Quinn gets NHL gig
Boston University head coach David Quinn (Cranston, R.I.) has agreed to a contract to be the next head coach of the New York Rangers.
Terms of the deal, which was finalized last month, are believed to be five years at $2.5 million per year.
Quinn has been head coach at his alma mater since the 2013-14 season. He previously spent time as an assistant at Nebraska-Omaha and BU. He also was head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters in the AHL and an assistant coach for one season with the Colorado Avalanche.
Quinn recently completed his fifth season as head coach at his alma mater. He led the Terriers to four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament (2015, ’16, ’17 and ’18) and orchestrated the biggest turnaround in BU hockey history in 2014-15, including Hockey East and Beanpot titles and a spot in the national title game.
This season, Quinn and the Terriers overcame a tough first half by going 14-3-3 in their final 20 games and collecting the program’s ninth Hockey East tournament title. BU reached the NCAA regional final for the third time in four seasons, a feat matched only by Denver and Minnesota-Duluth, the past two national champions.
Yale alum Lyon wins marathon
Behind 94 saves from former Yale standout Alex Lyon, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms defeated the Charlotte Checkers, 2-1 in five overtimes, in Game 4 of their Atlantic Division final series in Charlotte, N.C., in the longest game in the 82-year history of the American Hockey League.
A goal by Alex Krushelnyski — son of former Boston Bruins forward Mike — at 6:48 of the fifth overtime period gave the Phantoms the victory. They would go on to win the series in Game 5 and reach the Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Marlies.
The 25-year-old Lyon finished with 94 saves on 95 shots, the second-highest total in league history. He had more saves in the game than goals he gave up all season (71). Michael Leighton, the former Flyers netminder, who played for the Albany River Rats at the time, had 98 saves in a game vs. the Philadelphia Phantoms on April 24, 2008.
In three years at Yale, Lyon twice won the Ken Dryden Award given to the best goalie in ECAC Hockey.
Brown women turn to Wahlig
Carisa Wahlig, the active leader in victories for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, has been named head coach of the Brown women’s hockey team.
Wahlig comes to Brown after leading the Division 3 Lake Forest (Ill.) College women’s program for 13 seasons, becoming the school’s all-time winningest coach with a 201-101-39 record.
“I’m incredibly excited to be at the helm of the Brown women’s hockey team,” Wahlig said. “I’m looking forward to working with these impressive student-athletes on getting the program back on track in terms of its success. It’s going to be a lot of hard work on every front, but I welcome that challenge and I hope the players do as well.”
Wahlig played college hockey at New Hampshire and was the team’s leading scorer all four years, completing her collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in points.
Crowell to guide U-18 team
USA Hockey announced last month that Minnesota-Duluth coach Maura Crowell (Mansfield, Mass.) has been named head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team for the 2018-19 season.
Crowell, a former UMass-Boston coach and Harvard assistant, will lead the U.S. Under-18 team at the 2018 Under-18 Women’s Series against Canada from Aug. 14-19 in Calgary, Alberta, and guide the team at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship that is anticipated to take place in early 2019.
Crowell also will serve on the staff at the upcoming Under-18 Girls Select Player Development Camp June 23-29 in Biddeford, Maine, as well as during the 2018 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival Aug. 6-13 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Prior to joining Duluth, Crowell spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Harvard. She also led the UMass-Boston team from 2005-10, finishing her time there as the program’s all-time winningest coach.
Providence promotes Rolston
Providence College men’s hockey head coach Nate Leaman announced last month that Ron Rolston has been promoted to associate head coach of the program. Rolston spent the 2017-18 season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Friars.
Rolston also served as an assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, this past February. Before coming to Providence, he spent the 2015-16 season as head coach of the Springfield Falcons of the AHL.
Rolston served as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons after coaching the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, for two seasons (2011-13).
Rolston also has experience in college hockey, serving as an assistant coach for Boston College (2002-04), Harvard (1999-02), Clarkson (1996-99) and Lake Superior State (1990-95), where he captured two national championships with the Lakers in 1992 and 1994.
Playoff format tweaked
The Hockey East men’s tournament is changing its format, returning to the eight-team tournament it employed for years before conference expansion.
The bottom three teams in the 11-team league will not qualify for the playoffs. The top four teams will host the bottom four teams in best-of-three quarterfinal series.
