Robert Morris has hired Mercyhurst associate head coach Paul Colontino as the Colonials’ new head women’s coach.
Colontino replaces Nate Handrahan, who left for the same job at Ohio State earlier this offseason.
Colontino, who has coached at Mercyhurst since 2006, has over a decade of women’s hockey coaching experience at the Division I level.
“We are very excited to have Paul Colontino take the reins of our women’s ice hockey program,” Robert Morris athletic director Craig Coleman said in a statement. “Coach Colontino comes to us from one of the most successful programs in the nation and is the right coach to help our program move to the next level and beyond. Our student-athletes will be in great hands.”
Colontino also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Lakers and was able to attract numerous top-tier talents to Mercyhurst. He helped recruit the 2009-10 Patty Kazmaier Award winner, Vicki Bendus, one of four Kazmaier Award finalists Mercyhurst has earned under Colontino.
Colontino was also in charge of scheduling, monitoring academic affairs of student-athletes, preparing scouting reports of opponents, developing and conducting practices and organizing program fundraising events at Mercyhurst.
Prior to Mercyhurst, Colontino was an assistant coach at North Dakota for four years. He also played at Mercyhurst from 1996-2000, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in anthropology/archaeology. Colontino then earned a Master of Science degree from Mercyhurst in organizational leadership in 2002.
