Among the eleven new coach announcements for D-III men’s hockey teams in the East this year, there were three that are related to new programs starting play this year or next. Those included Jeremiah Ketts at MCLA, Kevin Cole at Misericordia and Bobby Rodrigue at Keene State. John MacInnis steps into the large shoes left by Hall of Fame coach Bill O’Neill at Salem State and Jack Ceglarski takes the reins at one of the most successful hockey programs at the D-III level, looking to revive the Middlebury Panthers back to being a perennial contender in NESCAC play.
“I am very excited to be coaching such an illustrious college hockey program,” said Ceglarski. “I would be foolish to say that I don’t feel any pressure, but pressure can be a good thing when you can use it to your advantage. I think it is good for the coaches and the players who want to own the accountability to bring our program back from the results in recent seasons.
Middlebury has won eight NCAA national championships under legendary coach Bill Beaney and has had an equal share of success winning eight NESCAC titles since the 2000-2001 season, the last in 2010. The Panthers have not qualified for the NESCAC playoffs since 2020 (2021 canceled due to COVID pandemic) and not advanced beyond the quarterfinals since 2016. Ceglarski and new assistant coach Jack Fitzgerald would like to change that trend starting with this year’s edition of Panther hockey.
“I don’t think we are the youngest coaching staff in collegiate hockey, but we are definitely in the top three,” noted Ceglarski. “I think that helps us in relating to the players here as we focus on being the best we can be on the ice as a team. Obviously, I have learned a lot as a player and absorbed a lot from my father, uncle, and grandfather who have been very successful coaches over time in the college game. I like to borrow and absorb the best from other successful coaches and have really enjoyed my opportunities to engage with coach Beaney here at Midd and coach [Mark] Taylor during last year’s Winter World University Games in Lake Placid. Coach Beaney has really challenged me to think out of the box and “Tayls” really showed me how to create buy-in from day one and the focus needed to overcome adversity on and off the ice during a very challenging tournament schedule and very little time to prepare. I need to assimilate from the best but at the end of the day need to be true to what my expectations are as the hockey coach here at Middlebury.”
The Panthers enter the 2023-24 season with a strong returning nucleus of players and has added some new pieces in the first-year class that should contribute to the improved level of play on the ice.
“We think the potential is high here with this roster,” said Ceglarski. “We have players and brought in players that have played in very meaningful games in their hockey careers to date. We want to build off that experience here with this roster in NESCAC play. First and foremost, we want the players having fun playing a game they love and playing with confidence. If we do those two things some of the other things will fall into place naturally. I expect us to be a hard team to play against with an aggressive style that opponents will be challenged with when they play against Middlebury. Win or lose we must have that high level of compete on the ice and be the type of team opponents do not want to play against.”
Middlebury, along with the rest of NESCAC opens their season this weekend. The Panthers will travel to Maine for the opening weekend where they face Colby and last year’s conference champions from Bowdoin.
“This conference is just so competitive top to bottom that we need to be ready to play every time out,” stated Ceglarski. “Last year No. 7 played No. 8 in the conference title game with Bowdoin taking the title so we would like to take a page out of their book. Qualify for conference championship play during the regular season and be playing our best hockey when it matters. I have received great support from the college and many in the hockey community but most importantly the alumni players who helped to build the reputation of Middlebury hockey over the decades.”
“We recently had a 100th anniversary celebration of Middlebury hockey where many alums returned to reminisce and celebrate the success of the hockey program. Our team had some exposure to many of the attendees who were so positive in sharing the tradition and shared excellence seen over many decades and championship teams. Our kids were inspired and a bit jealous as they want to be a part of that pedigree and I think that will further motivate our guys to be the best version of themselves they can be.”
Following the opening road trip to Maine, the Panthers travel to play in their long-standing Thanksgiving tournament hosted by Plattsburgh this year and featuring Norwich and St. Olaf from the west in the newly named LayerEight Tournament.
“We will have four real tests to open the season before we play our first home game,” stated Ceglarski. “I expect we will learn a lot about this team quickly and continue to build towards playing better hockey from every experience on the ice.”
