COACHES
CLAUDE MORIN
Athletic Director - Cegep Andre-Laurendeau
Apex Sports Camp Director - Clarkson Alumni 1995
Morin retired from professional hockey in May 2009, after a 14 year career in Europe and North America, winning two Allan Cups (National champions) in 2002 & 2004, one Bolton Cup (Eastern Canadian champions) in 2002 with the St-Georges Garaga, a Futura Cup as NAHL playoff champions in his final season in 2009 with Pont-Rouge, he also won the Guy Lafleur trophy as the NAHL scoring leader in 2002-2003
A graduate of Clarkson University in communications, Morin enjoyed a successful college career as a forward scoring 208 points over his 4 years at Kent State and Clarkson. Morin was named team MVP in his freshman and junior season at Kent State and led the Golden Flashes in scoring in each of his three seasons from 1991 to 1994. His 59 points as a sophomore placed him 15th in the nation and 5th in CCHA scoring. He also earned honorable mention on the CCHA All-Academic Team as a sophomore and was named team captain as a junior.
In his last season at Clarkson, he helped the Golden Knights capture first place in the ECAC before losing to Lake Superior State in the NCAA tournament. Morin earned ECAC honorable mention and was the recipient of the Paul J. Pilon memorial award given to the senior who has excelled both as a student and a hockey player. He also took part in the 1995 Shrine East/West senior all-star classic.
Prior to college, he played junior hockey for the Notre-Dame Hounds in Saskatchewan.
A native of Sainte-Marie de Beauce, Qc, Morin lives in St-Jean sur Richelieu with his girlfriend Manon and has a daughter Yamila and two sons Eliott and Yohan.
NORM BAZIN
Head Coach - UMASS Lowell University - Hockey East
Bazin owns a 236-130-36 record (.632 win%) in his 11 seasons as the River Hawks’ head coach. He is the second winningest coach in the program's history, behind Bill Riley with 363 wins. His .632 win percentage ranks fourth in the country among active coaches with at least 100 wins. He has posted a 138-87-27 record in Hockey East regular-season play in his time at UMass Lowell, which ranks first among active Hockey East coaches and second all-time behind only Jerry York (160-72-25). In Hockey East Tournament action, Bazin boasts a 24-13-0, once again taking the top spot among active coaches in the league.
Throughout his coaching career, Bazin has coached 15 All-Americans, 36 All-League Players and 29 players who have played in the National Hockey League. More recently, eight of his players at UMass Lowell have gone onto play at the top level, including Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Chad Ruhwedel, C.J. Smith, Michael Kapla, Christian Folin, Scott Wilson, Joe Gambardella and Kevin Boyle. Ruhwedel, Wilson and Hainsey also have their names etched on the Stanley Cup, as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins teams that won titles in 2016 and 2017.
In 2012-13, Bazin guided UMass Lowell (28-11-2 overall, 16-9-2 in Hockey East) to a historic season, which included several firsts: the Hockey East regular-season and tournament championships, the NCAA Tournament Northeast Region Championship, as well as the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four. Along the way, Bazin was named the Hockey East Coach of the Year for the second straight year, as well as the recipient of the Spencer Penrose Award for Division I Men's Coach of the Year.
Bazin’s 19-win increase in his inaugural 2011-12 campaign from 2010-11 set an NCAA Division I record for largest turnaround by a first-year head coach.
He was named the sixth head coach in UMass Lowell’s history on April 21, 2011. His return to the university came after three successful seasons as head coach at Hamilton College, and eight years as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Colorado College.
Bazin was a forward on the hockey team at UMass Lowell from 1990-94 playing for legendary coach Bill Riley and Bruce Crowder. He also served as an assistant coach for the River Hawks from 1996-2000 under then head coach Tim Whitehead, helping to guide the River Hawks to Hockey East Tournament semifinal appearances in 1997 and 1998. He was integral in recruiting standouts, such as All-American and NHL veteran Ron Hainsey, as well as Hockey East all-star Brad Rooney (`01); Yorick Treille ('02) and Laurent Meunier ('02), both members of the French Olympic squad at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Bazin received his bachelor's degree in criminal justice in just three and a half years at UMass Lowell and earned his master's degree in education administration in 1999. A native of Notre Dame de Lourdes, Manitoba, he played professionally for the Birmingham Bulls (ECHL) and the Cincinnati Cyclones (IHL) in 1994-95.
