Nebraska-Omaha introduced former North Dakota head coach Dean Blais as the second coach in the program’s history at a news conference in Omaha on Friday.

Blais spent 10 years at North Dakota

Blais will rejoin the college hockey community after a five-year absence, during which time he was an assistant coach with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets before becoming the head coach and general manager of the USHL’s Fargo Force.

It’s in college hockey, however, where Blais built his reputation as an elite coach. He led North Dakota to two national championships (1997 and 2000) in 10 years behind the Fighting Sioux bench. Blais’s teams won five regular-season championships in the WCHA and two conference tournament titles. He has already been named the U.S. National Junior Team head coach for the 2010 World Junior Championship.

“From the beginning of the search process, we identified Dean as someone who could take UNO hockey to the next level,” athletic director Trev Alberts said. “We are excited to have someone with his talent and experience leading our hockey program into a new era.”

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of returning to Division I college hockey, particularly in a conference as competitive as the CCHA,” said Blais. “I’m also looking forward to working with Trev Alberts and Mike Kemp to build on what Mike and his staff have accomplished and make UNO hockey one of the elite programs in the nation.”

He joins a Nebraska-Omaha program that had been led by Mike Kemp in each of its first 12 seasons. Kemp stepped aside last month and was named an associate athletic director at the school. The Mavericks were 15-17-8 last season.