Mar. 16: St. Lawrence University head women's hockey coach
Chris Wells has been selected by his peers as the American Hockey Coaches
Association Division I Coach of the Year.
Wells guided the Saints to a 24-10-4 overall record, the
program's first ECAC Hockey tournament title and a bid into the NCAA
Tournament. The Saints went on an 18-2-1
stretch from December 1 to March 3, which culminated in a 3-1 win over No. 3
Cornell and the ECAC Hockey title.
"This is certainly a great honor for our staff and
team! Everyone is working hard for each
other, that in itself is reward enough," said Coach Wells. "There are a number of staffs in the country
that did a great job this year. For our peers to recognize St. Lawrence
University for this award this season is quite humbling."
Through four seasons behind the Saints' bench, Wells has
compiled a record of 80-53-16 and two NCAA appearances. He is a 1992 graduate of St. Lawrence and
played four seasons for the men's hockey team under head coach Joe Marsh,
helping the team win the 1992 ECAC Championship.
Wells, who is assisted by Ted Wisner and Mare MacDougall, is
the second coach in program history to win the AHCA Coach of the Year honor, as
Paul Flanagan won the award in 2001.Â
This year's runner-up was Brad Frost of the University of Minnesota.
Coach Wells will receive the award officially at the annual
AHCA "Celebration of Women's Hockey" Banquet, help in conjunction with the AHCA
Convention in Naples, FL on April 27.