Bazin has two sons, Blake and Coleston. He resides in Windham, N.H.
CASEY JONES
Head Coach - Clarkson University - ECAC
Leonard S. Ceglarski Endowed Chair
Casey Jones enters his 11th season as Clarkson University's Head Coach.
Selected the Tim Taylor ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year in 2019 and named a finalist for the award several times during his career at Clarkson, Jones has established the Golden Knights program as one of the best in the nation. He has also been a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, presented annually to the CCM/AHCA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Coach of the Year.
Through his first ten seasons behind the Clarkson bench, Jones has guided the Green and Gold to a 179-142-45 overall record. Over the past six years, Jones has directed Clarkson to four 20-win campaigns and 121 victories, including 67 in the conference, and .629 winning percentage. The Knights have place in the top three of the ECAC Hockey standings in each of the past four years and advanced to the league’s championship tournament in Lake Placid in three of the last four seasons. Clarkson won the program’s sixth ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament title in 2019. The Knights have participated in two NCAA Tournaments in the last four years (would have qualified for the 2020 tournament before it was canceled due to COVID).
Under the guidance of Jones and his staff, assistant coaches Josh Hauge and Mike Towns, strength and conditioning coach Tad Johnson and volunteer coach Andrew Mercer, Clarkson skated to its best regular season in over 20 years with a 23-8-3 overall record. The Knights place second in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 16-5-1 mark, its most league victories since winning 18 in 1998-99. The Green and Gold were poised for postseason success and were rated ninth in the final NCAA Pairwise rankings before the COVID 19 pandemic forced an abrupt end to the college hockey season in early March.
The crowds at Cheel Arena have also progressively increased with Jones behind the bench, making the Green and Gold’s home ice one of the most intimidating venues for opposing teams in the nation. The Knights were very strong at Cheel once again in 2019-20, boasting 12-5 mark in Potsdam, tied for the seventh most home victories in the country.
Jones Year-by-Year at Clarkson
Renowned as a top recruiter, Jones and his staff have brought to Clarkson some of the finest student-athletes in the country. Ten Golden Knights have been selected in the National Hockey League entry draft during Jones’ time behind the Clarkson bench. The past four seasons, Clarkson has boasted some of the top freshman classes in the country, giving the Green and Gold a solid foundation for continued success in ECAC and NCAA Hockey.
Numerous Knights have earned postseason honors during Jones’ tenure. This past season Frank Marotte ’20 was named an All-American along with earning ECAC Hockey’s Goaltender of the Year award. Marotte joins Sheldon Rempal ’18, Kelly Summers ’18 and Nico Sturm ’19 who have earned All-American honors over the past three seasons. For third consecutive season a Golden Knight was named ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Forward as Josh Dunne earned the honor in 2020, following two-time winner Sturm (2018, 2019).
The Knights have also excelled in the classroom with Jones as head coach. Clarkson was one of only two men's hockey teams in the country ranked in the top 10 in both the NCAA Academic Progress Rates and the final NCAA Pairwise. The Knights were recognized for academic excellence after scoring in the top 10 percent of their sport in the most recent NCAA Academic Progress Rates, the third year in a row the Knights gained this notice. Zach Tsekos became the third Clarkson player in the last eight years and second in the past two seasons to be honored with the prestigious ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award, joining Matt Zarbo (2013) and Devin Brosseau (2019).
After an extensive national search, Jones returned to the University after serving the previous three years as associate coach at Cornell. A native of Temiscaming, Quebec, Jones has recruited players and/or coached teams that have participated in the NCAA Tournament nine times, including three schools and in two different leagues.
