Chris Bernard was named the first full-time head coach of the Western New England College men’s hockey program.
Bernard, who played goalie at Clarkson from 1994-98, succeeds Karl Enroth who held the position on a part-time basis the last five seasons. Last season the Golden Bears were 4-16-3.
“The search committee was impressed with Chris’ experience as a player and coach and feel he will be a good fit for our program,” said Theulen. “He shares our philosophy of providing a student-athlete experience second to none.”
This past season Bernard served as an assistant coach at Canisius. Bernard joined the Canisius staff at the beginning of this past season. He also is the president and founder of Goaltender Enhancement Programs, which is a business dedicated to the development of aspiring young goaltenders.
Bernard also was an assistant coach with the St. Louis Sting of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) during the 2001-02 season. He played professional hockey with the Mohawk Valley Prowlers and Missouri River Otters of the United Hockey League (UHL), and the Fayetteville Force of the Central Hockey League (CHL) from 1998-2004.
Bernard, a native of Brasher Falls, New York, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Communications from Clarkson in 1998. He is pursuing his Master of Science degree in Sports Administration at Canisius.
During his collegiate playing career, Bernard was the recipient of the Mike Morrison Scholarship for athletic and academic excellence along with the Clarkson Coaches Award for determination to succeed and team dedication his senior year.
