Stonehill men’s hockey head coach David Borges has announced his retirement from coaching after 11 years leading the program.
He joined the Skyhawks coaching staff, first as an assistant coach, after a 26-year coaching stint with the boys hockey team at Coyle and Cassidy High School in nearby Taunton, Mass., the last nine years as varsity head coach.
“I’d like to thank Coach Borges for his service and dedication to Stonehill as our men’s ice hockey head coach for the last 11 seasons,” said Stonehill assistant VP and director of athletics Dean O’Keefe in a statement. “His leadership and mentorship to our hockey student-athletes during this time was instrumental and we sincerely appreciate his work to transition the program into its Division I era.”
“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement as head coach of the Stonehill men’s ice hockey program,” added Borges. “After 36 years of coaching ice hockey and dedicating the last decade to the Stonehill program, I decided it was time. This decision was especially challenging as I think about the team I am leaving behind. It is the players that I will miss the most, as every choice I made was aimed at their well-being and best interests, striving to offer them an outstanding college hockey experience and ensuring they had everything they needed to excel on and off the ice. To all the players, coaches, and administration past and present, ‘thank you.’ It has been an honor and privilege to coach at Stonehill and collaborate with such talented and dedicated individuals. I am forever grateful to everyone. Go Skyhawks.”
Borges, the 2014-15 Northeast-10 Conference coach of the year, led Stonehill to a program-best 102 wins and five Northeast-10 Conference championships over his 11 seasons at the helm, starting first as interim head coach when he took over the reins just four days prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. He had the interim tag removed after guiding the Skyhawks to a 16-10 record overall, including 11-0 in the NE10 to win their first of three straight regular-season titles under his watch.
Stonehill posted a 48-41-13 mark in the NE10 during its eight seasons with Borges as head coach, adding regular-season championships in 2014-15 and 2015-16 to the title during his interim season. Borges led the Skyhawks to the NE10 championship double in 2015-16, adding the first of two NE10 tournament titles under his leadership to their third-straight regular-season crown. Stonehill added a second NE10 tournament championship in 2020 with a 3-1 win over Franklin Pierce.
Borges guided Stonehill through its first two seasons of transition to the NCAA Division I level, capturing the program’s first win over a Division I opponent with its 4-2 victory over Lindenwood on Feb. 10 during the Skyhawks’ first full Division I schedule this past season.
Stonehill collected 16 all-Northeast-10 Conference awards during Borges’ time as head coach, including nine first team selections and three NE10 goaltender of the year honorees. Six Skyhawks earned NE10 all-rookie team status, with two NE10 rookies of the year. James Varney was a two-time Hockey Humanitarian Award nominee, while Stonehill’s seven NE10 academic all-conference and four College Sports Communicators academic all-district honorees were highlighted by three NE10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award honorees for their performances in the classroom as well as on the ice.
A national search for the next head coach of the Stonehill men’s hockey program will begin immediately.
