INCH UPDATE DESK

July 27, 2005
Gendron Joins UMass Staff

Dennis "Red" Gendron, who has spent the past 12 years coaching at the collegiate, U.S. National Development, junior and pro levels, has been named an assistant coach at Massachusetts.

Gendron spent the 2004-05 season as the head coach of the USHL's Indiana Ice after having spent the previous 11 seasons with the New Jersey Devils' organization. Gendron was a scout and assistant coach with the Devils when they won the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003. He also served as the head coach of the Devils' AHL affiliate, the Albany River Rats, for the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

"We are delighted to have Red join our staff," said head coach Don Cahoon. "This completes the reorganization of our office as we go into the next generation of the 'Mass Attack.' His background speaks for itself and his qualifications will allow our team to grow and compete at its highest level ever."

This will be Gendron's second stint within Hockey East, having been an assistant coach at Maine during the 1992-93 season. He has also been an assistant coach for the U.S. team at the 1993, 2001 and 2002 World Junior Championships and served on the staff of several U.S. Select-16 and 17 teams.

"I am extremely excited to be here at the University of Massachusetts and consider it an honor to be working with Toot," said Gendron. "It's an exciting time to be a part of the UMass hockey program and I look forward to being a part of it."

July 21, 2005
Dexter Returns to Colgate as Assistant Coach

Colgate head coach Don Vaughan has named Brad Dexter an assistant coach on the Raider staff. Dexter, a 1996 Colgate graduate and second-team All-American, had previously spent a year as an assistant coach at Clarkson, and returns to college coaching after completing his professional career.

"I am very excited that Brad will be joining our staff," Vaughan said. "He has a great passion for the game, and he has coached at the Division I level. His recent playing experience will be a great benefit to our players. As a Colgate graduate and All-America defenseman, he has a strong sense of what it takes to succeed at Colgate as a student-athlete."

Last year, Dexter finished as the second-leading scorer and served as team captain for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL. He registered seven goals and 28 assists for 35 points in 49 games, and was voted to start in the ECHL All-Star Game. While he was sidelined for 23 games with an injury, Dexter filled in as an assistant coach, working primarily with the defense.

During the 2001-02 season, Dexter hung up his skates to serve as an assistant coach at Clarkson. That year, he helped coach the Golden Knights to a 17-15-6 overall record and a second-place finish in the ECAC with an 11-6-5 league mark.

July 21, 2005
NMU Names John Olver Assistant Coach

John Olver, who had been the head coach of the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads, has joined Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle's staff as an assistant coach. Olver, whose son Darin is a member of the Wildcats and whose younger son Mark has verbally committed to the school, spent five years in Idaho and won the Kelly Cup in 2004.

“This is a major move for our program," said Kyle. "With Dave Shyiak leaving (to become head coach at Alaska Anchorage), I thought that we would have a difficult time finding someone with that kind of experience and ability, but we found it in John. He is one of my closest friends and I have used him as a resource for recruiting. He already has some experience with the program. John has experiences with many different areas of hockey which will help the program.”

Olver, who played collegiately at Michigan, also has experience coaching in the WCHL, WHL and BCHL.

July 19, 2005
Union Names Bennett Assistant Coach

Rick Bennett, a five-year veteran of the Providence coaching staff, has been named Union's assistant coach, Dutchmen head coach Nate Leaman has announced.

"We are extremely pleased to have someone with Rick's character, work ethic, and experience on our staff," Leaman said in a statement. "He has coached at the collegiate level for five years and has also had playing experience at the highest level. He will be a real asset to the program."

A 1990 graduate of Providence, Bennett was a four-year standout for the Friars and ranks 21st all-time in scoring with 134 points (50 goals, 84 assists). He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach after a professional career in the ECHL, AHL and NHL.

July 15, 2005
Four Days Later, Heenan Leaves Union

Union hired Gary Heenan as an assistant hockey coach on Monday, and four days later he resigned to return to his former post as head coach of Utica College.

Heenan's resignation came after meeting with Union head coach Nate Leaman on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss comments Heenan made to Utica Observer-Dispatch sports writer Craig Muder for an article published in Tuesday's edition.

In that article, Heenan said:

• "The obvious progression is to become the second assistant, but there you do a lot of grunt work and I felt I was beyond that professionally."

• "I envisioned myself going to a much larger school than Union. But with a first assistant's position and going with a coach that's in demand like Nate, that was attractive to me. Nate just coached the under-18 team to a gold medal. I don't think he'll be there all that long."

Leaman read the article online Tuesday evening and was concerned about some of the quotes. He met with Heenan in Schenectady on Wednesday and Heenan also met with Union Director of Athletics Jim McLaughlin.

Leaman and Heenan met again on Thursday at which time it was decided that Heenan would resign from his new position and return to be the head coach at Utica, a Division III program.

"Comments in the article caused some concern that there may be some disrespect to Union College, the alums of the hockey program that have worn the jersey with a lot of pride, myself, and assistant coach Bill Riga," Leaman said.

"It's an honor to be involved with Union College and its hockey program. I am very happy with the direction of the administration and our program. I'm proud of the opportunity to help lead the program, as well as the players and coaches that have come before us in the history of this program."

Leaman plans to resume his search for an assistant immediately.

— Joe Gladziszewski

July 15, 2005
Colgate Promotes Dickson

Colgate head coach Don Vaughan has promoted Andrew Dickson, a former Raider captain and six-year member of the coaching staff, to the team's top assistant coaching position that was recently vacated by Stan Moore.

