Former Michigan Tech goaltender Tony Esposito passed away August 10) at the age of 78 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was a national champion with the Huskies in 1965, a three-time All-American, a Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and one of the NHL’s greatest goaltenders. Esposito played for the Huskies … Read more
Rensselaer has announced the hiring of Mathias Lange as an assistant coach for the men’s hockey team. A native of Klagenfurt, Austria, Lange moves over from his role as operations coordinator, which he had held since 2019. “I am excited to have Mathias’ promotion to assistant coach,” said Engineers coach Dave Smith in a statement. … Read more
Michigan State will induct eight Spartans, including former goaltender Ron Scott, into its athletics hall of fame on Friday, Sept. 24 as part of its annual “Celebrate” weekend. When Ron Scott made the decision to come to Michigan State, he was hoping to be a part of something special. Two first-team All-America selections, two first-team … Read more
Brendan Riley has been named the assistant men’s hockey coach at Wilkes. Riley played four seasons at Mercyhurst (2016-20) and spent last season coaching boys prep hockey at the Winchendon School in Massachusetts. “I’ve always known that college is where I wanted to be so why wait? Let’s get into it,” Riley told the Times … Read more
Chad Demers has been named director of hockey at Air Force. Demers returns to the academy after spending the last three seasons with the USHL’s Fargo Force, which culminated in a Western Conference championship and a trip to the Clark Cup finals last season. “We are very excited and fortunate to have Chad Demers join … Read more
Northeastern has named former Vegas Golden Knights scout and Brown University assistant coach Mike Levine as associate head coach and veteran NHL goalie Mike Condon as volunteer assistant coach (goaltending). “I am pleased to announce the additions of Mike Levine and Mike Condon to our staff,” said first-year Huskies head coach Jerry Keefe in a … Read more
After a decade leading the Western Michigan hockey program, Andy Murray has announced his resignation as head coach. In addition, Bronco hockey alum Pat Ferschweiler has been selected as the seventh head hockey coach in WMU history, pending “university HR process,” according to a news release. “I want to thank Coach Murray for his tremendous … Read more
USA Hockey announced today that NCAA coaches Ted Donato (Harvard), Kris Mayotte (Michigan) and Steve Miller (Ohio State) will serve as assistant coaches, and Theresa Feaster (Providence director of hockey operations) as video coach, for the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2021 to … Read more
Canisius announced Monday the promotion of Daniel Paille to assistant coach. A 2002 first-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres and a member of the 2011 Boston Bruins Stanley Cup championship squad, Paille spent the previous two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the Golden Griffins. “We are all excited to have Dan join … Read more
The Minnesota women’s hockey team has added assistant coaches Natalie Darwitz and Jake Bobrowski to the Gophers’ coaching staff. “We are thrilled to have both Natalie and Jake as part of our coaching staff,” Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said in a statement. “They have great coaching track records separately, but have been very dynamic … Read more
Maine has announced the hiring of assistant coach Jason Fortier. Fortier joins the Black Bears after most recently serving as the head coach of the NAHL’s Odessa Jackalopes. “Jason has been a winner at every program he has worked with,” said Maine head coach Ben Barr in a statement. “During my time as a young … Read more
Bowling Green has received a commitment from Austen Swankler, a forward who last played major junior hockey for the OHL’s Erie Otters during the 2019-20 season. He did not play during the 2020-21 season. According to a CCHA news release, Swankler and his family applied directly to the NCAA for eligibility prior to expressing interest … Read more
USA Hockey has announced that first-year St. Thomas women’s hockey head coach Joel Johnson has been named head coach for the 2022 Olympic women’s hockey team. The 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be staged Feb. 4-20 in Beijing, China. Johnson, with more than 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, will be guiding his first-ever Olympic … Read more
Longtime Minnesota State assistant men’s hockey coach Darren Blue has stepped down to take a position in the private sector. Blue was a defenseman for the Mavericks from 1991-95. A two-time team captain, Blue was a two-time Unsung Hero Award recipient and a Maverick Achievement Award recipient as a senior. Blue spent the 1999-00 season … Read more
Mack Motzko, the 20-year-old son of Minnesota men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko, died Saturday night after a car accident in Orono, Minn. The Long Lake Fire Department and Orono Police responded to the single-vehicle crash at 11:23 p.m. Saturday near 3120 North Shore Drive. “The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and … Read more
The 2021 Ice Breaker Tournament, hosted in conjunction with Holy Cross, College Hockey Inc. and the Hockey Commissioners Association, will now be played at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester, Mass. The four-team season-opening tournament featuring Northeastern, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac and Boston College is set to take place on Oct. 8-9 and was originally scheduled … Read more
The 56th annual Great Lakes Invitational will be played in a showcase format at Yost Ice Arena and Munn Ice Arena, rather than a tournament format in Detroit. Michigan Tech will play at Michigan and Michigan State will host Western Michigan on Wednesday, December 29, and then the teams will flip opponents for Thursday, December … Read more
Lake Superior State assistant coaches Zack Cisek and Mike York have both been promoted to associate head coach. In addition, Cisek and York have both agreed to terms on multi-year contract extensions. “Mike and Zack have done an outstanding job in all facets of Laker hockey,” said LSSU head coach Damon Whitten in a statement. … Read more
The second day of the 2021 NHL Draft kicked off Saturday morning and a handful of incoming NCAA college hockey players heard their names called early. Shai Buium, a defenseman who played for the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers in 2020-21, was taken by the Detroit Red Wings with the 36th overall pick. The San Diego … Read more
Michigan defenseman Owen Power became just the fourth collegiate player selected first overall on Friday, taken with the top pick by the Buffalo Sabres (File photo: University of Michigan)