He worked as an assistant for the Golden Knights under head coach Mark Morris from 1993-95. He spent 13 years (1995-2008) at Ohio State as a coach before returning to ECAC Hockey when he joined the staff at his alma mater, Cornell, for the 2008-09 campaign.
The 11th head coach in the Knights' lengthy history, Jones stated about the position upon his hiring, "It’s a fantastic opportunity here at Clarkson. The great thing about this opportunity is the program is rich in tradition. It’s a job that has a history of winning and it’s why I am coming here."
Prior to taking the head job at Clarkson, Jones helped Cornell return to the NCAA tournament twice, and the ECAC championship game each year. Jones also spent 13 years in the CCHA at Ohio State, as associate head coach for the Buckeyes before taking the associate head coach position with the Big Red.
At OSU, he recruited the talent that gave the institution its national place in college hockey as the Buckeyes qualified for the NCAA Tournament seven times with players that he recruited, including a Frozen Four appearance. During his tenure at OSU, Jones served as the program's recruiting coordinator, a position he excelled at as he had five players drafted in the first two rounds of the National Hockey League Entry Draft.
When Jones was at Clarkson from 1993 to 1995, he contributed to the Golden Knights 43-19-9 record, an ECAC Hockey championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament in 1995.
After graduating from Cornell in 1990, he served two years as an assistant coach for the Big Red from 1991-93. He recruited players that helped Cornell win back-to-back ECAC Tr. titles in 1996 and 1997.
Jones was a four-year letter winner as a player for the Big Red, serving as team captain in 1989-90. For his career, he scored 112 points on 30 goals and 82 assists while playing in 110 contests. He was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 10th-round of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft.
Jones and his wife, Kimberlee a Cornell graduate, make their home in Potsdam with their daughter, Gabrielle, and son, Bryan.
Josh Hauge
Head Coach - Union College - ECAC
Josh Hauge was named the 22nd head coach of the Union College men’s hockey program on April 15, 2022 and will begin his first season in Schenectady in 2022-23.
Hauge is the seventh head coach in the program’s Division I era, which began in 1991.
“We are incredibly excited to have Josh Hauge as the next head coach of our men’s hockey program at Union College,” McLaughlin said. “Josh stood out among an impressive pool of candidates given his experience at multiple levels of junior and collegiate hockey as well as his vision for the future of this program.”
Hauge finished his seventh season on the bench at fellow ECAC Hockey member Clarkson University in 2021-22, including the last three years as the associate head coach alongside Casey Jones. In that time, Hauge played a large role in recruiting and player development for the Golden Knights, helping Clarkson post five 20-win seasons, capture the 2019 Whitelaw Cup as the ECAC Hockey Tournament champions, and appear in two NCAA Tournaments.
Before his time in the North Country, Hauge spent four seasons in the USHL, first as the head coach and general manager of the Tri-City Storm before assuming the roles of assistant coach and director of scouting for the Fargo Force. He also previously coached the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL for five years as well, compiling a 131-58-45 record (.656) that included the 2011 Robertson Cup.
Hauge played collegiately at Division III Bethel University, appearing in 76 games over three seasons for the Royals.
A native of Rosemount, Minn., Hauge will be joined in the Capital Region by his wife, Allison, and two sons, Hanley and Landry.
DAVE NOËL-BERNIER
Assistant Coach - Omaha University - NCHC
Noel-Bernier was an original Maverick, playing forward in the first four years of the program. The native of Montmagny, Quebec appeared in 138 games for UNO, scoring 24 goals and 26 assists for 50 points. He was a two-time CCHA Scholar Athlete, graduating from UNO with a degree in exercise science in 2001.
Noel-Bernier spent the 2015-17 hockey seasons as an assistant coach for the Detroit Red Wings, working with players both on-ice and in video sessions. He was responsible for skill development, scouting reports of opponents and both in-game and post-game breakdown of video.
