Stonehill has named David Berard as the 12th head coach in program history as the program prepares for its third year at the NCAA Division I level.
Berard takes over for David Borges, who retired at the end of the 2023-24 season.
“We are thrilled to welcome David Berard to Stonehill as our men’s ice hockey head coach and are excited for him to lead our student-athletes as together they build a program that is on the rise,” said Stonehill assistant VP and director of athletics Dean O’Keefe in a statement. “David’s strong understanding of today’s collegiate hockey landscape, deep appreciation for the coach’s role in mentoring student-athletes on and off the ice, and eagerness to embrace Stonehill’s mission and values made him the ideal candidate for this role.”
Berard comes to Stonehill following three years as assistant vice president/associate deputy athletic director for coaching excellence at Providence, bringing eight years of experience as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level. He has a combined 29 years of coaching experience overall, including 19 years as a Division I assistant coach with stints in Hockey East, CCHA and Atlantic Hockey. Berard, who has won over 100 games as a head coach, also gained leadership experience with USA Hockey throughout his career.
“I am honored to be selected as the next head men’s hockey coach at Stonehill College,” said Berard. “Thank you to (president) Father John Denning and Dean O’Keefe for providing me the opportunity to lead the program into a new era. I am confident with our shared vision, passion and commitment, that we will be successful in building a strong and competitive Division I hockey program. I am excited to start and look forward to the future.”
Berard served as head coach at Holy Cross for seven seasons from 2014 to 2021. He led the Crusaders to 84 wins, including 74 in Atlantic Hockey play, with three victories against nationally ranked nonconference opponents. Holy Cross enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons in Atlantic Hockey, earning three first-round byes in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.
Berard mentored nine all-Atlantic Hockey selections, two AHA all-rookie team picks and three Walter Brown Award semifinalists at Holy Cross. Three Crusaders signed professional contracts in the AHL and four of Berard’s players attended NHL development camps. Berard’s teams performed in the classroom, recording a 3.25 team GPA each semester with 118 Atlantic Hockey academic all-stars and 12 AHCA All-American scholars. He led the fundraising initiatives for both the men’s and women’s hockey programs at Holy Cross, forming a hockey alumni group for fundraising, mentorship and engagement.
Prior to taking the reins at Holy Cross, Berard was appointed as interim head coach at UConn five games into the 2012-13 season after one year as assistant coach. He led the Huskies to its first winning season since 1999-2000 with a 19-10-3 record overall, including 14-7-3 in Atlantic Hockey for a fourth-place finish and spot in the AHA semifinals.
Of his 21 years as an assistant coach, with 19 at the NCAA Division I level, 16 were spent over three stints at Providence, his alma mater. In total, Berard helped the Friars reach three Hockey East championship games, winning the 1996 title, and three NCAA Tournament appearances in 1996, 2001 and 2014. He was instrumental in recruiting talented student-athletes to Providence that included three AHCA All-Americans, seven Hockey East all-stars and five Hockey East all-rookie selections. Additionally, Berard recruited 23 NHL draft picks, 10 of which played in the NHL, and two of his recruits represented the United States as the IIHF World Junior Championship during his tenure.
Berard served as top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at CCHA member Lake Superior State from 1996 to 1998 after getting his coaching start at Colby for two years. He has been heavily involved in player development for USA Hockey at the national, district and local levels, serving as assistant coach for the USA Hockey Under-17 Select Team during the summer of 2004 that won the silver medal at the Five Nations Tournament in Germany.
In his administrative role at Providence over the three years, Berard served on the executive staff and leadership team that set strategic direction and priorities and collaborated in decision making in all athletic department matters. He served as mentor for coaching development, providing direct support and guidance for 13 Friar head coaches, served as sport administrator for the nationally ranked men’s and women’s hockey programs and was the primary institution representative at Hockey East administrative meetings.
“David’s extensive experience as both a collegiate head coach and assistant coach is impressive,” said O’Keefe. “His background as a senior athletic administrator, former student-athlete, and parent of two Division I student-athletes, provides him with the unique ability to look through a variety of critical collegiate hockey lenses in his new role.”
Berard is a 1992 graduate of Providence where he was a four-year letter-winner on the men’s hockey team, helping guide the Friars to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances.
