For once again leading Hobart into the NCAA men’s Division III Frozen Four at Trinity, Mark Taylor has been named winner of the 2024 Edward Jeremiah Award as the CCM/AHCA Division III Men’s Coach of the Year.
Taylor becomes only the third Division II-III coach to win this award in back-to-back years. The others were Norwich coach Mike McShane in 1999 and 2000 and Bowdoin coach Sid Watson in 1970 and 1971, the first two years the award was presented.
Taylor, the 2024 NEHC coach of the year, guided the Statesmen to a 26-2-1 record entering the national semifinals. The 26 wins are the second most in a single season in program history. The Statesmen went 17-0-0 on home ice this season on its way to capturing their third straight NECHC regular-season title with a 16-1-1 mark in conference play. The Statesmen defeated Skidmore 5-0 to claim their second straight NEHC tournament title. Hobart has won an NCAA Division III-record 37 consecutive games at The Cooler.
The Canton, N.Y., native’s charges are first in the nation in penalty-killing percentage (.966), scoring defense (1.00), scoring margin (+4.38), scoring offense (5.38) and winning percentage (.914). They are sixth in the nation in power-play percentage (.288). He has guided the statesmen to five straight 20-win seasons and 20 consecutive winning seasons. His career record stands at 403-176-55. The Statesmen have been selected to nine straight NCAA tournaments and 13 overall. This is Hobart’s fifth trip to the national semifinals.
Now in his 24th year, Taylor continues to add to his reputation as the most successful coach in Hobart hockey history. Entering the national semifinals, he has compiled a record of 404-176-55 (.680), while earning 13 NCAA tournament bids and five trips to the national semifinals (2006, 2009, 2019, 2023, 2024). He has been named the conference’s coach of the year nine times, earning recognition from the ECAC West six times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2015 and 2016) and the NEHC three times (2022, 2023, 2024).
Taylor is known as a tremendous motivator and recruiter of all of Hobart’s All-Americans. Six Statesmen have earned conference player of the year award recognition under Taylor’s leadership.
A 1985 graduate of Elmira, Taylor was the Soaring Eagles’ MVP and an All-ECAC selection as a senior. He transferred to Elmira after a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association championships at Canton, earning All-American defenseman honors for the Northstars.
The Edward Jeremiah Award is named in honor of the great Dartmouth College head coach and was first presented in 1970.
Taylor was assisted this year by Niko Kovachis. The runner-up for this year’s Jeremiah Award was Matthew Greason of Trinity.