After graduation, Noel-Bernier spent six seasons as a professional player in North America and Germany. He returned to his alma mater in 2007 and served as the Director of Hockey Operations and Assistant Strength Coach for three seasons. In 2010, he joined the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL as an assistant coach and Assistant General Manager, working three seasons there as both an on-ice coach and in recruiting.
Noel-Bernier spent the 2013-14 season as the hockey director of the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Blades Association before returning to coaching as an assistant coach of the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Among other duties there, he ran the team's power play and coached the forwards.
JOE HOWE
Assistant Coach - Yale University - ECAC - IVY LEAGUE
Joe Howe, a goalie at Colorado College who went on to win a national championship on the staff of the University of Denver, joined the Yale Men’s Hockey Team as an assistant in July of 2021.
Howe spent the previous three winters at Alaska-Fairbanks, where he worked with all three positions as well as the power play for the Nanooks.
Prior to UAF, he spent three seasons with Denver, serving as the team's volunteer assistant coach and goalie coach from August of 2015 through July 2017 before being promoted to the Director of Hockey Operations for the 2017-18 season.
Howe helped the Pioneers claim the 2017 NCAA Championship after winning the NCHC regular season title. Denver made it to the 2016 Frozen Four and won the 2018 NCHC Tournament.
While working as the goalie coach for DU, his netminders improved in goals against average, save percentage, games played and wins from the previous seasons. Howe coached Tanner Jaillet, who was the 2017 Mike Richter Award winner, the NCHC Goalie of the Year and a second-team All-American.
A goaltender from Plymouth, Minn., Howe played four seasons with Colorado College from 2009-2013. He appeared in 119 career games with the Tigers and is currently ranked third in career saves at CC. Howe was a three-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team selection before graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematical economics in May of 2013.
From 2013-2015, Howe played professionally in the Central Hockey League (CHL), the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).
STEPHEN WIEDLER
Assistant Coach - Vermont University - Hockey East
An Assistant Coach from 2015-2018 at AIC, Wiedler earned the title of Associate Head Coach in his final year (2019-2020). His responsibilities included being the recruiting coordinator, running the penalty kill, and developing the defense.
As the recruiting coordinator at AIC, Wiedler helped build the 2018-19 and 2019-20 AIC teams that won back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Conference (AHC) regular season championships. During his tenure at AIC recruiting highlights included AIC's first Division I All-American, the 2020 Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award Winner, the 2020 AHC Goaltending Champion, the 2019 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Most Outstanding Player, the 2019 AHC Scoring Champion, the 2018 AHC Rookie of the Year, 11 AHC All-Conference selections, AIC's all-time points leader, AIC's all-time defenseman scoring leader, AIC's wins and shutouts leader, and two AIC Valedictorians.
Under Wiedler's tutelage, the team's defense had great success, allowing a mere 52 goals in 28 AHC games during the 2019-20 campaign, the fewest in AIC's history and second-fewest in AHC history. Furthermore, AIC defenseman saw a 275% increase in goals scored, a 77% increase in assists, and a 95% increase in total points during that time. A key to the defensive success was the team's penalty kill, which under Wiedler's direction operated at a program-best 89% making it the fourth ranked penalty kill in the nation in 2019-2020.
Wiedler, a native of Farmingville, New York, spent two seasons as an assistant coach at DIII Curry College in Milton, MA prior to his time at AIC. He had a two-year professional playing career with the Knoxville Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League and played collegiately at the University of Southern Maine, graduating in 2011 as team captain with a degree in history.
MARK PHALON
Associate Head Coach - Niagara University - Atlantic Hockey
Mark Phalon joined the Niagara University men's hockey staff as associate head coach prior to the 2020-21 season.
Phalon is moving back east following a two-year stint on the coaching staff at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Prior to working with the Seawolves, he spent three seasons at Hobart College in Geneva, New York. Phalon's resume also boasts work with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the AHL's Toronto Marlies, and St. Lawrence University.
Phalon graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from SUNY-Potsdam in 2007 and a master's degree in educational leadership from St. Lawrence in 2008.
