University of New Hampshire coach Dick Umile has been cleared to return to the bench on Friday when the Wildcats open the NCAA East Regional Tournament.
Umile suffered a heart attack in the early morning hours of Mar. 8, after his team played its opening round game in the Hockey East tournament. against UMass-Amherst. Assistant coaches Brian McCloskey and Chris Serino have run the team in his absence.
“I’m feeling really good,” said Umile from the UNH men’s hockey office just after being cleared by his doctor. “As long as I don’t jump around and get too active I’ll be able to coach this weekend. I’ll just have to lay low.”
Umile, named Hockey East Coach of the Year, leads his team against Colorado College in a 5 p.m. game on Friday. If UNH wins, they will advance to a quarterfinal game against Clarkson.