University of New Hampshire athletic director Judy Ray announced Wednesday that coach Dick Umile will remain at UNH, and that the university is working out arrangements that will allow Umile to finish his coaching career with the Wildcats. The announcement came one day after he interviewed for the vacant coaching position at UMass-Amherst.
“I am very excited that UNH has made the commitment to me personally and to the hockey program,” Umile said. “I have every intention of completing my coaching career here at UNH.”
A 1972 graduate of UNH, Umile has compiled a 228-120-28 record in 10 years and has guided the Wildcats to the Frozen Four twice in the past three years, including the school’s first-ever national championship game in 1999. In addition, Umile has been named Hockey East Coach of the Year three times and was named the Spencer T. Penrose recipient last year as the nation’s most outstanding college hockey coach.
“We are very excited that he has decided to remain at his alma mater and continue to be the head coach of the UNH Wildcats,” said Ray.
Despite his decision to stay with the Wildcats, Umile was nonetheless impressed with the commitment to the Minuteman hockey program.
“The UMass-Amherst program has every opportunity to be successful,” he said. “They have all the right things in place and I’m sure they will be very competitive.”
Sources indicated that the UMass coaching position — vacated when the school opted not to renew the contract of head coach Joe Mallen — was in fact offered to Umile. With his departure from the field, the remaining candidates reportedly include Blaise MacDonald of Niagara, as well as Jeff Jackson of USA Hockey and Maine’s Shawn Walsh.
