Former Amherst men’s hockey assistant Smith selected new head coach for Western New England, will be ‘focused on elevating the competitiveness and profile of the program’

Western New England has named Matt Smith as the next head coach of the Golden Bears men’s hockey team. Smith joins WNE as the seventh head coach in program history and takes over for Mike Young, who stepped down earlier this offseason. “I am thrilled to announce Matt Smith as the new head coach of … Read more

Former Western New England player Radina stays with Golden Bears as men’s hockey team’s new assistant coach

Former Western New England player Lukas Radina has been named an assistant coach at his alma mater. “Transitioning from a player to a coach at WNEU is exciting,” Radina told USPHLPremier.com. “I’m eager to leverage my on-ice experience and contribute to the team’s development from a new perspective. My NCAA years were a great learning … Read more

Entering its 40th year of competition, Commonwealth Coast Conference takes new identity, rebrands to Conference of New England

The Commonwealth Coast Conference is now the Conference of New England. The CNE, which has teams in both men’s and women’s NCAA Division III hockey, partnered with the New Jersey-based agency SKYE, leaders in sport branding, to conduct a thorough brand analysis and develop a refreshed set of logos. “This is a historic day for … Read more

Curry’s Cooper claims share of CCC player of year with Endicott’s Kurapov, adds goaltender of year for ’22-23 season

The CCC has announced its 2022-23 men’s all-conference teams and major award winners. Six of the eight CCC men’s hockey schools were represented among this year’s selections, including six players from Curry, the most of any team. Two Colonels also won major awards with goaltender Reid Cooper being voted both the 2023 CCC player of … Read more

Endicott’s O’Brien a dual CCC winner, picking up conference player, goalie of year awards for ’21-22 campaign

The Commonwealth Coast Conference recently announced its 2021-22 all-conference teams and major award winners. Voting for the all-CCC teams and major awards was conducted by the eight CCC men’s head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season. Endicott goaltender Conor O’Brien took home two major awards as he was voted both CCC Player of … Read more

Heffernan leaves Western New England bench, takes junior hockey job with EHL’s Chiefs

After 12 years as Western New England’s coach, Greg Heffernan has stepped down to become the coach and general manager of the EHL’s Connecticut Chiefs. Western New England did not play during the 2020-21 season. Heffernan finishes with an 81-181-18 mark behind the bench at WNE. “We are extraordinarily pleased to bring a coach of … Read more

Rivier tabs Williams assistant Sorenson as first coach for new D-III men’s hockey team, which starts in ’21-22

Rivier has named Eric Sorenson as the first head coach for its new NCAA Division III men’s hockey program, set to launch with the 2021-22 season. Currently an assistant coach at Williams, Sorenson joins the Raiders with a wealth of experience in player recruitment, development, and coaching. “We are pleased to welcome Eric to Raiders … Read more

Trine names Western New England assistant Keiser to same role with Thunder

Trine has named Austin Keiser the program’s first assistant coach. Keiser most recently worked as an assistant coach at Western New England, his alma mater. He served as the team’s strength and conditioning coordinator while working on player/goalie skill development and systems development and implementation. “I am excited to be a part of history with … Read more

Nichols looking for another ECAC Northeast title run, but Bison have long road ahead

While coach Kevin Swallow has departed last year’s conference champion Nichols team for the same position at the University of New England, the expectations remain the same this season. Parker Burgess takes over in his first head coaching job looking to build on his experience out west as an assistant with St. Thomas. “I really … Read more

Coaches agree ECAC Northeast a ‘pretty challenging’ league

Avoiding the “sophomore slump” is often referred to a player who’s entering his second year after a decent first year. For Nichols’ Kevin Swallow and Curry’s T.J. Manastersky, they will try to avoid the sophomore slump as head coaches. Both had outstanding rookie campaigns in 2012-13, going 17-9-1 and 11-12-4, respectively. “I think every day … Read more