Berry, 59, from Bashaw, Alberta, had guided the Fighting Hawks since 2015-16, the same season in which he led UND to its most recent NCAA title. In a decade in charge at his alma mater, he fashioned a 227-119-35 overall record (.642) that included five NCHC regular-season championships and five NCAA tournament berths, along with seven seasons of 20 or more wins. He had one year remaining on his contract.
A former UND defenseman from 1983 to 1986, Berry went on to play in 241 NHL regular-season games with the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars and Dallas Stars, and also skated for Moncton (AHL) and Kalamazoo/Michigan (IHL) before getting into coaching, where served as an assistant coach with Manitoba (AHL) and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and as an amateur scout with the Vancouver Canucks. He spent two separate stints as an assistant at UND, the first from 2000 to 2006 and the second from 2012 to 2015.
The Fighting Hawks finished 21-15-2 overall this year, and were eliminated by eventual champion Western Michigan in the semifinal round of the NCHC Final Five.
ADDENDUM: UND has hired alumnus Dane Jackson to succeed Berry as head coach. Jackson, 54, from Castlegar, B.C., has served as an assistant/associate coach with the Fighting Hawks since 2006. He skated for UND from 1988 to 1992, recording 59 goals and 44 assists for 103 points to go with 249 penalty minutes, before embarking on an 11-year pro playing career in the AHL and NHL. He then spent three seasons coaching in the minor leagues before returning to his alma mater.
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