a strong sense of what it takes to succeed
at Colgate as a student-athlete."
Last year,
Dexter finished as the second-leading scorer and served as team
captain for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL. He registered
seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 49 games, and was
voted to start in the ECHL All-Star Game. While he was sidelined
for 23 games with an injury, Dexter filled in as an assistant
coach, working primarily with the defense.
During the
2001-02 season, Dexter hung up his skates to serve as an assistant
coach at Clarkson. That year, he helped coach the Golden Knights
to a 17-15-6 overall record and a second-place finish in the ECAC
with an 11-6-5 league mark.
July
21, 2005
NMU
Names John Olver Assistant Coach
John
Olver, who had been the head coach of the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads,
has joined Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle's staff as an
assistant coach. Olver, whose son Darin is a member of the Wildcats
and whose younger son Mark has verbally committed to the school,
spent five years in Idaho and won the Kelly Cup in 2004.
“This
is a major move for our program," said Kyle. "With Dave
Shyiak leaving (to become head coach at Alaska Anchorage), I thought
that we would have a difficult time finding someone with that
kind of experience and ability, but we found it in John. He is
one of my closest friends and I have used him as a resource for
recruiting. He already has some experience with the program. John
has experiences with many different areas of hockey which will
help the program.”
Olver, who
played collegiately at Michigan, also has experience coaching
in the WCHL, WHL and BCHL.
July
19, 2005
Union
Names Bennett Assistant Coach
Rick Bennett, a five-year veteran of the Providence coaching staff, has been named Union's assistant coach, Dutchmen head coach Nate Leaman has announced.
"We are extremely pleased to have someone with Rick's character, work
ethic, and experience on our staff," Leaman said in a statement. "He has coached at the collegiate level for five years and has also had playing experience at the highest level. He will be a real asset to the program."
A 1990 graduate of Providence, Bennett was a four-year standout for the
Friars and ranks 21st all-time in scoring with 134 points (50 goals, 84
assists). He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach after a professional career in the ECHL, AHL and NHL.
July
15, 2005
Four
Days Later, Heenan Leaves Union
Union
hired Gary Heenan as an assistant hockey coach on Monday, and
four days later he resigned to return to his former post as head
coach of Utica College.
Heenan's resignation
came after meeting with Union head coach Nate Leaman on Wednesday
and Thursday to discuss comments Heenan made to Utica Observer-Dispatch
sports writer Craig Muder for an
article published in Tuesday's edition.
In that article,
Heenan said:
• "The
obvious progression is to become the second assistant, but there
you do a lot of grunt work and I felt I was beyond that professionally."
• "I
envisioned myself going to a much larger school than Union. But
with a first assistant's position and going with a coach that's
in demand like Nate, that was attractive to me. Nate just coached
the under-18 team to a gold medal. I don't think he'll be there
all that long."
Leaman read
the article online Tuesday evening and was concerned about some
of the quotes. He met with Heenan in Schenectady on Wednesday
and Heenan also met with Union Director of Athletics Jim McLaughlin.
Leaman and
Heenan met again on Thursday at which time it was decided that
Heenan would resign from his new position and return to be the
head coach at Utica, a Division III program.
"Comments
in the article caused some concern that there may be some disrespect
to Union College, the alums of the hockey program that have worn
the jersey with a lot of pride, myself, and assistant coach Bill
Riga," Leaman said.
"It's
an honor to be involved with Union College and its hockey program.
I am very happy with the direction of the administration and our
program. I'm proud of the opportunity to help lead the program,
as well as the players and coaches that have come before us in
the history of this program."
Leaman plans
to resume his search for an assistant immediately.
—
Joe Gladziszewski
July
15, 2005
Colgate
Promotes Dickson
Colgate head coach Don Vaughan has promoted Andrew Dickson, a former Raider captain and six-year member of the coaching staff, to the team's top assistant coaching position that was recently vacated by Stan Moore.
"Andrew Dickson is the best person for this job," Vaughan said. "He has
had a major impact on Colgate hockey for years, first as a player and
more recently as an assistant coach. When it comes to assistant coaches,
he is the complete package. He has proven himself to be an excellent
recruiter who also has a great mind for the game. He relates very well
to the student-athletes and he knows exactly what it takes to be
successful at Colgate both as a hockey player and as a student. In
recent years, he has been our primary recruiter responsible for
attracting many of our top players to Colgate. He is also a very good
coach, and his contributions to our team's recent on-ice success should
not be underestimated. I am excited for Andrew and our players and I am
looking forward to working with him in his new role as our top assistant
coach."
July
13, 2005
Mercyhurst
Names Ferraris Assistant Coach
Mercyhurst
announced that Bobby Ferraris, an assistant coach at American
International the past two seasons, has joined Rick Gotkin's staff
as an assistant coach. Ferraris replaced Dave Smith, who took
over as the head coach at Canisius.
Prior to American
International, Ferraris spent a combined three years as assistant
coach for both New Haven and Utica of the United Hockey League
before serving as head coach of the Connecticut Junior Wolves
(MJHL) in 2002-03.