MIKE AIKENS
Assistant Coach - St-Lawrence University, ECAC
Aikens joined the St. Lawrence men's hockey staff as an assistant coach in September 2022
Aikens joins the Scarlet and Brown after spending last season as the head coach of the Anchorage Wolverines in the NAHL. The Rochester, Minnesota native led the team to a 33-19-4 regular season record and an 8-2 record in the Robertson Cup Playoffs, where the team advanced to the league finals.
Aikens has extensive coaching experience at the junior level coaching in the USHL, NAHL, and BCHL. He served as a head coach for the Rochester Mustangs, Billings Bulls, Williams Lake Timberwolves, Omaha Lancers, and the Alaska Wolverines, and has been an assistant coach for the Omaha Lancers, Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks, Chicago Steel, and the Topeka Roadrunners.
A 2013 graduate of Bellevue University, Aikens played for the University of Denver for 27 games scoring five goals and tallying four assists his freshman year before being suffering an injury and being forced to pivot into a student coaching role with the Pioneers.
ALFIE MICHAUD
Assistant Coach - Maine University - Hockey East
Michaud, who spent the 2016-17 season as a volunteer goaltending coach with the Black Bears, was promoted to a full-time assistant coaching role on May 26, 2017.
During his first season as a full-time assistant coach, Jeremy Swayman joined the Black Bears as an incoming freshman. Michaud guided Swayman throughout his 100 career games.
The Anchorage, Alaska native earned a closet full of accolades during his time with Michaud:
- Six Hockey East weekly awards (Rookie, Defensive, and Player) and one Hockey East Rookie of the Month honor during the 2017-18 season
- Hockey East Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team
- Four Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week awards during the 2018-19 season
- Hockey East Third Team All-Star
- Three Hockey East weekly awards (Defensive and Player) and one Goaltender of the Month honor during the 2019-20 season
- 68th Walter Brown Award Winner
- Hockey East First Team All-Star and Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Year
- First Maine Goaltender to be named Hockey East Player of the Year
- Named First Team All-American
- Won the Seventh Mike Richter Award
- One of the Three Finalists for the Hobey Baker Award
Swayman finished the 2017-18 regular season with the league's third-best save percentage at .921, a number that placed him fourth nationally among rookie netminders and 17th overall. Swayman went 15-12-3 in his first season in Orono, earning the most wins by a Maine freshman goaltender since Ben Bishop went 21-8-2 in his rookie season. He had 17 games that year in which he made 30-plus saves. In Maine's two-game set at Quinnipiac on Dec. 8 and 9, Swayman registered 50 saves in a 7-4 win on Friday and another 45 saves in a 5-3 win on Saturday for a weekend total of 95. It was the highest single-weekend save total for a Maine goaltender since Alfie Michaud made 93 saves (51, 42) in January 1998. He was the only player during the 2017-18 season to have earned at least one Rookie, Player and Defensive Player of the Week award.
The Anchorage, Alaska native completed his sophomore season with 35 games played, a .919 save percentage, a 2.77 GAA, and 14 wins. Swayman eclipsed the 30-save mark 19 times during the season. His season high of 53 saves came in the Alfond against #2 UMass and Cale Maker. The sophomore led the Black Bears to a 4-3 victory against the eventual national runners-up.
During the 2019-20 Hockey East regular season, Swayman led the league in saves (782), save percentage (.932), tied for the lead in shutouts (3), while his 12 wins in Hockey East tied for second. The junior's 782 saves in conference action was the 10th-most of any goaltender in league history and the highest single-season total since 2010-11. Overall, Swayman carried a record of 18-11-5, led the NCAA in saves with a Maine school-record 1,099 stops, and posted a .939 save percentage (second in the country). Swayman was just the fifth Black Bear to earn Top Goaltending league honors and the first since Jimmy Howard did so in 2004.
Swayman is now the back-up goaltender for the Boston Bruins. In his 10 starts for the Bruins, Swayman posted a 7-3 record, a 1.50 GAA, and a .945 save percentage. He also won eight games for the Providence Bruins and was named an Atlantic Division All-Star.
