Saint Michael's College

"My decision to retire from college coaching was not an easy one, but it is the right one. Simply put, it is time to devote more of my time to watching my own children play sports and participate in their lives, rather than watch someone else’s child play on Friday and Saturday nights. This almost 30-year career has been such a wonderful ride, and there are so many people to thank. First and foremost, my family who have always been there for me supporting me along the way. The life of a coach is not an easy one, both for the coach and their families. My wife Kelly and kids Giovanni and Rosa have been my biggest fans, and this entire journey is simply impossible without them.
 
"Not many coaches get to say they won their last game and get to leave on their own terms. I am doing both and it feels like the perfect time. The team we had this past year was amazing, and the players we won with made it so much more special. I could take the next 10 pages to write how I feel about the group we just got finished with at St. Mike’s. They were an amazing group of young men to coach, and I had an incredible staff of women and men to work with. This makes the decision even more perfect to go out with the team that we just had.
 
"As far as other people to thank, it starts with my mom and dad and my brother and sister. In the athletics world, both Gary Sampson and Mike Gilligan belong at the top of any list. Gary gave me my start in coaching and Mike gave me a chance at the collegiate level. It is at UVM that I truly learned how to be a coach, not only with X’s and O’s, but way more importantly about how to treat people and how to deal with any kind of adversity that might come my way. My biggest motto to myself as a coach has always been, "WWGD...What Would Gilly Do?" Mike Gilligan will always stand as my biggest mentor and favorite person in the world of coaching. There are many others, and I cannot name them all, but the late Tim Taylor, Bill Beaney, C.J. Marottolo, Joe Marsh, Jack Parker and Dick Umile are coaches I looked up to and learned from. I simply 'hit the jackpot' when it came to coaching mentors, and I will always hold those people along with many others dear to my heart.
 
"To my assistant coaches, Jeff Hill, Adam Berger, Dan Evarts '13, Casey Fratkin, Dan Allen, Aaron Bain, Corey Gustafson, Dakota Woodworth, Lilly Holmes and Brent Truchon, well, they know how much they mean to me and how important they were in my life. They were tasked to deal with a coach with many flaws. They were always there to pick up the slack and really run much of our program at both Rice Prep and St. Mike’s.
 
"There are people like Dave Landers and Paul Olsen that really helped me along the way as well as Geri Knortz, Chris Kenny '86, Meggan Dulude '07, Josh Kessler '04, Shannon Bollhardt and Kathy Butts '89, who were all instrumental in shaping my career as well. And finally, our current administration team of Matt Akins and Annie Martin '19, who have St. Mike’s Athletics in a very good place.
 
"Finally, the players themselves. From the Vail Avalanche to Butte, Montana, to UVM, Middlebury and Rice Prep and especially those at St. Mike’s. They have made this journey so, so special. The relationships I have built and all that I have learned from them will always be cherished. I hope that this can continue into retirement and perhaps even grow stronger.
 
"I have always said that coaching at Saint Michael’s is the 'sweet spot' for any coach. Our players know what’s most important, they comport themselves in an amazing manner, and they truly cared about one another each year that I have been here. They made it easy to be a coach, and this became a true 'player-led' program, which is exactly what any coach wants out of their team. I cannot stress how wonderful it was to coach the student-athletes that I had at St. Mike’s. They were a great group of young men to work with. As I’ve said to them many times, I would put our culture and standards up against any team in the country at any level. They simply get what it means to be a true student-athlete. I am more proud of what these fine young men accomplished off the ice than what they did on the ice (which has been a lot). They have been leaders in the community, in the classroom, and on campus, and it was truly a pleasure to coach such fine young people while at Saint Michael’s.
 
"We have left this program in a really good place. The leadership we have, the type of people we’ve recruited, and the culture we have created is in a great position."