July
12, 2005
Caron
Leaves Merrimack for QMJHL
Tuesday the
St. John Sea Dogs, an expansion team in the Quebec Major Junior
Hockey League, announced the signing of defenseman Jeff Caron,
Merrimack's third-leading scorer this past season.
Caron, who
would have been a junior for the Warriors this fall, had 5-20—25
totals while playing in all 36 games this past season. He ranked
fifth among Hockey East defensemen in points and 17th nationally
among defensemen in points per game (0.69).
"Jeff's
offensive skills as a defenceman stand out," said Bob "Tipper"
LeBlanc, general manager of the Sea Dogs, in the team's press
release.
"I just felt there would be a better opportunity for me to further develop in Saint John," Caron told the Moncton (New Brunswick) Times & Transcript. "I wouldn't be leaving school if I didn't want to play pro hockey."
Caron was
ranked 140th among North American skaters eligible for the 2005
NHL Draft in the Central Scouting Service's mid-season rankings.
July
12, 2005
Union
Hires Heenan as Assistant Coach
Gary
Heenan, the former head coach at Utica College, has joined head
coach Nate Leaman's staff at Union as an assistant coach.
Heenan, who
helped start the Utica program four years ago, fills the role
left vacant by Tony Gasparini, who moved back to the Midwest with
his family.
"It’s
a career opportunity for me, and one I had to feel comfortable
with," Heenan told Ken Schott of the Schenectady Daily
Gazette. "I had a really nice position and success where
I was in the past."
July
11, 2005
Foley
Joins NTDP Staff
Former New
Hampshire captain Pat Foley has been named assistant coach for
USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, the NTDP's director
of operations, Scott Monaghan, announced Monday. Foley, who takes
the place of Darrin Madeley, will work primarily with the U.S.
Under-18 Team.
"Pat
is an extraordinary young man with a great future in the game,"
said Monaghan. "He will bring a great perspective, as a former
NTDP player, for both our players and staff."
Foley is a
2004 graduate of UNH, where he was only the second player in Wildcat
history to serve as a captain for three consecutive seasons. He
is also a former captain of the U.S. National Junior Team and
a former member of the NTDP.
July
6, 2005
Gopher
Recruit Mueller Turns to WHL
Peter
Mueller, a highly rated forward who had committed to Minnesota
for the fall of 2006, has decided to forgo his college career
and join the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.
Mueller spent
last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program in
Ann Arbor. Tuesday evening he informed the NTDP and Gopher head
coach Don Lucia of his decision.
July
6, 2005
Moore
Leaves Colgate for Providence
Stan
Moore, the Colgate assistant coach who was the ECAC Coach of the
Year while serving as the Raiders' interim head coach two years
ago, has joined Tim Army's staff as an assistant coach at Providence.
Army also announced that he has retained Friar assistant coach
David Berard.
Moore and Army were both on Mike McShane's Providence staff more than 10 years ago.
"Stan provides a wealth of coaching experience," Army said. "He's a knowledgeable hockey person, an excellent recruiter and a personality that will relate very well to our players. We've been very close over the years and I'm thrilled that he's returned to Providence College."
"I have enjoyed 11 wonderful years at Colgate," Moore said. "While I am excited about the opportunity to work with head coach Tim Army, I will greatly miss my affiliation with Colgate and the Hamilton community. I wish head coach Don Vaughan, his staff and the players the very best as they continue to elevate Raider hockey to greater national prominence."
Prior to his stint at Colgate, Moore had been the head coach at Union, where he was the ECAC Coach of the Year in 1996-97.
Berard, the lone holdover from Paul Pooley's Providence staff, will be entering his 10th season with the Friars.
July
5, 2005
Canisius'
Smith Names Staff
New
Canisius head coach Dave Smith completed his staff on Tuesday,
naming Mike Mankowski and Chris Bernard as assistant coaches for
the Golden Griffins. Mankowski is a former general manager and
head coach of the Toledo IceDiggers of the North American Hockey
League, while Bernard was a four-time letterwinner at Clarkson
and founder of Goaltender Enhancement Programs, LLC.
“We
are very excited to have Mike and Chris join the Canisius hockey
family,” said head coach Dave Smith. “Mike and Chris
have extensive backgrounds in various levels of junior, college
and professional hockey. They bring with them professionalism,
character and a sense of Jesuit values and principles to our program.”
July
1, 2005
Cornell's
Schafer Signs Extension
Cornell
coach Mike Schafer has agreed to a long-term contract extension
to stay at his alma mater, athletics director J. Andrew Noel announced
Friday. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.
"Cornell has established itself as one of the top programs
in the country," Schafer said in a statement. "With
the support of the university administration, the athletic department,
the alumni, my assistant coaches and fans, I feel that we have
developed a community that is united in maintaining a program
of excellence, and I believe we will ultimately reach our goal
of winning a national championship."
Under Schafer's watch, the Big Red has won three ECACHL regular-season
championships, four conference tournament titles and made five
NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Frozen Four berth in
2003. With a career record of 199-103-3, his .643 winning percentage
ranks sixth among active coaches.
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