During his playing days with the Black Bears, Michaud helped guide the University of Maine to its second NCAA National Championship in 1999, earning the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player accolade and an NCAA All-Tournament team recognition. In 1998 Michaud was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament team.
Following his graduation from the University of Maine in 1999, Michaud spent parts of 16 years in as a goaltender in the professional ranks, including stints with the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks and the American Hockey League's Syracuse Crunch and Manitoba Moose.
Aside from his playing career, Michaud has built an impressive coaching and mentoring resume. Since 2010, he has been the owner and coach of Dream Catcher's Hockey which offers private coaching and clinics. Michaud spent a year as the head coach of the U18 Portland Junior Pirates before being named goalie coach for the Portland Pirates in 2014. He spent a year with Portland's AHL club before opening RISE Sport Testing, a developmental testing agency for schools and various sports. Michaud is also a member of NHL Native Alumni Association.
ZACK CISEK
Assistant Coach - Miami University, NCHC
Miami Hockey head coach Chris Bergeron announced the hiring of assistant coach Zack Cisek to the RedHawks' staff in September 2022. Cisek spent the previous four seasons at Lake Superior State, first as an assistant coach and most recently as associate head coach. He returns to Oxford after serving as a Miami graduate assistant from 2015-2017.
"Miami Hockey is really excited to add Zack and his wife Emily to our family," Bergeron said. "Barry Schutte and I went through an extensive process of talking to people inside and outside of college hockey. Zack kept coming back as the best fit for our program. We are looking forward to him joining the staff."
During Cisek's time at LSSU, the Lakers won the 2021 WCHA tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. Lake Superior State finished that 2020-21 season 19-7-3, posting a 13-6-0 mark in conference play. The Lakers also won 23 games in Cisek's first season with the program (2018-19), the most in a dozen years.
Last year's LSSU team defeated No. 1 ranked and eventual national runners-up Minnesota State and produced two All-CCHA Second Team performers as well as an All-CCHA Rookie Team honoree. The Lakers won five of their last six regular-season games and recorded a total of 18 wins in the 2021-22 season.
Cisek's duties at LSSU included goaltender development, video analysis, prescouts for upcoming opponents, overseeing the penalty kill and power play. He also led individual and small group sessions, organized and ran the Laker Hockey School Summer Youth Camps, and served as the program's co-head of recruiting.
Cisek spent the 2017-18 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Notre Dame, where he was responsible for goaltender development, practice planning, individual film sessions, and postgame film analysis and player evaluation. That team won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships, advancing to the title game at the NCAA Frozen Four. Irish goaltender Cale Morris was a Hobey Baker Award Top 10 finalist that season, winning the Mike Richter Award and Big Ten Player of the Year awards as well.
Cisek was a goaltender for Michigan State from 2013-15, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a three-year Dean's List recipient. Cisek holds a Master's in Kinesiology and Health from Miami University, which he earned in 2017.
"I am incredibly excited to be back in Oxford," Cisek said. "I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a respected and dedicated staff and I cannot wait to jump right in. Most importantly, I look forward to building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes and working together to build upon what Coach Bergeron and his staff have already established. Love and Honor!"
JUNIOR LESSARD
Hobey Baker winner 2004 - University of Minnesota Duluth - NCHC
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award annually honors the top player in Division I college hockey in the U.S. The first round of balloting, done by all 58 Division I college coaches and a fan ballot, determined the top ten finalists. The Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists was senior goalie Yann Danis of Brown University and sophomore forward Zach Parise of the University of North Dakota. Junior Lessard is the only player from the Province of Quebec and the ninth Canadian to win this prestigious award.
Lessard was selected to the All-WCHA First Team andwas honored with the illustrious award of WCHA Player of the Year for 2003-04. Lessard helped the Bulldogs advance to the Frozen Four for the first time in 11years. He was rewarded for his efforts by being named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team.
