Associate head coach Paul Pearl won’t be back for a fourth season at Boston University, as I first reported on Twitter Thursday night.
Pearl, 54, has been the top assistant for the Terriers during Albie O’Connell’s entire tenure as head coach. The Winthrop, Mass., native and Holy Cross alum came to BU after serving in a similar post at Harvard for four seasons.
Pearl was the head coach at his alma mater for 19 seasons before leaving the Crusaders to join Ted Donato’s staff at Harvard. Pearl’s ouster from the BU staff had been rumored for a few weeks. Assistant coach Lenny Quesnelle remains on O’Connell’s staff.
Finding Pearl’s replacement won’t be an easy task for O’Connell, who has just one year left on his contract. If O’Connell is extended in the next few weeks, it will be easier for the Watertown, Mass., native to find a strong and willing candidate. The potential new assistant will have to weigh numerous factors, including O’Connell’s job status, when deciding whether or not to take the job at BU.
There has been a lot of talk around the rinks regarding David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.) possibly making a return to the BU bench. The Terrier alum and former head coach was fired by the New York Rangers last month. Sources indicate that Quinn is happy for now golfing and collecting the remaining money owed to him by the Rangers.
Assistant coach Pagliero leaving UMass Lowell
According to multiple sources, UMass Lowell assistant coach Juliano Pagliero is leaving the River Hawks to take a similar position at Penn State. Pagliero, a Niagara alum, is a former goaltender, which makes him more of a hot commodity in the coaching world. He spent three seasons under Norm Bazin with the River Hawks. Prior to coming to Lowell, Pagliero spent time at Colgate, Holy Cross and Utica.
Update on UVM assistant search
Multiple sources suggest that Vermont head coach Todd Woodcroft conducted final interviews this week. The second-year head coach is looking to replace Jeff Hill, who left for a position as a goaltending coach in European pro hockey.
RPI assistant coach Scott Moser, Colgate assistant coach Andy Boschetto, former Maine associate head coach Ben Guite, and Lake Superior State assistant coach Zach Cisek are four candidates who have interviewed for the opening. There could be others, but those four were confirmed by multiple industry sources.
Roundup: 2021 college hockey offseason coaching carousel
- David Berard resigned as head coach at Holy Cross to become an assistant athletic director at Providence. He was replaced by longtime Quinnipiac assistant coach and UMass Lowell alum Bill Riga. According to multiple sources, neither Peter Roundy nor Max Mobley will be retained from the previous coaching staff.
- After the tragic passing of Red Gendron, UMass associate head coach Ben Barr was named head coach of the University of Maine’s flagship program. Barr kept assistant coach Alfie Michaud but moved on from Guite, who had been the interim head coach. Barr is poised to add Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) head coach Jason Fortier to the staff.
- Curry College head coach TJ Manastersky left the Milton, Mass., school to become an assistant coach on Rick Bennett’s staff at Union. He joins South Boston native John Ronan as assistants for the Dutchmen.
- Penn State assistant coach Matt Lindsay left the Nittany Lions to take the same position with UMass. As mentioned above, Pagliero is leaving Lowell for State College, Pa.
- Assistant coach Stavros Paskaris left Dartmouth to take a similar post at Bowling Green. Replacing him is Tri-City Storm (USHL) assistant Troy Thibodeau, a Southern Maine alum who previously was director of hockey operations at UMass Lowell.
- Kris Mayotte was hired by Colorado College. The former Michigan, Providence and St. Lawrence assistant replaced Mike Haviland, who was fired after the season. Mayotte, a Union alum, subsequently hired Mark Stuart and Peter Mannino as assistant coaches.
- Michigan alum Jeff Tambellini will replace Mayotte on Mel Pearson’s staff. Tambellini, who played 242 NHL games, joins Bill Muckalt as assistant coaches with the Wolverines.
- Rico Blasi, who spent 2020-21 as an assistant athletic director at Providence, was named head coach at Division 1 upstart St. Thomas. Blasi was the longtime head coach at his alma mater, Miami, prior to being fired following the 2018-19 campaign.
- Lincoln Stars (USHL) assistant Nick Peruzzi will be the new assistant coach at Northern Michigan. He replaces Rob Lehtinen.
