Minnesota Hockey Seeking New Head Coaches

The University of Minnesota is now looking for two new hockey head coaches.

The men's program has parted ways with Bob Motzko after eight seasons. The Austin, Minn, native had guided the Golden Gophers since 2018-19 after 13 seasons at the helm of his alma mater, St. Cloud State. Motzko, 65, complied a record of 172-104-24 while at Minnesota, including three Big Ten regular season titles, one Big Ten tournament crown, and five NCAA tournament berths, including a national runner-up finish in 2023. Minnesota finished 11-22-3 this past season, falling in the Big Ten tournament to Penn State. For his NCAA Division I career, Motzko has put together an overall head coaching mark of 448-296-73, including 13 trips to the NCAAs.

On the women's side, Brad Frost was not retained after 19 seasons at the Minnesota helm, following five years as an assistant and one as an associate/interim head coach. A Bethel College product and former men's team captain, the Burlington, Ont. native fashioned a 554-133-43 mark with the Golden Gophers, including 17 NCAA tournament appearances, eight WCHA regular-season titles, five WCHA tournament crowns, and four national championships since he took over in 2007-08. Frost, 52, led Minnesota to a 26-12-1 overall record this past season, which ended with a loss to Northeastern in the NCAAs.

Gophers Record Kazmaier Hat Trick

Someone from the University of Minnesota will win this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation’s top NCAA Division I collegiate women’s hockey player. That’s because all three finalists – a forward, blueliner and goaltender – play for head coach Brad Frost and the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Golden Gophers (36-0-0 overall, 28-0-0 WCHA).

Junior forward Amanda Kessel, younger sister of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, leads the nation in scoring with 43 goals and 51 assists for 94 points in 33 games, and has 224 points in 109 career appearances. Team captain and senior defender Megan Bozek, an Illinois native, is third on this year’s Gopher scoring scroll with 18-34—52 points in 36 outings, while senior netminder and two-time Finnish Olympian Noora Räty has gone 31-0-0 so far this season with 14 shutouts, and has not allowed goal in her last four games.

Former Minnesota forward and two-time U.S. Olympian Krissy Wendell is the only previous Gopher to have won the Kazmaier Award, back in 2005 when she recorded 43-61—104 points in 40 contests. This year’s award will be presented in Minneapolis on March 23, as part of the NCAA Frozen Four.

The current Minnesota squad has won 44 games dating back to last season, and just completed a two-step sweep of Bemidji State in the first round of the WCHA Tournament. The Gophers will next skate against Ohio State on Friday at home at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis in a league semifinal in the WCHA Final Face-Off. The winner will play the victor of the North Dakota-Wisconsin semifinal on Saturday for the WCHA’s automatic berth in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.