After graduation Junior Lessard played with the Dallas Stars, Atlanta Trashers, as well the New York Islanders organization. He also skated in Europe for SM-Liiga team Ilves and the Augsburg Panthers of the DEL.
His pro career took him to Idaho where he played with the Steel heads of the ECHL and back to Quebec with the Thetford Mines Isothermic of the NAHL where he won the CANAM Cup in 2013 before retiring. Lessard is now an english teacher, he also owns a hockey school and is an assistant coach with the Polyvalente Veilleux Juvenile D1 hockey team in his hometown.
BEN GUITE
Head Coach - Bowdoin College, NESCAC
Ben Guite was named head coach of the Bowdoin men's ice hockey team in July of 2022. A 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, Guite brings a breadth of playing and coaching experience into becoming the tenth coach in the storied history of Polar Bear ice hockey, and just the fourth since 1959.
“I am thrilled to welcome Ben Guite to our community at Bowdoin,” said Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan. “Ben brings an extensive hockey playing and coaching background to Bowdoin and I am excited for our players, alumni, and community members to get to know him, as the thoughtful and caring person he is truly defines him much more than his considerable hockey accomplishments.”
“My family and I are very excited to join the Bowdoin community and contribute to its rich hockey program,” said Guite. “Thank you to Tim Ryan, Alice Wiercinski and President Clayton Rose for entrusting in me the responsibility to develop our players into future community leaders while pursuing excellence in the classroom and on the ice.”
"Through each step of the search process, Ben continually impressed the committee with his deep-rooted, personal commitment to his athletes, combined with a contagious passion for the sport," said Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator Alice Wiercinski. "His proven experience as a high-achieving player, coach, and educator will benefit our students and community and will position our men's hockey program well moving forward."
Guite was a critical member of the University of Maine’s legendary 1999 national championship squad, scoring a goal in the title game victory over the University of New Hampshire as a junior. He served as an Assistant Captain during his senior season in Orono, which also included a trip to the Frozen Four, and went on to play 13 seasons of professional hockey, including 175 games in the NHL (with Colorado, Boston, and Nashville), before transitioning to a career in coaching in 2013.
His coaching career began with eight seasons as an assistant hockey coach at the University of Maine, which included time as the program recruiting coordinator and four seasons as Associate Head Coach, a role in which he oversaw virtually all aspects of the operations of the hockey program. Following the sudden passing head coach Red Gendron, Guite served as the interim head coach at Maine in the spring of 2021 prior to becoming the head coach of the Maine Mariners in the East Coast Hockey League. In his lone season with the Mariners, he led the team to their first-ever postseason appearance, finishing the year with a 33-31-5-3 record.
Guite graduated with an English degree with a minor in Business from the University of Maine and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Maine while playing in the NHL. He has held numerous leadership roles in the hockey community, including serving as a captain for five of the AHL teams on which he played, as a NHL Players Association representative, and as a member of the Professional Hockey Players Association Executive Committee. Guite is originally from LaSalle, Quebec and currently resides in Bangor with his wife Kristen and their two sons, Patrick and Maxime.
NEIL SINCLAIR
Head Coach - Middleburry College, NESCAC
Sinclair took over the reins of the men’s hockey program in the spring of 2015. He came to Middlebury from Skidmore, where he served in the same role for 10 seasons. The former Panther All-American was Middlebury’s interim head coach in 2002–03, after serving three seasons as an assistant coach for the recently retired Bill Beaney. Sinclair is just the fourth men’s hockey coach at Middlebury since 1946.
Sinclair recently completed his 10th season behind the bench at Skidmore. In his second season with the Thoroughbreds, his team finished third in the ECAC East/NESCAC interlock and hosted a first-round postseason tournament game. Sinclair led the team to the ECAC semifinals three times and was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2006–07. He was also a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award as the National Coach of the Year.
While at Skidmore, Sinclair obtained his Master of Arts degree in 2011. As part of his master’s work, Sinclair published a piece in The International Journal of Sports and Society titled “Building a Collegiate Athletic Leadership Model for NCAA Teams,” which he wrote with Tim Harper and Jeff Segrave in 2014.
