The coaching carousel has been going around and around in Division I men's college hockey since the national title game in Philadelphia over a month ago.
Scott Owens resigned at Colorado College, to be replaced by former Elmira skater and Chicago Blackhawks assistant coach Mike Haviland.Owens led the Tigers to 324 wins and seven NCAA Tournament berths in his 15-year-tenure in Colorado Springs. Haviland, who helped Chicago to its 2010 Stanley Cup championship, was head coach at Hershey (AHL) last season, and had previously won two ECHL titles as a head coach.
Jim Roque was let go at Lake Superior State after nine seasons and replaced by former Michigan State forward Damon Whitten, who has coached at MSU, Wayne State, Alaska Anchorage and Michigan Tech in his career. It's the first time Whitten will be a head coach at the college level, with a Lakers club that hasn't made the NCAAs since 1996
Bob Prier resigned after three seasons at Princeton, although whether that was under duress or not hasn't been revealed—I hope it wasn't the case that he was forced out. Prier had succeeded Guy Gadowsky, who moved on to Penn State in 2011. His own replacement will be the first major hiring for new Princeton athletic director Mollie Marcoux, a Princeton hockey alumnae and a three-time MVP for the Tigers.
Lastly, Paul Pearl resigned after 19 seasons at the helm of his alma mater, Holy Cross, to take the associate position at Harvard. Pearl paced the Crusaders to 297 wins and two NCAA berths in his time, including an overtime upset of Minnesota in 2006. He will replace former Harvard assistant Albie O'Connell, who went back to Boston University where he captained the Terriers as an undergraduate.
Just over four months until the 2014-15 NCAA campaign begins—and the chance for more change behind the benches of Division I programs before the first puck drops.
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