"Andrew Dickson is the best person for this job," Vaughan said. "He has had a major impact on Colgate hockey for years, first as a player and more recently as an assistant coach. When it comes to assistant coaches, he is the complete package. He has proven himself to be an excellent recruiter who also has a great mind for the game. He relates very well to the student-athletes and he knows exactly what it takes to be successful at Colgate both as a hockey player and as a student. In recent years, he has been our primary recruiter responsible for attracting many of our top players to Colgate. He is also a very good coach, and his contributions to our team's recent on-ice success should not be underestimated. I am excited for Andrew and our players and I am looking forward to working with him in his new role as our top assistant coach."

July 13, 2005
Mercyhurst Names Ferraris Assistant Coach

Mercyhurst announced that Bobby Ferraris, an assistant coach at American International the past two seasons, has joined Rick Gotkin's staff as an assistant coach. Ferraris replaced Dave Smith, who took over as the head coach at Canisius.

Prior to American International, Ferraris spent a combined three years as assistant coach for both New Haven and Utica of the United Hockey League before serving as head coach of the Connecticut Junior Wolves (MJHL) in 2002-03.

July 12, 2005
Caron Leaves Merrimack for QMJHL

Tuesday the St. John Sea Dogs, an expansion team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, announced the signing of defenseman Jeff Caron, Merrimack's third-leading scorer this past season.

Caron, who would have been a junior for the Warriors this fall, had 5-20—25 totals while playing in all 36 games this past season. He ranked fifth among Hockey East defensemen in points and 17th nationally among defensemen in points per game (0.69).

"Jeff's offensive skills as a defenceman stand out," said Bob "Tipper" LeBlanc, general manager of the Sea Dogs, in the team's press release.

"I just felt there would be a better opportunity for me to further develop in Saint John," Caron told the Moncton (New Brunswick) Times & Transcript. "I wouldn't be leaving school if I didn't want to play pro hockey."

Caron was ranked 140th among North American skaters eligible for the 2005 NHL Draft in the Central Scouting Service's mid-season rankings.

July 12, 2005
Union Hires Heenan as Assistant Coach

Gary Heenan, the former head coach at Utica College, has joined head coach Nate Leaman's staff at Union as an assistant coach.

Heenan, who helped start the Utica program four years ago, fills the role left vacant by Tony Gasparini, who moved back to the Midwest with his family.

"It’s a career opportunity for me, and one I had to feel comfortable with," Heenan told Ken Schott of the Schenectady Daily Gazette. "I had a really nice position and success where I was in the past."

July 11, 2005
Foley Joins NTDP Staff

Former New Hampshire captain Pat Foley has been named assistant coach for USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, the NTDP's director of operations, Scott Monaghan, announced Monday. Foley, who takes the place of Darrin Madeley, will work primarily with the U.S. Under-18 Team.

"Pat is an extraordinary young man with a great future in the game," said Monaghan. "He will bring a great perspective, as a former NTDP player, for both our players and staff."

Foley is a 2004 graduate of UNH, where he was only the second player in Wildcat history to serve as a captain for three consecutive seasons. He is also a former captain of the U.S. National Junior Team and a former member of the NTDP.

July 6, 2005
Gopher Recruit Mueller Turns to WHL

Peter Mueller, a highly rated forward who had committed to Minnesota for the fall of 2006, has decided to forgo his college career and join the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League.

Mueller spent last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor. Tuesday evening he informed the NTDP and Gopher head coach Don Lucia of his decision.

July 6, 2005
Moore Leaves Colgate for Providence

Stan Moore, the Colgate assistant coach who was the ECAC Coach of the Year while serving as the Raiders' interim head coach two years ago, has joined Tim Army's staff as an assistant coach at Providence. Army also announced that he has retained Friar assistant coach David Berard.

Moore and Army were both on Mike McShane's Providence staff more than 10 years ago.

"Stan provides a wealth of coaching experience," Army said. "He's a knowledgeable hockey person, an excellent recruiter and a personality that will relate very well to our players. We've been very close over the years and I'm thrilled that he's returned to Providence College."

"I have enjoyed 11 wonderful years at Colgate," Moore said. "While I am excited about the opportunity to work with head coach Tim Army, I will greatly miss my affiliation with Colgate and the Hamilton community. I wish head coach Don Vaughan, his staff and the players the very best as they continue to elevate Raider hockey to greater national prominence."

Prior to his stint at Colgate, Moore had been the head coach at Union, where he was the ECAC Coach of the Year in 1996-97.

Berard, the lone holdover from Paul Pooley's Providence staff, will be entering his 10th season with the Friars.

July 5, 2005
Canisius' Smith Names Staff

New Canisius head coach Dave Smith completed his staff on Tuesday, naming Mike Mankowski and Chris Bernard as assistant coaches for the Golden Griffins. Mankowski is a former general manager and head coach of the Toledo IceDiggers of the North American Hockey League, while Bernard was a four-time letterwinner at Clarkson and founder of Goaltender Enhancement Programs, LLC.

“We are very excited to have Mike and Chris join the Canisius hockey family,” said head coach Dave Smith. “Mike and Chris have extensive backgrounds in various levels of junior, college and professional hockey. They bring with them professionalism, character and a sense of Jesuit values and principles to our program.”

July 1, 2005
Cornell's Schafer Signs Extension

Cornell coach Mike Schafer has agreed to a long-term contract extension to stay at his alma mater, athletics director J. Andrew Noel announced Friday. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.

"Cornell has established itself as one of the top programs in the country," Schafer said in a statement. "With the support of the university administration, the athletic department, the alumni, my assistant coaches and fans, I feel that we have developed a community that is united in maintaining a program of excellence, and I believe we will ultimately reach our goal of winning a national championship."

Under Schafer's watch, the Big Red has won three ECACHL regular-season championships, four conference tournament titles and made five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Frozen Four berth in 2003. With a career record of 199-103-3, his .643 winning percentage ranks sixth among active coaches.

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