As a player at Middlebury, the senior defenseman was a first-team All-American and ECAC selection in 1993. He began his coaching career at Middlebury Union High School, leading the team to the 1996 State Championship.
He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach from 1999–2002, serving as the team’s interim head coach in 2002–03 while Beaney was on sabbatical. That season, Sinclair guided the team to a 22-5-2 record with a trip to the NCAA final four. The Panthers also finished first in the NESCAC and advanced to the league’s championship game. Following the season, he was again named a finalist for the Edward Jeremiah Award.
The following season, Sinclair moved to Williams College, where he served as head coach of the women’s hockey program for two seasons prior to arriving at Skidmore.
Sinclair is an active member of USA Hockey and has worked the National Festival at the 14–16 level for the boys and the National 14 Festival for the girls. He has been a speaker at USA Hockey Programs of Merit and numerous coaching symposia for the New England and New York districts. He has also served on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee.
ED HARDING
Head Coach - Southern Maine University, NEHC
The seventh head coach in the 40-year history of the University of Southern Maine men’s ice hockey program, Ed Harding, was named head coach in April 2015 after taking over as interim head coach at the midway point of the 2014-15 season. Harding is a former USM player (1985-88) and assistant coach (1993-96).
Harding has an impressive coaching background. His most recent stint was as head coach at North Yarmouth Academy (2010-11). Prior to his time at NYA, Harding had a six-year run with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He began his association with the Maineiacs as an assistant coach for two seasons (2003-05) before moving into the dual role of assistant general manager/assistant coach for the next two seasons (2005-07). Harding served as the Maineiacs head coach and general manager for two years (2007-09).
Harding began his coaching career in 1989 filling the head coaching position at Greely High School (Cumberland, Maine) for four seasons (1989-93). He came back to USM as an assistant coach for three seasons. (1993-96). In 1996, Harding became the first coach and general manager of the Flagstaff Mountaineers (WSJHL), guiding the Mountaineers to two league championships and a combined 66-10-3 record. Harding also had coaching stints with the Portland Pirates (volunteer assistant, 1998-99), Arkansas Riverblades (assistant coach, 1999-2000) and the Tulsa Crude (head coach; 2001-02).
A three-time captain for the Huskies, Harding played two seasons (1985-87) for former coach Gordie Clark and one season under Jeff Beaney (1987-88). During his three seasons wearing a Huskies jersey, Harding scored 37 goals and dished out 33 assists for 70 points. He was inducted into the Husky Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. After his playing days at USM, Harding split one professional season between the Maine Mariners and the Johnstown Chiefs (1988-89).
SEAN HOGAN
Guess Speaker, Director of Athlete Relations, College Hockey Inc.
“Sean’s passion for the college hockey experience is obvious the moment you meet him,” College Hockey Inc. Executive Director Mike Snee said. “He comes highly recommended from many people involved in college hockey including several current coaches. We were fortunate to have several strong candidates interested in joining College Hockey Inc. but Sean stood out and we are looking forward to his contributions.”
Hogan came to College Hockey Inc. with an extensive coaching background, having served as an American Collegiate Hockey Association head coach at Ohio University (2014-19), Arizona (2011-14) and Oakland (2005-09). He served on the coaching staff of USA Hockey’s Men’s National University Team three times, including as head coach in 2017, and was the volunteer assistant coach with Western Michigan in 2010-11.
Hogan played college hockey at Iona (1996-97) and graduated from Michigan State in 2001. He earned his master’s degree from Ohio in 2016.
“I am excited about the opportunity to work with Mike Snee, Nate Ewell and College Hockey Inc.,” Hogan said. “Their passion for college hockey is evident, and the work we will do with CHI is of vital importance to growing college hockey. I can’t wait to get started.”
Hogan is based out of the offices of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Mich.
Hogan may be reached by email at shogan@collegehockeyinc.com or on Twitter @coach_hogan.
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