University of Vermont head coach Todd Woodcroft has hired Scotty Moser to be the second assistant coach on his staff.
Moser, 32, has been the assistant coach at RPI since 2019. He spent the previous five seasons on the staff at Canisius College, his alma mater. He played for the Golden Griffins from 2008 through 2012. He wore a letter in his junior and senior years, serving as captain in the latter.
Moser, from Tonawanda, N.Y., replaces Jeff Hill, who left the Catamounts to become the goaltending coach with SC Bern, a pro team in Switzerland. UVM also lost volunteer assistant Mark Stuart, who took a full-time gig with his alma mater, Colorado College.
Moser was hired after a long process that included Woodcroft interviewing a number of candidates. Other coaches who were believed to be in the running included former Maine associate head coach Ben Guite, Colgate assistant coach Andy Boschetto, Lake Superior assistant coach Zach Cisek, and a few junior hockey coaches.
Holy Cross adds alum to round out staff
First-year head coach Bill Riga has his two assistant coaches as he looks to build Holy Cross back into a contender in Atlantic Hockey. Riga has hired Rivier head coach Eric Sorenson and Seattle Thunderbirds assistant coach Caston Sommer.
NEHJ previously reported Sorenson’s addition to the staff. In addition to his year spent at Rivier, an upstart program, he has assistant experience at Williams College and Nazareth. He was a collegiate goaltender at Western New England University.
Sommer, 29, hails from Shrewsbury, Mass. The 2016 Holy Cross alum scored 29 goals and 35 assists in 148 games for the Crusaders. He played high school hockey at Shrewsbury before doing a PG year at Hotchkiss. Sommer also played junior hockey in the USHL with Dubuque and the NAHL with Bismarck. He has been assistant coach for the WHL’s Thunderbirds for the past four seasons.
Neither Peter Roundy nor Max Mobley were retained following former head coach Dave Berard’s decision to move back to his alma mater, Providence College, as the assistant athletic director. While not yet official, sources indicate that Mobley has been hired as an assistant coach at Canisius.
Quinnipiac, UMass Lowell updates
Quinnipiac and UMass Lowell are the two New England colleges still looking for an assistant coach. The Bobcats were in need of a new assistant coach after Riga was named the bench boss at Holy Cross. Western Michigan associate head coach Pat Ferschweiler was the preferred candidate, but declined the position, according to college hockey sources. Those same people believe Robert Morris assistant coach Mike Corbett is the most logical choice to become the next assistant coach on Rand Pecknold’s staff. Corbett was a longtime assistant at Air Force and has head coaching experience from his time at Alabama-Huntsville. Corbett would join Joe Dumais on the Bobcats’ staff.
UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin is searching for a new assistant coach after Juliano Pagliero left to take a similar position at Penn State. Most people around the college game believe Guite, the Maine alum, former assistant coach and retired NHL forward, is the most likely candidate for the job. Guite, who spent two seasons with the Bruins organization, would bring plenty of Hockey East experience to the River Hawks. Guite and Bazin are both French Canadians.
There hasn’t been much news out of Commonwealth Ave. in terms of who could replace Paul Pearl on the BU staff. Head coach Albie O’Connell has just one year left on his current deal. He was reportedly meeting with athletic director Drew Marochello this past week
