RPI, Ferris Hire New Men's Head Coaches

The coaching carousel began spinning last week in the NCAA Division I men's hockey ranks.

Rensselaer tabbed Eric Lang earlier today as its new bench boss. Lang, 49, an American International College graduate, spent the last nine seasons at his alma mater, which is reclassifying the AIC men's hockey program to NCAA Division II next season. He led the Yellowjackets to an overall mark of 153-139-30, which included four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three Atlantic Hockey conference tournament titles, and three NCAA tournament berths. 

A former men's assistant at Army West Point, Lang, 49, also spent one year as the men's head coach at Manhattanville College, guiding the Division III Valiants to a 13-9-3 finish in 2011-12. Prior to that, he coached the Manhattanville women's team for three seasons, going 58-22-3 overall and leading the Valiants to two ECAC East titles and their most recent NCAA tournament appearance to date. He succeeds former RPI coach Dave Smith, who over saw the Engineers the last eight years.

Ferris State hired Long Island University head coach Brett Riley on March 31, the only coach LIU had known since the program began play in 2020-21. In four seasons at the helm of the Sharks, Riley, a Hobart graduate, led them to an overall record of 42-73-5, including a program-best 20 wins in 2024-25. He also coached Wilkes for one NCAA Division III season, fashioning a 16-8-2 mark in 2018-19, before serving one year as an assistant at Colgate. Riley, 34, succeeds long-time Ferris head coach Bob Daniels, who had led the Bulldogs the past 33 seasons.

ADDENDUM: LIU has hired Brendan Riley, cousin of Brett Riley, as the Sharks' new men's hockey coach. The son of longtime Army West Point head coach Brian Riley, Brendan Riley, 29, has served the past three years as an assistant coach at AIC. A native of West Point, N.Y., he skated at forward for Mercyhurst from 2016 to 2020, notching five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 91 career games.

NCAA Hockey Coaching Ranks Changing

The head coaching carousel has begin spinning in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Longtime Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels oversaw the final game of his long career with the Bulldogs' 4-1 loss at St. Thomas in the first round of the CCHA tournament. Daniels, a Michigan State graduate, began coaching FSU in 1992-93 and amassed a 510-625-117 record with the Bulldogs. Included among those numbers were six years with 20 or more victories, three CCHA regular-season championship, one CCHA tournament title, and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2012.

Rensselaer recently relived Dave Smith of his duties after eight years at the helm of the Engineers, as he compiled an 87-152-19 mark overall. An Ohio State graduate, Smith and his 2019-20 RPI team went 17-15-2 overall and sat fifth in ECAC Hockey at 13-8-1 before the remainder of that season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had previously manned Canisius from 2005 to 2017, taking the Golden Griffins to the 2013 NCAA tournament while also earning one Atlantic Hockey regular-season title and one tournament championship. His career record stands at 259-375-78.

American International's Eric Lang saw his NCAA Division I tenure at his alma mater end with Sunday's 4-3 loss at Holy Cross in the second round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament. The Yellowjackets are reclassifying to Division II beginning next season. In nine years, Lang led AIC to an overall mark of 168-148-33, plus four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three tournament titles and three national tournament appearances, including an upset of No. 1 St. Cloud in the 2019 NCAAs.

Mercyhurst's Rick Gotkin, who has guided the Lakers since 1988-89, has announced that he will retire following the 2025-26 season. The only coach to take a school to the NCAA tournament at the Division I, II and III levels, Gotkin, who played collegiately at Brockport, has fashioned a 611-551-111 record through 37 seasons so far. His ledger includes four MAAC/Atlantic Hockey regular-season titles, three conference tournament crowns, and six NCAA tournament berths overall, plus 11 seasons with 20 wins or more.

AIC to Return to Division II Next Year

According to multiple online sources, American International College will be leaving the NCAA Division I men's hockey ranks at the end of the 2024-25 season to return to the Division II level, due to budgetary constraints. All other AIC athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division II level, although there is no women's varsity hockey team.

AIC has spent the past 27 years at the Division I level. It has posted six straight winning seasons, which included four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three Atlantic Hockey playoff titles, and three NCAA tournament berths, all achieved under head coach and alumnus Eric Lang. In 2019, the Yellowjackets advanced to the NCAA West Regional Final after upsetting top-ranked St. Cloud State in the regional semifinals.

AIC moved to the Division I level in 1998-99 as part of the then-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), which became Atlantic Hockey in 2003-04. The program was established in 1948-49 at the Division II level, and moved to the MassMutual Center as its home ice in 2016-17 from the Olympia Ice Center.

AIC is currently 2-6-1 overall and 2-2 in the conference, which is now known as Atlantic Hockey America.

Coaching Carousel Commences

Wisconsin went back to the past in hiring its new coach, former Badgers forward Tony Granato. St. Lawrence head coach Greg Carvel has left his alma mater to join Massachusetts, and Gary Wright is stepping down at American International after 32 years at the helm.

In other NCAA hockey coaching news, Scott Sandelin has gotten a four-year extension at Minnesota-Duluth, while Nebraska-Omaha is seeking two new assistants.

Cahoon, Lang Step Down from Coaching Positions

Well, didn't exactly see either of these moves coming.

A day before head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon resigned from Massachusetts with one year left on his contract, Eric Lang (shown above) stepped down after one season at the helm of the Manhattanville College men's program.

I watched Cahoon (BU '72) coach at Princeton before he took the UMass job, and earlier this year I wrote about Lang and the Valiants for New York Hockey Journal. Cahoon went 166-229-42 in 13 seasons with the Minutemen, and is 336-393-76 overall with UMass, Princeton, Norwich and Lehigh in 25 years.

Lang (AIC '98) led Manhattanville to a 13-9-3 mark and an ECAC West playoff berth in his only campaign with the men's program. He previously went 58-22-3 in three seasons with the Valiants women's team.

Also last week, Blaise MacDonald (RIT' 85) , a former head coach with both Niagara and UMass Lowell, took the reins at Colby College, where he will make his Division III debut as a head coach. He holds a career record of 236-241-59 in 15 seasons with the Purple Eagles and River Hawks.

Just the first of what may be several coaching changes at the college level this summer.